A closer look at high-definition makeup

By Melissa Magsaysay, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

It's not just for TV: We try out the new HD cosmetics from Christian Dior, Smashbox and Cargo in the bright sun and under fluorescent lights.

GET ready for your close-up. A new category of cosmetics hitting stores now is designed to achieve a flawless-looking face under the microscope of pore-magnifying, fine line-focusing, high-definition television.

The products are already popular with Hollywood makeup artists, but now brands such as Cargo and Christian Dior are being marketed to the everywoman who wants to look like a perfectly porcelain-skinned Nicole Kidman, whether she's under the harsh florescent lights of the office or in the soft focus of an outdoor patio.

Hundreds flock to Women’s Expo

Kari Lucin Worthington Daily Globe

WORTHINGTON — More than 500 people attended the first-ever Daily Globe Women’s Expo Home & Health Show Saturday, sampling treats, checking out local health services, watching cooking and health seminars and browsing the 58 booths for purses and jewelry of every possible variety.

“I’m loving it — the interaction and all the opportunities to learn about health,” said Sue Ellen Bone of Worthington, who spent several hours at the Expo. “I had my cholesterol checked and ate more and probably got it (increased).” Although women were greatly in the majority at the Expo, the few men in attendance also appeared to enjoy themselves, chatting and scanning the booths for information and goodies just like the women were. “It’s a nice position to be in,” joked Pete Danielson of Lake Park, Iowa, who staffed the Great Lakes Countertops and Kitchens booth. “We’ve had a number of interested people who find out how many choices (for countertops) there really are.”

Children also had a good time, from the babies valiantly gumming at Schwan’s chocolate chip cookies to the older kids trying out candy or having their nails done. “So far, everything looks good,” said Carter Ryan, 8, who attends St. John’s Lutheran School in Okabena. “I think it’s pretty nice.” Ryan liked the fire safety booth from T&M Safety Systems best, though he also liked the goodies being given away at the Globe’s booth — mini-flashlights and recipe card holders. Other booth favors available included Sanford Clinic’s balloons and water bottles, the Medicine Shoppe’s candies and fans — for use during hot flashes — and Knology’s stress balls and magnetic pens.

Benson Funeral Home offered free root beer floats at its booth while encouraging people to plan their funerals ahead of time. “We just want to reach out to the community,” said Benson booth staffer Ben Pawlitschek, a pre-arrangement consultant.

Several booths offered manicure and massage services.

Rachel Ponto of Worthington, who sells BeautiControl products, offered Expo-goers instant manicures using an herbal aromatherapy mixture of Dead Sea salt and scented oils.

“It feels very smooth,” said Deb Harberts of Reading, who tried out the instant manicure. “It feels like it has exfoliated everything.”

A line started to form around Deb’s Healing Massage and Day Spa as people waited for massages and manicures. Minnesota West Community and Technical College’s booth also offered manicures.

Visitors with a sweet tooth had many options, from the Schwan’s cookies, ice cream bars and cinnamon rolls to the various types of mixed candy at almost every booth to the Farley’s and Sathers booth. “They like the candy. And we like the people who like the candy,” said Farley’s and Sathers marketer Michelle Scheepstra with a smile. All the treats may have skewed the results of people’s free blood sugar tests from Worthington Regional Hospital.

They may also have taken the edge off any hunger pangs resulting from watching presentations by Sue Doeden, the Globe’s food columnist. Doeden presented “Wake Up and Smell the Breakfast,” “Hot Stuff That Will Keep You Cool in the Kitchen” and “Fast and Flavorful Desserts,” demonstrating not only how to make specific dishes, but also some general chopping and knife-sharpening techniques and kitchen tips and tricks.

Times are tough, so women are shopping — for lipstick

Beauty therapist Julie Edwards applies lipstick to Yenni at the Crimson Phoenix in South Melbourne.
Photo: Ken Irwin

by Rachel Wells

from The Age


INTEREST rates might be rising and food and fuel prices soaring, but it is going to take much more than that to wrest a woman away from her favourite lipstick. Industry experts, including Steve Ogden-Barnes of the Australian Centre for Retail Studies at Monash University, say cosmetics is one category that is "recession-proof". "When things get tight, people might put off buying the new plasma or the new sofa, but there is no way a woman is going to leave the house without her make-up on," he says.

In fact, there is a widely held belief that when times get tough cosmetic sales not only survive but thrive. They call it the "lipstick indicator". Originated by Leonard Lauder, chairman of the Estee Lauder Group, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks when lipstick sales in the US doubled, the theory goes that when things get tough women seek comfort in feel-good items. And while they may not be able to afford a $3000 handbag, they will fork out up to $30 for a lipstick.

Amy McCartney, 28, was in Myer yesterday surveying a "show-stopper copper" eyeshadow on a ground-floor discount stand. Eyeshadow and foundation are her weaknesses, she says. "I like the way they make me feel — I need it. "We have a mortgage, but interest rates going up will not stop me buying make-up."

For those who believe in the "lipstick indicator", things don't augur well for the Australian economy. Jo-Anne Mason, director of leading beauty industry analyst BU Australasia, says that despite the latest interest rate rises, cosmetics sales are strong. Recent sales figures showed strong growth, with some key brands rising 30% to 40% compared with last year.

Last year, the Australian cosmetics market was valued at $2.7 billion, with sales up 5.8% on the previous year, according to Ms Mason. And more growth, about 4%, was expected this year. "Despite the downturn, there is a commonly held belief that cosmetics do well in tough times because if we can't afford the big things then we'll spoil ourselves with little luxuries," Ms Mason says. "So you may not go out and splurge on a new outfit, but a new Christian Dior lipstick will make you feel great."

Mr Ogden-Barnes says cosmetics have such brand loyalty that most women do not "trade down" when things get tight. This was true for Ava Gordon, 22, of Berwick, who was shopping in the Bourke Street mall yesterday. "No way would I stop buying make-up," she says. "I don't need to wear it for work but I do. I would rather stop buying lunch than go without my make-up and perfume." Ms Gordon said she buys new products once a month and spends between $100 and $200 at a time: "I really like perfume and that tends to be expensive. If I want a pick-me-up I might buy a lipstick."

