Road Trip to Texas.

Bring back the roller girls!

I love the caption under Ann Calvello's photo: "The Demon of Derby". Classic.

So here I am planning my road trip for tomorrow to Austin, Texas and I come across this great site txrd.com (Texas Roller Derby - Lonestar Roller Girls). This is a real live roller derby for women, owned and operated by the skaters. Long live Austin... Bringing back "the cool"! So, I had to share because these photos brought back memories of rollerskating in a wildly loud disco roller rink as a child. And I occasionally like to go back to that 70's place when things were simpler.

So the trip to the Lone Star state shall be long. It will probably be a grueling 20 hour drive, but it is worth it. We are considering the big move to Austin, one of my favorite cities in the country. I hope to live there one day soon.

I'm In A Book!

About a year and a half ago, I was contacted by Ann Holmes, an author who was writing a book about women starting their own businesses. She was interested in interviewing me... how I got started and what my experience was like owning and running my own business. I was thrilled, of course, and told her everything about me and my journey. A year went by, not really thinking about the book. I was touching base with Ann periodically to see if and when it might be published. No real hopes.

Last month Ann contacted me and told me the book was published and was available. Well, I went to a bookstore, opened up the index to see if I made it in, and BAM! My name was in there. Holy cow. Me? OK.... The book is not about me. Let me not mislead you in anyway. But it turns out I was mentioned on 3 different pages briefly as a counterpoint! (yeah) In one instance she was discussing a woman who had started a bath and body company, like me, and never really focused in and made a business plan.... blew through $100,000 and was basically not progressing very much. So, I was used as an example of executing a business plan, which structures steps and broadly budgets each of these steps. So there. I am in a book.

When Ann told me about the book, she also invited me to speak at a luncheon event that will be held for Ann by The Commonwealth Institute, a non-profit organization that supports women CEOs, senior execs and women entrepreneurs. This feels like a big deal and I am flattered and feeling very official all of a sudden. So I have to speak in front of 100 people. Never done that, although I had about 80 people at my wedding. Does that count? What does a girl wear?

I truly enjoy talking about my journey with Product Body because I love what I do so much. Of course, I could choke and faint right there at the podium. So the luncheon is on Thursday. Wish me luck.... and for any of you who want to start a business, I suggest you buy Ann's book. I haven't read it all yet, but it is very insightful so far. Wish me luck!!

Bodacious Body Butter Mousse

Oh, it is coming soon. It is new, whipped to a light mousse consistency and I can tell you now how much I wish I could have used this when I was pregnant both times! Before we created this mousse, we were bombarded with emails and calls from women about the effects of Mama Bomb (our belly balm) on their skin... Great news about all sorts of skin conditions "miraculously" disappearing before their eyes. I had no idea it would be used for so many things! Eye lash conditioner? up the nose moisturizer? Who knew? So, I figured that a poured balm like Mama Bomb needed a partner in crime... another all natural belly goo that feels scrumptious to touch and glorious to spread. As you may already know, I am very tactile and the "feel" of everything is so key to everything I put my skin on. I have designed it and you all are going to love it! It really feels light and airy and moussey! Like chocolate mousse without the calories!!

So with this said, keep your eyes peeled for the launch of the new yum yum platter from Product Body because, once we settle on mellow scents, you all will be knocked over!

Kiss!

Mama Bomb - An Email

I received the following letter and photos from a customer who generously allowed me to reprint them:

"I swear by your products. I contracted a nasty case of poison oak and I tried every remedy I could find. I wound up with a dry, leathery face that I began slathering with your shea butter, and then moved on to the Mama bomb. I looked like I had third degree burns.

The Mama bomb saved me. I only put it on my face and the redness and itching went away sooner there than anywhere else on my body. It was the only thing that worked.

I need more Mama bomb, just for me, please. You are a true life saver.

Your biggest fan, Dorian"

Happy New Year!

Here is my husband in sun form. Wow! I love him!!

So here we go into the new year in hopes that we will continue growing and finding new and improved ways to succeed. I am well into my 30's and need all the help I can get! :)

It is a new time for all of us here. My husband, Brad, and I have really begun to make this business work. We are all working our buns off to make it happen. Beauty editors are raving, and so are my returning customers. They email me daily with undying praise and more orders and you know we love that! So all feels good right now. Swamped but feeling good. I hope you all feel the burn as much as I do.

Anyway, happy new year to all and to all a good night!

Holiday Packages

I remember the days when I was a young girl window shopping in New York City during the Christmas season. I was in absolute awe. Every window was perfectly designed to create the ideal scenario of goodies and happiness. I remember walking through the enormous department stores bombarded with visions of presents, glitter, fairy dust, and smells of starch, plastic and perfume. Good memories. Weird.

So here I am trying to understand the holidays as a parent but also as a manufacturer. As a mother I set up the house with cranberries and garland, lights and simmer cinnamon soup on the burner, but as a person making body products, do I make warm mulled cider for the skin so someone can feel holiday-ie all day? I ask myself. Do I want to smell like that all day? When I first smelled that particular scent, I went nuts! It smelled just like New York in the deep Fall after going to the orchard and picking apples. My husband really flipped! He misses New York terribly and living in south Florida provides little memory jogging. There is nothing remotely like New York down here except New Yorkers who Winter down here. That is the worst of it because you get the wealthy retirees but without the culture or style. Now what is that good for?!

So back to Holiday packages. This year my products will be gifts, so if you are in my family or one of my friends, there is no surprising you with my gift selections. But as far as offerings to the general public, we have decided to put together what I would want for Christmas if I didn't make it myself. This comes back to the same way of thinking when I formulate our products. I always work towards want I want to rub on my skin, how I want to feel, what I like smelling on my skin.

Mmmmmm. Happy holidays!

How I got a Crush On You

People ask me how I come up with different formulations of some of my body products. It differs depending on the product, but the basic process is to think about what I am trying to achieve, run through ingredients that address those goals while nourishing the skin, do about a million batches of balm, scrub, lotion or what-have-you and hope for that magic "poof" in which a product is born. But Crush On You was a bit different.

I suffer from occasional migraines, which aside from being fairly unpleasant, generally infringe on my ability to get any work done for a while. It was during one of these interludes that Crush On You was born. As anyone that suffers from migraines can tell you, all you want when one hits is a dark room, some quiet, and for the pain to go away. And as I lay in my bedroom one evening indulging in the former two and waiting for the latter, my mind started to wander to my formulary and my favorite products, Butter Scrub, Shea Butter and Wash. Then the peanut butter and chocolate moment - what if.......

As soon as the fog lifted and the pain subsided, it was off to the lab and onto batch after batch of test formulations: shea, wash, macadamia nut oil, olive butter, almond oil, sugar, salt....I tried it all. And then, POOF - I had it. It was exactly what I had thought of, and it was in my greedy little hands. Crush On You had been born.

I haven't had a bad migraine in a long while, thankfully. I do hold out hope though that should I be hit with one as bad as the one that day, I'll come up with another idea that I like as much as I do Crush On You.