Gel Nails

I am NOT a girly girl and never have been. Always a tom-boy. My daily wear would be old dungarees and a t-shirt. I never got why women got their nails done. If you get them painted, they chip in an hour or if you do NOT lift a finger, then they chip in two hours. Women with long nails always look handicapped to me. No wonder women are looked at as not physically strong. "I can't break a nail!" Well, I am getting older and I still feel the same way about super long nails, but I must confess that I have a nail biting problem that I have never grown out of. I not only bite my nails, I chew on my skin surrounding my nails until I am in pain or I bleed. That makes me handicapped. On any give day I have 4 bum fingers I can't do much with. I am worse than those prissy ladies!

I am not big on painted nails unless you have super short nails, then it is cute. So tips never seemed an option. Then a colleague told me about UV gel nails. Gel nails? Huh? You don't paint them, they are really durable and they don't chip. Say again? I looked into and got hooked on the idea of trying them. Why you ask? Because I figure that if I have short long nails, it will deter me from chewing and fussing with the cuticles and maybe my hands would look beautiful for once, without red sores. So here is the scoop on gel nails along with a picture of them:

GEL NAILS are an extremely natural-looking enhancement: thin, clear, flexible, non-yellowing, nonporous, resist lifting. Gel nails can be used for natural nail overlays (actually one of the most difficult techniques--but it looks the easiest) tip overlays, and sculpted onto forms for short extensions (mine!).

Benefits of Gel Nails:
1) Odorless
2) Natural Feeling
3) Thin
4) Flexible
5) Crystal Clear
6) Light Weight
7) Natural looking

So basically, it's somewhat like acrylics, in that they will put a nail tip on you and then put this goopy stuff on and cure it under a UV light for a few minutes. Then file, buff and polish. There is a lot more involved than that but thats the gist of it. Mine cost $45 for a full set and they are beautiful! Every 3 weeks or so I am supposed to return for a fill-in. I will keep you posted on the gel nail experience. But if you ever want to try nails? Try gel nails first. It is far less damaging than the other types and they look real.

Finding Reps Is A Process

Here we are having established a brand and worked unbelievably hard to get here. I will be looking for people to rep the company and do outside sales. I guess that is a true release of control, not having the the company's reputation fully in my hands. Will they make people excited and comfortable to try our products? Will they understand the products enough to speak intelligently about the results? Will they smell good, look good, seem trustworthy and likeable? I generally don't like to be approached by people who want to sell me stuff, but in business I know this is crucial for it to continue and thrive. We are bootstrapped and young and ready to expand.

So how does one find people they want to represent the company, me, the brand? I suppose releasing control little by little is the only way to truly succeed. I am open to hear from you. Any insight?

Virginia Tech

Our hearts go out to the families who lost their loved ones due to the gruesome act of a troubled killer.

I've Always Loved Candles

Before I really immersed myself into bath and body formulating, I tried hand pouring soy candles and absolutely loved it! What is better than making something that you love to use? I always like having candles lit in my house in the evening. It is soothing and and almost always empties the mind clutter of most agitating things.....almost like watching and listening to palm trees swaying in the breeze.

Making candles is very easy but creating scents can be challenging for me. I have always been pretty picky about smells. I can't stand it when someone walks past me or joins me in an elevator after what seems like a half a bottle of really cheap and strong perfume has been emptied on that persons neck. Yick.

So, this is where my brain goes to work....thinking about the emotions I experience when I smell certain scents. I love the smell of the ocean, fresh warm laundry, babies skin and fresh herbs. Everyone is so different. Some people hate citrus... me? I love it. It makes me happy.

Maybe I'll try candles again. I am contemplating. I find I have almost no time to do much of anything while I still have energy at the end of the day. I believe we all make time for what is important, and it kills us when we haven't spoken to an old friend, abandoned an old hobby, or spent any time holding hands recently.

Food for thought.

Austin is where I need to be.

Who knew that a Brooklyn born and bred girl would ever want to move to TEXAS?? That would be me. The city is pretty, the food is great, the bats are cool, there is music all around, the hill country is dynamite and everyone is friendly. And there is water!

Don't get me wrong. Being here in Florida has had its benefits. I love the ocean, the sunny skies have kept me chipper and there is very little crime, but it's not a city. Miami is not my city. I like the eclectic feel I get when I am in Austin. So to Austin-ites? Here I come with my family and business hopefully very soon.

The Luncheon Was A Success.

Last week right before I left town for Texas, I went to that luncheon I mentioned. I had been asked to speak in front of a powerful group of women entrepreneurs about me and my journey as a woman owning and running my own business. Well, I was freaky nervous because I had never spoken in front of more than a handful of people in the past, so, you see, I was feeling a bit sick to my stomach. When I was finally introduced by Ann Holmes, the author of the book I had been mentioned in, I approached the podium, took a deep breath and realized something. I am who I am. I am not in High School anymore. I put myself in the shoes of the audience and thought, Why would I attend a luncheaon like this? To hear and learn what other people are about, so maybe I have something to share that might be interesting to them.

I began speaking to about 60 women staring at me and after a few moments, I became completely comfortable in my skin as I had never been before. I think at that moment I became an adult. I was saying who I am, what I had done to get here and most importantly, the ideals I live by and integrate into every aspect of my daily life.

Through everything that I do, I maintain honesty, fairness and respect of others and myself-always. This is my core. This is who I am and this business will never break that. So whether I am successful or not, I must maintain my belief system. Isn't that what our parents tried to instill in us? Isn't that what I do every day with my own two kids?

After I ended my chatty story and the luncheon ended, a number of women approached me to tell me how inspiring I was for them and a lovely woman told me I was a great storyteller....that I could have a future in public speaking inspiring others. That made me laugh out loud because I had almost threw up from nerves 15 minutes earlier, and I told her so. She said she could tell, but that it had passed quickly.

So I end on this note: Be true to one's self and always remember what it would feel like on the other end of you, which is another way of saying, "Treat others the way you want to be treated" and then you will be proud of who you are on any day of the week. And, if you ever get a chance to speak in front of a ton of people and you feel like you are going to die, just do it. You will learn more about yourself than the audience will learn about you.