David Jones chief executive Mark McInnes says he believes the store's cosmetics category will "continue to grow", despite predicting a slowdown in other departments. He says cosmetics are the only category that is "completely downturn-proof". Inside David Jones' Bourke Street store, Elizabeth, 60, of Geelong, had bought some eyeliner and mascara before meeting her daughter at the football. "Make-up makes me feel good and I am old, don't forget," she says with a laugh. "I need it".

Natasha Iskander, of South Melbourne fashion and beauty boutique Crimson Phoenix, agrees. She says that while fashion sales have slowed sales of cosmetics have surged. "Clothing has been pretty slow the last few months with people really beginning to pinch their pennies both ways … but we've found there has been a real spurt in make-up sales, particularly those little items that don't cost much but can make you feel a bit special."

What's in Your Cosmetics?

Click here to see BeautiControl Cosmetics online.

by Daisy Ratzlaff

Shampoo, conditioner, face wash, lotion, perfume, mascara, hair gel. Ever wondered what these products consist off and what they actually do to your skin or your body?

Realizing that many of us spend at least thirty minutes to get ready in the morning and use various kinds of products highlights the importance of safety and knowledge.

The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database offers anyone a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products.

Being accessible through the internet, the Skin Deep website ranges from areas such as make-up, skin care, hair care, eye care, nail care, oral care to fragrance. In an effort to protect the public from unsafe chemicals in care products, the Environmental Working Group lists the various ingredients of cosmetics and its possible linkage to cancer, developmental/ reproductive toxicity, violations, restrictions and warnings, allergies/ immunotoxicity, and other concerns such as skin irritation, contamination concerns, and additive exposure sources. Also keeping a score key ranging from 0-2 (low hazard) to 7-10 (high hazard), the Environmental Working Group holds the opinion that manufacturers should be required to prove the safety of their products before the companies are allowed to sell any of their items in stores. It is their belief that "chemicals used in cosmetics and personal care products must pass a strict safety test that protects the most vulnerable in the population," according to cosmeticdatabase.com.

Typing in the name of a product within the search box, such as Clinique Happy Perfume Spray (a fragrance for women) brings up the score key number seven and its connection to cancer and other dangerous safety concerns.

The website does not limit the user to just searching for specific items, but also provides the opportunity to look for individual brands or even companies.

So, if you are curious about your products and its ingredients as well as safety concerns go to www.cosmeticdatabase.com and type your item into the search engine. You will be surprised to see the results.

Top Sales Leaders Among Tupperware Brands Corporation Assemble for the 2008 Chairman's Summit

from Fox/Business

PR Newswire
Comtex

ORLANDO, Fla., March 27, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Hundreds of Tupperware Brands Corporation's top performers are gathering together to be recognized for their elite positions as top sales leaders around the world at Chairman's Summit 2008: The Homecoming. This marks a truly historic event as it will be held in Orlando, Florida -- the home of Tupperware Brands Corporation's World Headquarters and it is the first formal assembly of top sales leaders representing the entire global portfolio of Tupperware Brands: Tupperware, BeautiControl , and the International Beauty Brands.

The Chairman's Summit provides top leaders with powerful networking opportunities, as well as new product previews, corporate strategy insight, compelling business sessions and extraordinary ceremonial events held in honor of the elite attendees. The 2008 Summit expects an unprecedented 450 qualifying participants from 30 countries and representing 16 languages this year.

"The Chairman's Summit offers the top sales performers from all around the world an exciting opportunity to celebrate each other's successes and share stories and ideas with one another," says Rick Goings, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tupperware Brands Corporation. "It is my honor to host this event as we express our pride and gratitude for the outstanding achievements of these elite leaders."

The five day celebration will be commemorated in the Homecoming Book of Leaders which features all 450 qualifying participants to honor their achievements and the relationships they will make during this event.

Chairman's Summit 2008 celebrates excellence and as such will make Tupperware Brands history as well as provide participants memories that will last a lifetime.

About Tupperware Brands Corporation

Tupperware Brands Corporation is a portfolio of global direct selling companies, selling premium innovative products across multiple brands and categories through an independent sales force of 2.1 million. Product brands and categories include design-centric preparation, storage and serving solutions for the kitchen and home through the Tupperware brand and beauty and personal care products for consumers through the Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo and Swissgarde brands.

SOURCE Tupperware Brands Corporation

BeautiControl Mini Gift Sets

BEAUTICONTROL City Garden Mini Set.

The new BeautiControl City Garden Collection just in time for Spring! Delightful scents and creamy lotions. The mini set gives you just enough to pack inside your designer handbag or your travel tote. Comes complete inside a beautiful satin flower bag.

BEAUTICONTROL City Garden Mini Set. Includes a beautiful satin pouch filled with mini City Garden items 1.7 ounces each of Bath and Shower Creme and Body Creme and Silk Body Mist. All new and all just the perfect size for travel or purse. Colorful flowery Spring colors in pinks and polka dots.

Home spa items in the shower they go....

For all you "shower" takers out there, here's some tips for making your shower experience more like a day at the spa than just a plain old boring shower. There's nothing more relaxing than a facial using BeautiControl's Spa Collection Warming Trend Green Tea Masque. The thick creamy masque applies smoothly and warms as it is massaged into the skin. Leave it on during your shower and wash it off just before you start washing your hair. Its deep cleansing qualities really feel great and leaves your skin clean, silky smooth and soft.

One of my favorite items kept in the shower is BeautiControl's Herbal Serenity & Honey Show of Hands Instant Manicure. It really is an instant manicure and lives up to its name 110%. Scrubbing hands and nails with Instant Manicure removes old cuticles and dead skin. BeautiControl's Instant Manicure contains a thick creamy moisture holding solution when wet creates skin protection. Believe me, it leaves your hands softer than anything else available.

Keeping these items inside the shower or handy to grab when needed is the solution for hands and face. Both items can be used as often as desired. They leave your skin feeling wonderful. Read below for more details.

