The Handmade Beauty Connection
May 22, 2006

Welcome Renewing Members!

Deal Farm Soap Co. | Renee Deal | Massachusetts
* Deal Farm Soap Company specializes in goat milk soaps and natural skin care products for sensitive skin. Our nourishing and gentle soaps are made with fresh goat milk, premium vegetable oils, and pure essential oils. Our Skin Therapy Creme and Shea Butter Cremes are essential for those with dry skin. We even offer a natural goat milk soap to keep your dog's coat fresh and shiny. Retail / Wholesale / Private Label. Deal Farm was featured in last week's newsletter in an article entitled, "From Layoff to Payoff."

Sweet River Soap Company | Paula Plascjak | California
* Handmade soaps, bath fizzies, solid salt scrubs, lip balm, bottled bath salts.

Alima Cosmetics | Kathy O'Brien | Oregon
* Alima Cosmetics, Inc. began in Portland, Oregon in 2004 out of a love of the dazzling colors of mineral cosmetics. We specialize in handcrafting mineral makeup using the purest ingredients available. Alima's mineral makeup is created with luxurious microfine cosmetics-grade pigments. Mica provides subtle reflective properties to enhance the appearance of the skin, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide provide sun protection and anti-inflammatory benefits, and iron oxides provide beautiful, natural color.

Welcome New Members!

Uptown Flavors | Sophia Sylvester | New York
* High quality candles, body care and home decor.

Kokopelli Natural Bath & Body | Candace Sweeney | Michigan
* Handmade soaps, solid lotions, scrubs, body oils, and more made from the finest ingredients. Mostly natural, and organic when possible.

Naturals by Kristen | Kristen Wilson | Wisconsin
* Specializing in homemade, made to order shampoos, conditioners, lotions, soaps, ointments, pet shampoos and treats, Wiccan Ritual soaps, baby washes and lotions.

The Essence of You | Tieast Smith | Pennsylvania
* The Essence of You brings to you, Body Indulgence, a lavish line of natural body care products. We have searched far and wide to offer you exotic blends of natural ingredients that will nurture and pamper your skin. We use natural ingredients like Monoi and Baobab oils, to create luxurious products like skin quenching lotions and moisturizing body polishes all made to nourish and pamper your skin.

Life Smells Good | Theresa Cangialosi | Maryland
* We provide state of the art knowledge in professional aromatherapy, with expertise in custom blending, hands on treatments and education. We feature an aromatherapy bar, with only the highest grades of essential oils. Our staff has blended over 50,000 formulas. The results are highly therapeutic body products and other aroma-related products..

JAE Enterprises | J. Abena Evans | New York
* JAE Enterprises manufactures handmade toiletries such as body butter, hair oils, body scrubs, soaps and personalized fragrant body oils and colognes.

HBN Members On The Move!

Last week, HBN member Ellie Trinowski of Moonshine Soap (member since July 2001) shared her products with people from across the nation at a premier training event for the US micro-enterprise development industry. The event was co-hosted by the Georgia Micro Enterprise Network in Atlanta, GA. Congratulations Ellie!

Congratulations to Veronika Hinke of Terra Mater Blends, who says, "We are excited about the orders we've received through the Handmade Beauty Network!" Veronika, who joined HBN a few months ago, told me that last week that a retail store found her company in HBN's Online Member Directory and placed a substantial order! That's great news Veronika! HBN Rocks!! Want the opportunity to get new customers like Veronika? Join HBN and put the power of HBN to work for your business today!

Here's another HBN success story! Fae Alonso at Sunrise Earth Spa in Florida (member since January 2005), had never worn much makeup herself, but was looking to carry mineral makeup in her spa. After seeing Rhonda Bridges King at Florida-based bareFaced Mineral Cosmetics (member since July 2005) listed in HBN's Online Member Directory, Fae gave her a call. The two hit it off immediately and discussed carrying Rhonda's minerals at Fae's spa. Shortly thereafter Fae headed to New York for product training for an exclusive line of skin care products. She took Rhonda's minerals with her and asked others in the class how they liked mineral makeup. All of them reported bad experiences but Fae gave them Rhonda's business card anyway, and during a class break, Fae called Rhonda and told her to send the trainer some samples right away. Fae enjoyed the training so much that after she ordered Rhonda's minerals, she invited her to train her spa staff on how to use and sell them. Today, Fae is delighted to have a great line of minerals in her spa, plus the training to back them up, and Rhonda has exposure in New York City. And it all started with visits to HBN's website and a follow up phone call. So what are you doing to grow your handmade beauty business today?!

Learn more about our members and their exciting activities by visiting their Web sites through HBN's Online Member Directory, now with 4 ways to search: (1) by state/country; (2) by member business name; (3) by keyword search; or (4) using our new alphabetical listings.