BeautiControl Spa Collection Warming Trend Green Tea Masque 5 oz. Vitamin mineral and botanicalenriched masque deep cleans the skin of dirt oil and residue. Selfheating and aromatherapeutic benefits moisture the skin leaving it softer smoother and healthier looking. Dermatologist sensitivity allergy tested. Oilfree. Noncomedogenic. For all skin...After cleansing dampen face with water or Herbal Hydrating Mist. Apply masque liberally to entire face avoiding the eye area. With wet hands massage face for at least one minute but no more than two. Keep hands wet while massaging...


BeautiControl Herbal Serenity & Honey Show of Hands Instant Manicure. Take a dip and see smoother softer looking hands instantly! Formulated with Dead Sea salts to gently exfoliate dead skin cells while natural oils nourish moisturize and help protect hands and nails. Please make your selection from the drop down menu. Available in Honey or Herbal. SKU 3787.

Looking Forward Giving Back - BeautiControl

Do you want to be a BeautiControl Consultant? If so, contact CustomerCare@eFashionHouse.com and we'll make it happen.

Signing up new BeautiControl Consultants can change a child’s life. Every time we sign up a new Consultant in March and April, BeautiControl will make a donation to First Book®, a non-profit organization focused on reading and literacy. Together we can change the lives of tens of thousands of deserving children in the New Orleans area by giving them a book of their own.

Our initiative has attracted the attention of Barbara Taylor Bradford, author of A Woman of Substance. She shares her thoughts below:

Photo credit Mike Daines.

My friends at First Book have told me about the wonderful generosity that BeautiControl Consultants are showing First Book, a fantastic organization that I am proud to support as well. I am so impressed by your efforts and applaud your dedication to helping provide new books to disadvantaged children. Literacy is a cause so close to my heart. Your actions speak volumes about the exceptional commitment of the women involved with BeautiControl.

As an author, I have a keen interest in the power of the written word. I know what a difference reading can make during the early years of our lives. My mother’s constant encouragement for me to read as a child is clearly a major inspiration behind my 23 bestselling novels. I want to see every child have the opportunity to become a life-long reader, and I know you do, too.


Please know how grateful I am for all you are doing to support First Book and the children they are helping every single day. Your efforts to recruit more Consultants this April will result in more books to children in need. Please do all you can to make this campaign a huge success.

With sincere thanks,

Barbara Taylor Bradford


P.S. I will be delighted to send an autographed copy of my new book to each of the top 100 Consultants with the highest number of submitted agreements during March and April.*

________________________

Do you want to be a BeautiControl Consultant? If so, contact CustomerCare@eFashionHouse.com

Spring Savings are in the Air at eFashionHouse.com, Plus Site Welcomes Melie Bianco, Murval and Elaine Turner

eFashionHouse.com ushers in spring with new arrivals, savings up to 50% and adds three new handbag designers - Melie Bianco, Murval and Elaine Turner.

Sky Valley, CA (PRWEB) March 26, 2008 -- After months of winter fashion accessories, spring is finally on its way and eFashionHouse.com celebrates with savings of 25-70% on the latest trends in designer handbags. Committed to offering shoppers the best online prices for purses, eFashionHouse.com, named Best of the Web by People StyleWatch for below retail priced designer handbags and recognized by About.com as the top of three online retailers of off-priced Chanel, just added hundreds of new designer handbags from Marc Jacobs, Prada, Chanel, Gucci, Anya Hindmarch, Isabelle Fiore, Coach, Tano and many more top designers, just in time for spring. The site also added three new designer fashion brands - Melie Bianco, Murval and Elaine Turner - to its huge selection of designer handbags for even more savings.

"We are excited to add Melie Bianco, Murval and Elaine Turner handbags because the handbag demand has changed from including not only the big designer names to now welcoming other chic designers with more affordable prices," said Anna Miller, eFashionHouse Owner. "Regardless of the Economy, women still want to buy themselves a new purse, and making affordable prices available online is the purpose of eFashionHouse where you do not have to spend a fortune to carry a new quality designer handbag."

With all purses priced under $100, both Melie Bianco and Murval are known for their trendy styles and amazing prices. A favorite among fashion editors, Melie Bianco has been featured in an array of magazines, like Marie Claire, People, Cosmopolitan and Self, because it is "chic and affordable" line (prices range from $30-$75) features funky and wearable styles perfect for the trendy fashionista. Another brand that is known for offering the look of couture without the high price, French company MURVAL was created by two sisters, Muriel and Valerie, who recognized the need for fashionable accessories at accessible prices. With its bags costing less than $50, MURVAL comes out with two collections a year and despite the low price points scores high among the fashion crowd.

Though not in the under $100 category, Dallas-based fashion designer Elaine Turner is still considered a bargain since her line features the finest embossed exotic leathers and signature painted grass cloth bags. Elaine Turner quickly rose to the ranks of the fashion It Bag and the brands popularity continues to grow because of its distinct and creative approach to classic looks in handbags and accessories.

Shoppers who crave the more luxurious designer handbag names can still look forward to savings and shop for the latest trends because eFashionHouse.com has it all. Some of the featured handbag styles available at a discount are:

• Marc Jacobs Patchwork Lou bag - 35% off retail
• Moschino Patent Leather Brownie bag - 28% off retail
• Anya Hindmarch Neeson bag - 20% off retail
• Chloe Bay Bag - 31% off retail
  
• Yves Saint Laurent Downtown Bag - 21% off retail
• Chanel Small Caviar Tote - 22% off retail
• Isabella Fiore Puff Enough Satchel - 15% off retail

In addition to the discounted prices, shoppers can receive an additional 10 percent discount using coupon code OFF10 when making a purchase from the eFashionHouse Sale Section. Plus, budget conscious fashionistas can always take advantage of the eFashionHouse.com layaway plan which allows shoppers to pay over time.

About eFashionHouse.com
Anna Miller is the President of i-GlobalMall.com, Inc. She operates the website http://www.efashionhouse.com/ and sells high-end authentic designer handbags and accessories at off-retail prices. eFashionHouse.com was named Best of the Web by People Magazine StyleWatch for Discount Designer Handbags and Purses. eFashionHouse.com should not be confused with any other website selling a similar product or using a similar name. EfashionHouse.com is the home of five fashion ecommerce stores: BrandsBoutique, LuxuryVintage, DesignersLA, ItalysOutlet, and ValueBags. Anna is considered an Internet Pioneer and Ecommerce Entrepreneur. She has been reselling Designer Merchandise online since the early 90's. eFashionHouse.com has an extensive Press Page and a Fashion Blog Network. Visit the site for more details.

eFashionHouse - PRWeb Press Release Group

Interested in an EFH Layaway Plan? You can put anything on layaway.
Read about the EFH Layaway here: eFashionHouse.com Layaway Program

Teachers team up for direct sales business

BeautiControl Skin Care Products

By KEITH ROYSDON, The Star Press

For three Muncie teachers, teamwork in the classroom has translated into teamwork in business. Kim Williams, Sara Fauquher and Jennifer Kile teach sixth grade at Wilson Middle School. The three make up a teaching team -- Kile teaches math, Fauquher teaches science and Williams teaches English.

Outside school hours, the three are independent direct sales people. Each sells a different product, but they also team up for in-home parties to reach potential customers. "It's an opportunity to have fun, fellowship with women and earn a little extra money on the side," Kile said. Kile sells Premier Designs jewelry, Fauquher sells BeautiControl home spa products and Williams sells Pampered Chef cookware.

Williams laughed when asked why she sells kitchenware. "Rachael Ray is my idol," she said, referring to the TV personality. "I like to cook, and I like to cook for others." Fauquher said at-home spa products appealed to her because "I like to see people relax and get rid of their stress. Lord knows we all have it."

Billion-dollar industry
The direct sales industry -- long symbolized by door-to-door cosmetics and vacuum cleaner sales people -- has changed in recent years. The Direct Selling Association reported sales of more than $32 billion in 2006. The industry group says as many as 15 million people work in direct sales. Although men make up 25 percent of the independent sales workforce, it is still an industry dominated by women. The gender of the sales force coincides in many ways with the products sold. Cosmetics, jewelry and skin care make up nearly 34 percent of the products sold by direct sales people, according to the DSA. Home products, like cookware, make up 26 percent. Weight loss products and vitamins account for another 20 percent. For many years, Longaberger baskets were among the top products for direct sales people. The upscale baskets -- like many direct sales products -- are sold in home-based parties that mix business and fun for sales people and potential customers.

Party teamwork
While Williams and Fauquher have been conducting in-home sales parties for a while, Kile has only recently joined the mix. The three have a game plan for their parties. Williams whips up some dishes using Pampered Chef cookware and utensils. While food is cooking, the group moves to the living room, where Fauquher demonstrates hand massages and neck wraps from BeautiControl. Kile then showcases Premier Designs jewelry offerings. "Then they can eat and fellowship and order products if they like," Fauquher said. "If someone wants to book just one of us, they can. But this is a way for us to 'team teach.' We're used to doing this in school and thought in our side business this is what we would be most comfortable doing."

Busy in breaks
While the school year can be busy for teachers, the three said they wanted something to keep them busy after hours and during breaks. "Almost every teacher I know does something else in the summer," Fauquher said. "I think most teachers have other jobs. It keeps them busy year-round." "Maybe my decision will change down the road, but right now I want to stick with teaching and doing this on the side," Williams said. Direct sales works for teachers, Kile said. "There's freedom to do things on your own schedule. I love teaching. I didn't want to quit teaching."

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*Percent indicated is based on evaluations by clinical experts who perceived a visible difference when participants used as directed.

Here is the snooze

from Times Online, Susan d’Arcy reports

Spas are waking up to the fact that sleep, not a mango wrap, is the key to holistichappiness. Sleep has become the bottled water of the hospitality industry. It might be readily available for free, but hotels have been investing millions as they compete to provide guests with the dreamiest night’s rest ever.

You can now slip between cashmere sheets costing thousands of pounds at the Principe di Savoia, in Milan; or choose from a 20-strong pillow menu at Frégate Island, in the Seychelles (including an antiageing one infused with vitamin E, and an eco-friendly version made from buckwheat spelt). It’s possible to engage the services of a sleep concierge at the Benjamin, in New York, and snuggle up on a mattress costing £14,000 at Cotswold House, in Gloucestershire. You can even do a Victor Kiam: Westin sells its Heavenly Bed mattresses from £1,200; adding the linen, pillows and duvet cover with overstuffed polyester insert will cost from £2,200. A Sheraton Sweet Sleeper or a Sofitel MyBed will set you back similar sums.

iF the pillow fights have been intense up to now, sleep is about to move into a whole other league. Luxury SpaFinder magazine, recently declared sleep the new wellness frontier. And unlike some overhyped, must-try treatments, for which the only sensible course of action is to back slowly out of the room, smiling (the facial featuring nightingale droppings, the massage that slithers snakes across your back, having your toes read), this hot trend is actually sensible. Many scientific studies have linked lack of sleep to poor health, increased stress levels and obesity.

American spas were the first to identify that a good night’s sleep is one sure way to a spa-goer’s wallet; some of the best even employ directors of sleep. Canyon Ranch, one of the USA’s most influential wellness companies, was a pioneer. The sleep-enhancement programme at its Arizona base comes with reassuring amounts of medical paraphernalia. Guests can spend the night in a sleep lab, where qualified doctors attach monitors to the guinea pig for a polysomnography test that will reveal brainwave patterns and establish possible causes for poor sleep. Based on these findings, the guest has consultations with behavioural therapists, exercise physiologists and nutritionists – surely enough to make even a committed insomniac ready for bed. The Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa, in Florida, also offers clinical diagnosis based on sophisticated monitoring, although it admits one of the main predictors of sleep apnoea, a common complaint, isn’t rocket science – you’re likely to suffer from it if your neck size is greater than 17½in. If you want the high-tech slumber number with five-star frills, the upmarket hotelier Four Seasons has teamed up with the California WellBeing Institute at its Westlake Village property, near Los Angeles.