Thanks for putting down your issue long enough to enjoy this newsletter! And if you don't have yours yet, you'll get it this week! Thanks everyone for being so patient while this issue was assembled. The 1Q 2006 issue has lots of features including things you need to know before opening your own retail store, tips on complying with the FDA's Good Manufacturing Practices and an introduction to the 2006 Handmade Beauty Business of the Year! Of course HBN members get their issues as a member benefit but we have lots of subscribers who are simply interested in what members are doing.I f you haven't yet joined the handmade beauty revolution, it's not too late! You can subscribe here!

Work is underway on the 2Q issue -- The Soap Issue -- due out early this summer! As we speak, the photographer is setting up to photograph dozens of soaps for the cover. If you haven't discovered soaps made on a small scale -- mainly handmade cold processed soap -- you're in for a treat. Look forward to Handmade Beauty On Display as only HBN can do it!

A later issue this year will contain the entire HBN member directory, which is included as part of the print magazine once a year. If you are a member, be sure to check your listing information in our Online Member Directory. If anything is incorrect, email me so it can be changed and correct in the magazine.

Please visit our magazine sponsors who make it possible for me to bring you this unique publication!

Last Week's Answer: Melanie Teegarden, who has been a member of HBN since January 2006. Visit Melanie at Althaea Soaps and Herbals to find out more.

This Week's Question: Which HBN member is featured in the current issue of the Handmade Beauty Business Magazine as most unlikely to ever open a retail store again, and who has been a member of HBN since June 2000?

Be the first to answer correctly and win something wonderful!

Please read the contest rules here before submitting your entry. Put "TRIVIA CONTEST ANSWER" in the subject line or your answer will not be considered. While time does not permit me to respond personally to all entrants, the winner's name will be announced in the next newsletter!

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-- Sponsor --

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5. Feature Article: The Second Second Career
by Annette Esterheld

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Join us this month -- the month of Mothers, where we celebrate HBN members who are also moms!!

Creating the Present From the Past

A lot of people leave one career to begin another, but in the case of HBN member Margaret Hardy of Abbey St. Clare, she brought along two earlier careers to her handmade beauty business. Today, she blends them together as she also mixes and combines her mineral makeup and hair and skin care products. (You can enjoy my review of a favorite Abbey product here.)

The Abbey, located in the small town of Danville, Virginia, was named by Margaret in memory of a beloved uncle who was a Franciscan friar for 50 years before he died in 2002, the year she started the Abbey. As Margaret explains, St. Clare was a contemporary of St. Francis of Assisi and she was known to tend the herbal garden, growing the plants she used to tend to the illnesses of the sisters in her religious order.

Margaret says in her “first life” she was a medical technologist/microbiologist in hospital laboratories. Then her “second life” as a science teacher began when her children were young. “I helped out with a science lab program at a local school and quickly recognized the need for quality science education. She is now finishing her 21st year of teaching by teaching physics.

The Scales of Home and Business

Margaret's “third life,” running the Abbey, began in 2002 when she was asked by a local aesthetician to help develop a line of anti-aging skin care products. Her research evolved into her current venture, Abbey St. Clare. Margaret works the business when she is not being the mother of three Notre Dame sons and the wife of a physician. “There is no doubt that balancing a family, a job and a business can be challenging,” she says. “Life is a series of compromises. I’m of the generation that was told by Gloria Steinham that we could have it all. One learned quickly that we could not!”

She says time has taught her that one doesn’t need it all, you just have to recognize your priorities. For her the compromise is keeping her business a manageable size and seeking assistance when necessary. To find the time to work on developing the Abbey, Margaret scaled back on teaching hours in the afternoons. She admits that there are many late nights spent preparing for class and grading papers.

The Abbeys’ products include age defying and health enhancing products for your skin, hair, nails, body, and soul. Margaret says her creams, serums, elixirs, and waters can help you look and feel wonderful with little time and effort. “Using our lotions and potions, soaps and shampoos, you will feel better, too!”

... And People Say They Love It!

I highly recommend checking out the testimonials on Margaret’s website to see what over 50 folks have to say about the various products they have purchased from Abbey St. Clare. From college students who use the Mud Masque when they’re stressed out, to young moms whose babes with diaper rash are comforted by the Neroli Spritzer, all the way through to the 60 plus lady that saw such a difference using Abbey St. Clare products that she’s no longer thinking about having surgery to tighten the skin on her neck.

When I asked Margaret if she had a favorite, her response? “It’s like being asked to choose your favorite child!” she says. “I am very proud of my skin care products because of the wonderful feedback I have received from customers.”

Goal Getting

“The goal of the Abbey is to help people look wonderful and be healthy, to empower them to be happy with who they are, and do the best they can with what they have without resorting to expensive procedures or treatments,” says Margaret. The majority of the Abbey’s products were inspired by customer requests and are targeted for a specific purpose. “They are developed from a perspective that blends scientific, medical, herbal, aromatherapy, and educational experience, “she says.