Other spas take a more holistic, chimes’n’chants approach. The award-winning Red Mountain Spa, in Utah, holds regular sellout Sweet Art of Sleep Seduction workshops, which involve “fun and experiential” discussions on various ways to create the correct environment for sleep, such as prebed stretches, organic “zzzzzmersion” massages and a zMusic CD (“the gold standard of sleep music”, apparently). A professor from the University of Arizona works with the Miraval Resort, in Tucson: his “body, mind, spirit” perspective covers everything from eating habits to how you decorate your bedroom. The Mayflower, in Connecticut, advocates hypnotherapy and acupuncture. And, before you knock new-age methods, bear in mind that the World Health Organisation has approved acupuncture as a treatment for insomnia.

While New York might revel in its reputation as the city that never sleeps, some of its residents really wouldn’t mind a bit more shuteye. Yelo and MetroNaps both offer a refuge for a quick snooze, selling 20-to 40-minute slots in a “nod pod”, where customers are tucked in with cashmere blankets, a soporific soundtrack and a side order of reflexology.

Europe's been caught napping, but things are changing. The glitzy Fortina Spa Resort, on Malta, where Brad Pitt, Russell Crowe and the health secretary, Alan Johnson, have holidayed, is an early European innovator. It has just launched the first of 47 Wellness Rejuvenation Rooms, each fitted with £4,500 worth of sleep-inducing equipment, including a magnetic mattress, pillows and duvet. “They magnetise your entire body, relieving it of all aches, pains and stress,” the hotel says. “The proven benefits cover everything from encouraging deep-healing sleep to aiding the lymphatic system to release toxins.” The rooms also feature far-infrared technology that “detoxifies” the body, as well as an air purifier to recreate fresh mountain air.

The dynamic new six-star Capella Hotels company, created by Horst Schulze, who is widely regarded as one of the canniest hoteliers in the world, is also in the vanguard. Schulze is convinced that sleep education will play an important role at spas in the future, so Capella’s new flagship property, Schloss Velden, in Austria, will run a Sleep Health-Life Balance programme from September to March each year. Guests will be evaluated by professional trainers, nutritional coaches and medical experts, then given a customised week-long schedule, including spa treatments based on the moon’s phases, lectures, yoga classes and autogenic training – a relaxation technique designed to get you snoozing. They will also use pillows and duvets filled with Swiss stone pine strands, which, according to research by the University of Graz, induce better sleep.

In the UK, we’re way behind – although the Sanctuary day spa, in London, can claim a world first. Its spa director, Debi Green, spent more than a year and £90,000 developing the first low-frequency-sound-wave therapy beds for its new sleep retreat. The theory is that sound waves penetrate the muscles more gently and effectively than massage, releasing pain and tension, and lulling the user into a tranquil state. Most guests nod off quickly. One woman even reported having flashbacks to childhood memories – happy ones, fortunately. “We’re always a bit slower on spa innovations than the Americans,” Green says. “But sleep is so important to general health that I’m sure we’ll see lots of UK spas developing sleep programmes in future.”

Until then, a cup of cocoa and a DVD of Heaven’s Gate is probably still your best bet for nodding off – although the latter could also cause nightmares.

Home Business Network Marketing Training and Network Marketing Leads Generation System Changes Forev

BeautiControl City Garden Collection - Click Here

from Blog Talk Media

Home Business Network Marketing Guerrilla Marketing Talk Radio has revolutionized the way that MLM leads generation and Network Marketing Training will be done in the future. Internet Marketing Gorillas is the inventor of AUMMB lead generation technology and the AUMMB leads generation system. AUMMB combines nine media driven vertical marketing channels which interact seamlessly to create a combined Home Business Network Marketing Training and MLM leads generation system. Internet Marketing Guerrilla Marketing Talk Radio aka: Gorilla Talk Radio is one of the nine Network Marketing leads components which integrates new tools of Home Business Network Marketing Training as a function of an AUMMB leads system. In addition, Internet Marketing Gorillas has a potentially lucrative referral program for downline who introduce upline to Internet Marketing Gorillas and, in turn, license the Company MLM leads generation system.

(PRWeb) – March 20, 2008 – Draper, UT - Pause to think of incredible aspects of Internet Marketing Gorilla Talk Radio and Guerrilla Marketing Talk Radio. Network Marketing training for leads generation is usually created as a result of an individual becoming informed of an opportunity. Until now, has been some sort of written content found through traditional search or meeting in person.

Now Internet Marketing Gorillas has created a Network Marketing training and MLM leads generation system. It can include media drive content derived through Marketing Guerrilla Marketing Talk Radio or Gorilla Talk Radio communicated on the web via a live Internet Marketing Gorillas interactive streaming web radio broadcast or a 24 and 7 streaming of a rebroadcasted podcast. So, is what we are saying is one of Internet Marketing Gorillas nine media-driven sources of a Home Business Network Marketing leads generation system is the Radio through Guerrilla Marketing Talk Radio or Gorilla Talk Radio?

Yes, in Internet Marketing Gorillas prior Press releases, Chris Hutcherson, the CEO of Internet Marketing Gorillas states “our Home Business Network Marketing Training and leads generation system is far more than Search Engine Marketing. Search is only one of our 9 media driven vertical marketing components that are a catalyst for Home Business Network Marketing Training and MLM Leads generation to create a huge paradigm shift in the way Network Marketing training is taught.”

Furthermore, Internet Marketing Gorillas wants to find and will even provide a finder’s fee to any MLM downline that assists Internet Marketing Gorillas reach any MLM upline who licenses our unique lead generation technology as to serve such brands as MarketAmerica lead generation technology, Partylite leads generation technology, Herbalife mlm leads, Noni lead generation technology, Isagenix leads generation system, Maxgxl mlm leads, Longaberger lead generation technology, YTB Travel leads generation system, and a Stampin’Up mlm leads.

Robert Henslee, the President and CTO of Internet Marketing Gorillas states, “Think about it. Five years ago, what would someone have said if I told them that as part of a Home Business Network Marketing Training and MLM leads generation system that every upline in the Network Marketing Training Companies that licenses our technology would have access to Guerrilla Marketing Talk Radio or Gorilla Talk Radio? Furthermore, the upline licensing AUMMB would actually have their own Guerrilla Marketing Talk Radio or Gorilla Talk Radio show while developing their personal upline library of Network Marketing Training podcasts which could be streamed 24 hours a day.”

Internet Marketing Gorillas has placed and all call to Network Marketing Training downline every to earn a find upline fee for assisting the Company in a find upline campaign that could benefit such brands as Yves Rocher mlm leads , Close to My Heart lead generation technology, Youngevity leads generation system, Nikken mlm leads, Beauticontrol lead generation technology, Bookwise leads generation system, Oriflame lead generation technology, Mannatech leads generation system, MoneyTalks mlm leads, and Oxyfresh lead generation technology.

Home Business Network Marketing Training is changing. With the ability to combine nine vertical Network marketing training in vertical channels and enabling our unique Home Business Network Marketing lead technology, Internet Marketing Gorillas has a completely different Guerrilla Marketing Talk Radio media driven perspective.

Robin Rushlo, the host of Internet Marketing Gorillas Gorilla Talk Radio and Guerrilla Marketing Talk Radio, states “the Home Business Network Marketing training Network Marketing retention expectations of Network Marketing uplines are going to escalate. Guerrilla Marketing Talk Radio is just the beginning. Internet Marketing Gorillas is going to empower upline with nine pronged leads generation system that creates the retention glue that Network Marketing upline have been seeking for years. Just wait. During the next few weeks, Gorilla Talk Radio and Guerrilla will be interviewing numerous Home Business Network Marketing training and retention experts.

Another key list of brands Internet Marketing Gorillas is keenly interested in meeting would fall in the description of Kirby lead generation technology, Agel leads generation system, Zrii mlm leads, Quixstar lead technology, NuSkin leads generation system, Lisa Sophia mlm leads, Amway lead generation technology, Princess House leads generation system, Amsoil mlm leads, Send Out Cards lead generation technology, and Usana leads generation system.

Internet Marketing Gorillas is actively seeking 5 to 15 Network Marketing companies Upline distributors from the following MLM leads companies brands who would seek to license the unique Network Marketing training and leads system. Upline is generally defined if you have 1,000 downline Network Marketing distributors. If you are an active downline in one of the below Network Marketing , please contact our offices to learn more about the referral fee for introducing us to Network Marketing training upline who are interested in a customized leads generation system for their downline as well as access to Gorilla Talk Radio and Guerrilla Marketing Talk Radio.

Numerous Network Marketing upline and downline who will certainly show interest in the Company marketing system would certainly include UVme leads generation system, Pampered Chef mlm leads, Prep-paid Legal lead generation technology, Cell Tech leads generation system, Metabolite mlm leads, Young Living lead generation technology, Burn Lounge leads generation system, Gold Canyon Candle mlm leads, Eniva lead generation technology, Vemma leads generation system, TriVita mlm leads, UFirst Financial lead generation technology United First Financial leads generation system, u1st Financial MLM leads, SeneGence leads generation system, Drink A.C.T. mlm leads, and Pharmanex lead generation technology.

This document represents forward looking sales material.

The Company For Women, By Women

from Love to Spa

We are celebrating 25 years as a company! Please read on to find out more about the BeautiControl family.

Our Mission:
BeautiControl creates innovative lifetime solutions through scientifically advanced skin care and beauty products, life-changing opportunities and a passion for excellence!

BeautiControl was started 25 years ago as a way to provide people with an affordable, easy way to have an at-home spa experience. We are based out of Carrollton, Texas. Although we do have men on the BeautiControl team, this company is founded with the working woman in mind. It has limitless opportunities to recognize successful women at all stages of life! BeautiControl provides a career path that will take you wherever you choose. Consultants are provided with the highest levels of training and opportunity possible. However, the products definitely sell themselves!

Our wide variety of products can meet anyone's needs! Our company features spa-quality treatments for your hands, face, feet, and body. It is the easiest and ultimate way to relax, rejeuvenate, and renew! All of our products are developed in our own facilities. They are dermatologist, sensitivity, and allergy tested. This makes them safe enough for even the most sensitive of skin types! All eye products are opthamologist tested, and at NO time are any of our products tested on animals. Our incredible skin care lines are aimed at maintenance, repair, and prevention, based on the latest research. And when you can purchase skin care and spa products with these benefits at very competitive prices, why get them anywhere else?

The Perfect Pair - Black & White Designer Handbags

There's nothing more constant than black and white fashion accessories. No matter what you wear or how you feel, something in black or white fits the look and the mood. Just like peanut butter and jelly, black and white prevail when it comes to fashion. No matter what't happening in the fashion scene, you can always depend upon black and white. Your little black dress is complimented by a black and white bag. Your white summer frock is easily accented with a black or white accessory. We believe in versatility, color and style. But, when it comes to the bare necessities we recommend black and white anytime of the year and anywhere you go. Black and white designer handbags make a statement and the right impression.

Visit these links to see a variety of designer handbags with price-points we can smile about... you can't afford not to take a look!

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Save this link ..... new items arriving throughout the coming weeks.

Cosmetics company will open distribution center in Utah, creating 500 jobs

The Associated Press

Sephora , a cosmetics company, will open a distribution center here, creating at least 500 jobs. By late summer, the company will use 312,000 square feet of a building on the west side of Salt Lake City. "They've been trying to find a place in the western United States to build their center," said Jeff Edwards, president of Economic Development Corp. of Utah, which helps bring businesses to Utah.

"They were interested in Reno, too, but they ended up choosing Salt Lake City for geographical reasons and also because of work-force availability," he said Monday. Sephora, based in San Francisco, said the distribution center will serve customers west of the Mississippi River. "Now that fuel costs have risen, it makes sense to have smaller distribution centers nationwide to help reduce shipping costs," Edwards said. "Utah is within a one-day trucking distance from California, Seattle and Portland."