Margaret chooses the most powerful, safest ingredients and blends them into unique formulations that she says are ‘first and foremost, effective.” “I do not aim for amassing new products as much as improving current items,” says Margaret. “Knowledge is power! I use the website and a monthly newsletter to help educate people about ingredients and current research on a variety of skin care and wellness issues.”

“Here at the Abbey we take each person’s concerns very personally and go to great lengths to help people feel confident that they have the best information available for making good choices,” she says. Margaret is a strong advocate for the medical miracles that the health system has developed, but she also believes that people tend to overuse pharmaceuticals and seek quick fixes instead of looking for natural alternatives. “I want people to see the benefits of taking a more proactive approach to their health and cosmetic routines, enhancing their emotional well being as well as their physical health,:” she says.

Margaret's plans for her business expansion include turning over some of the customized production of individual products to an outside laboratory and increasing her wholesale business using the online ordering that she just added in a recent website renovation. Margaret also plans to concentrate more on items that enhance natural healing. “I am especially fond of the wellness area and I’m looking to add essential oils, essential oil synergies, more hydrosols, healing balms and wellness teas.

Margaret’s Musings

Margaret shared with me several good ideas for other HBN members, especially those of you just starting out. I was impressed by all, but particularly her updated Golden Rule “to respond to your customers the same way you would wish to be treated.” She strongly believes that its better to lose profit than to disappoint someone who has placed their trust in you.

To Be Successful, Margaret Says --

1. Love what you do and believe in yourself and your offerings. This will sustain you through the discouraging days.

2. Estimate the amount of time and energy you think the endeavor will require, and then MULTIPLY it by ten.

3. Be conscious of the financial investment that will be required. Just because you build it doesn’t mean they will come. You must be able to sustain the business during its building process.

4. Keep your priorities in order. Remember that at the end of the day you won’t regret not selling another bar of soap, but you will regret sacrificing too much family time in the pursuit of success.

5. Last, and certainly not least, seek the advice of other successful people, like other HBN members you read about in this newsletter or HBN's magazine, or by perusing HBN's Online Member Directory. “Many of these wonderful people are very generous with the wisdom of their experience,” says Margaret. “Rising tides lift all boats and there is room for many at the entrepreneurial table."

dM: Our Muse

“Donna Maria is the muse of us all,” says Margaret. “She is a constant source of admiration as the hub from which so much information, sense and inspiration flows.” Margaret credits dM with helping her stay centered, and says the advice from HBN’s "guru has been invaluable in keeping my business focused."

Father's Day Is Coming!

For all you men out there, and the women who love them, Margaret wants you to know that she has several men’s products ready for the picking. Women tell her that the Lazarus Hair Treatment System helps make hair feel fuller. Margaret says she developed the Lazarus products because a hairdresser asked if she could help her customers with thinning hair.

Margaret's website uses color coded letter blocks to make is easy for you to find skin care products to suit your particular needs. You'll find Combination, Oily, Dry, Blemish, Sensitive and All Skin Types. How cool is that? You can enjoy Margaret's product offerings and inspiration at her newly designed (and very beautiful!) website. And if you're looking for a new summer lip color, get a load of the new Marilyn Mineral Lip Gloss while you're there!

I have never had especially sensitive skin. I can't exfoliate with sandpaper, but for most of my life, I can use anything and not have any adverse reaction. I have heard others talk about things like eczema and rosacea, but neither I nor anyone in my immediate family had those problems. Whenl I had children of my own, I began to fully appreciate how delicate skin is from the time we are born. Recently, I have been enjoying a product from Baby Breaux (HBN member since July 2003) that I can't say enough about!

Hugs and Kisses Body Creme
4 oz. | $9.00

By the way, the stuff feels great on the skin. Must be the aloe butter -- creamy, thick and rich. The scent is delicate from the chamomile and the texture is" to dive for." (Is that a good play on words?) This product makes a nice moisturizer for any purpose but it's great to know that it also heals skin irritations. Amazing!

You can get your own Hugs and Kisses Body Creme, and other products pictured here: Milk and Cookies Buttermilk and Oatmeal Bath, Tender Touches and Baby Bottoms Lotion Bar and Sweet Dreams and Lullabies Lotion, at Baby Breaux. Also, enjoy my Lifestyle CEO Internet Radio Show interview with Baby Breaux owner Julie Breaux and other HBN members. (You will need Windows Media Player to enjoy the interview.)

As always, there's a lot going on at HBN, and our members are very busy. I'll be including this chart in upcoming issues so everyone can stay abreast of the happening here at HBN!

Check out our new Events Calendar! HBN members can use this link to submit their own events for inclusion! Are you teaching a soapmaking, aromatherapy or herbal class or seminar? Are you hosting a gathering? Log on to submit your event!!