Sephora operates inside J.C. Penney stores and sells cosmetics over the Internet. "Distribution jobs aren't typically high-paying jobs, but there are a lot of those at the center," Edwards said. "Plus, Sephora has an excellent reputation as an employer. Hopefully, they'll consider opening more retail stores in Utah."

New Trend: Spa Parties

from 13 WHAM

Not everybody wants food and wine at their home parties, some people are choosing spa parties instead.

It used to be when Christie Kraft invited her friends and colleagues over, they indulged in party food, decadent desserts, and fine wine. But, now you'll find them serving up good skin care and relaxation--one of the hottest trends in home parties.

Kraft, a BeautiControl consultant, said, “It's your chance to escape from the daily grind and get a full facial, foot treatment, hand treatment, and the best part is probably the relaxation.” The same company that perfected Tupperware and color analysis decades ago, now trains consultants such as Kraft in skin-care spas.

Given the weather lately, the BeautiControl products are a big hit. “Especially for hands and feet, because that's when peoples hands start to get dry, cracked and bleeding,” she said. The goal however isn't just to get you to use skin-care products. It's to get you pamper yourself just 20 minutes a day.

The best part--when you leave--you don't have to work anything off at the gym.

Saving time in the morning - organizing your bathroom and cosmetics

By Organized Mom


When I get a few moments to myself I often enjoy strolling through the cosmetics counters at our local pharmacy. Then I get my purchases home and out of the package. Try to find that same mascara three weeks later…

I recently purchases a beautiful antique linen cabinet with glass doors to keep my bathroom times organized, finding a way to utilize all the available shelf space and still enjoy looking at the cabinet (since you can see through the doors ;) has been an adventure.

I have made a few purchases and am now awaiting the arrival of them to my doorstep. Check these out - this acrylic organizer can be easily washed, has 9 cosmetics, and the removable lipstick holder holds up to 12 tubes. I learned long ago that keeping my desk organized at work would save me time searching for things. I am applying this theory to the craziest part of my day, mornings. I have always wanted a towel holder like the ones you see in your hotel room - I actually found them.

How young is too young?

from Tulsa World

Parents agree there is no right age to wear makeup. Julie Austin's daughters know that less is more, especially when it comes to makeup. "Every once in a while, they put it on very lightly to go out," such as when the family goes to restaurants on the weekend, Austin said. "It has to be pretty toned down." But they do very well with it; they know what looks good and what doesn't, she said. Her girls have been practicing since they were little, probably as young as age 2. Now, her girls are ages 8 and 11.

For many parents, it's a watershed moment. For others, it's no big deal. But what is the right age for girls to start wearing makeup? "It's something we never put a guard on," said Austin, who has bought her "very girly-girl" daughters play makeup, as well as cosmetics by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. It's not like they're wearing Lancome or Chanel yet. "When I was growing up, it wasn't a big issue for me," said Noelle Roso, also a mother of two girls -- one is 15, the other is 18. They started wearing makeup in about sixth or seventh grade.

"Generations of girls have grown up playing with makeup," said Rachel Wagner, founder and director of Rachel Wagner Etiquette and Protocol in Tulsa. She does corporate and dining etiquette training, as well as international protocol briefing and individual coaching. Wagner remembers playing with her mom's and grandmother's makeup, which is "all fine and good." But today, it seems that girls are wearing makeup sooner, and not just at play time.

"People are questioning if that's good or not," Wagner said. Today, more and more girls are accompanying their mothers to makeup counters. And more and more options are available for cosmetics, she said, from department store lines and mass-market retailers to stores devoted to all things beauty-enhancing, such as Ulta and the soon-to-open Sephora at Woodland Hills Mall. Plus, girls may emulate characters they see on TV shows, or musicians and celebrities in magazines and videos.

ri "I don't see anything inherently wrong with any of this," Wagner said. But she's concerned about the marketing message to girls, like it's "they need to wear makeup to be accepted." From the time they're about 5 or 6 years old, most girls are usually interested in wearing makeup, Lynda King said. A beauty consultant at the Lancome counter in Dillard's Promenade, King has definitely noticed an increase in young girls coming in with their mothers or friends to the store's cosmetics counters.

They usually start out wearing nail polish and lip gloss, she said. By the time they reach the tween years, girls start experimenting with mascara and eye shadow. But back to that question we asked earlier: What age is most appropriate? That, according to everyone we talked to here, is up to the parents. "It's a leap into part of the teenage years, a rite of passage," Wagner said. And the time a girl is ready to take that leap is up to her guardians. "As a parent, it's all about the approach," said Austin, who monitors her girls' makeup times. "If you make a big deal out of something . . . they're going to want to know why."

The key is to have "teachable moments with your kids vs. a lecture," said Wagner, a mother of two young adult daughters. Let's say your daughter brings home a fashion maga zine and is curious about the makeup, Wagner said. You can sit down with her, flip through the magazine and point out various products, explaining each item's purpose and how it should be applied.

During these teachable moments, you can also talk about getting to know people for their inner beauty, not just what's on the outside, Wagner said. Through these kind of talks, you may find your daughter is more open to your opinion -- that you're with her, not against her. ou can also schedule a makeover at a cosmetics counter, Wagner and King both recommended. This way, your daughter can learn how to apply makeup from a professional. An added bonus is that it's potential bonding time between you and child.

Just don't rush your kids into wearing it, Roso said. "Sometimes we're guilty of pushing our kids to grow up too fast," Roso said of parents in general. "It's important to let kids take their time -- let kids be kids." In addition to allowing them to play and practice with makeup, Austin also bought her daughters books from American Girl, which offer how-to tips, she said.

If it ever happened that Austin's daughters were wearing makeup to stick out in a crowd or attract a boy, though, then she'd have her guard up. But for now, her daughters are having fun with makeup, throwing pretend fashion shows and fixing their hair -- you know, being girly girls.

Permanent makeup: The tattoo that saves time

By Christine Morente
Contra Costa Times

MILLBRAE, Calif. — No one said looking good is supposed to be painless. That maxim rang especially true as Julie Wallace leaned over to tattoo the outline of Nancy Wallace's lips with ink the color of Jamaican Rum. For the most part, it was quiet inside A Perfect Line Academy of Permanent Cosmetics, except for the soft hum of Wallace's permanent makeup pen.

Wallace, 29, used one gloved hand to steady the lip, while the other lowered the tool's needle to blend the color in. Then she pulled back. "You've got color!" Wallace said to the patient — who happened to be her mother. Cathy Klemz peered in for a closer look.

"It doesn't look clowny at all," said Klemz, a permanent makeup technician and trainer. "It looks nice and very natural." The process of getting one's lips outlined typically takes as long as two hours and plenty of topical cream to numb the pain. On a recent morning, the younger Wallace went in for a refresher course, while in the next room, Deborah Ann (who doesn't use her last name) practiced different types of brows on a pig's ear.

Both Wallace and Deborah Ann studied under Klemz, who has practiced micro-pigmentation or cosmetic tattooing for the past 15 years. Usually, women go to her to get their eyebrows, eyelids and lips enhanced. Klemz also offers reconstructive areola work for breast-cancer patients and puts on facial beauty marks for younger women. The demand for permanent cosmetics has risen over the past 12 years. Typical clients are older women who want to look more "refreshed," Deborah Ann said. The brow tends to fade as people age, leading some older women to want to have their brows filled in. Women also like the convenience that permanent makeup brings, allowing them to use less time to get ready in the morning.

The tattoo will fade over time and needs to get touched up every couple of years, because the ink doesn't go deep into the skin. For clients, procedures range from $400 to $700. At the academy, Klemz's students first practice on mannequin heads and pig ears before moving on to their models. For certification, Klemz requires 35 hours of home study and 50 hours in the office.Julie Wallace has been certified since September. Wallace understands her clients' pain. She's had her eyelids done and experienced the discomfort of the healing process. But she still wants to get her lips done. Wallace admitted to being nervous the first time she worked on a model.

"Once I started, I saw how it went in the skin and the outcome of a couple of dots," she said. "It kind of settled (me). It was like starting to ride a bike." In the end, Nancy Wallace approved of her daughter's work. By Friday, her lips were no longer swollen. "They're pretty normal and a little tender," Wallace said. "I'm really happy with my lips."

Shakira all set to launch her cosmetics range

from Entertainment one India

Washington (ANI): Shakira is the latest to join the list of celebrities with their own cosmetics lines. The Columbian popstar will be soon launching her own beauty line and will be teaming up with Puig bosses for the same. The 31-year-old singer will be conceptualising a cosmetics range including a new fragrance and beauty products collection.

The Hips Don"t Lie insisted that she was really excited to reflect herself through another creative medium. "I'm very excited to be able to express myself through another creative medium. My feeling is that personal care and beauty should be effortless and accessible for everyone," Contactmusic quoted her, as stating in a statement.

Regeneration Tight, Firm, and Fill

from Welcome to my so called life

BeautiControl’s most advanced age-intervening treatment dares to do the work of expensive injections* without the pain, swelling, or downtime. Consumers benefit from both instant and long-term results.

Check out my webpage to see the other new products! Check out the new City Garden collection too! Also, ordering on the webpage special this month is the Spectaculash mascara for only $7!!

Woolworths private label cosmetics gain beauty without cruelty endorsement

from SuperMarket.co.za

Woolworths is pleased to announce that its entire private label range of toiletries and cosmetics has now been approved by Beauty Without Cruelty. Woolworths is now included on BWC’s “White List” of companies which comply with their humane criteria. These products include all of Woolworths’ own-label bath & body products, colour cosmetics and skin care ranges.

According to Beauty Group Head, Cobus Hechter, the retailer has long taken a stand against cruelty to animals in any form and has policies in place to ensure that its products are animal friendly. Animal welfare is, in fact, one of the focuses of Woolworths’ Good business journey, a comprehensive 5-year plan to help bring about positive change in the areas of transformation, social development, the environment and climate change. It was also one of the guiding ‘Good Beauty’ principles applied during the development of Woolworths-own brand beauty products. Hechter explains: “At Woolworths we are constantly striving to find new and better products and services to offer our customers, and are pleased to be able to assure them that our own-label beauty products are cruelty free.

They have our assurance – and the endorsement of Beauty Without Cruelty – that no animal ingredients have been used which have harmed animals, none of our finished beauty products has been tested on animals and none will ever be.” He adds, “As far as ingredients are concerned, we have followed guidelines as set by international and local South African animal protection societies, and, together with our suppliers, are ensuring that no ingredients manufactured after our agreed cut-off date, i.e. January 2001, have been tested on animals.” In fact, all these suppliers have willingly been audited to ensure that they comply with cruelty-free practices.

Says Beauty Without Cruelty’s Beryl Scott, “Manufacturing products that comply with recognised humane standards requires an uncompromising ethical commitment. We are pleased to be able to include Woolworths on our “White List” and welcome their resolve to offer South African consumers the opportunity to buy such a wide range of humanely manufactured products.”

In keeping with Woolworths’ ‘Good Beauty' principles, every ingredient has been carefully selected for its beneficial properties and has been thoroughly researched to ensure it contains no potentially harmful ingredients. No harsh chemicals or petrochemicals (such as mineral oils) have been used and only ingredients with a proven record of safety, as assessed by qualified international toxicologists and accredited testing laboratories, have been used. Woolworths private label toiletries and cosmetics are available at more than 70 Woolworths stores countrywide.

Career makeover turns nurse into party hostess

Lesia Keffer has changed her career path from full-time nurse to successful sales person — the Mustang was earned by selling products — who now works at the hospital just two days a week.

from daily mail
by Monica Orosz

A chance meeting in the Atlanta airport led to a life-changing experience and a new career direction for Lesia Keffer. Lesia Keffer has changed her career path from full-time nurse to successful sales person — the Mustang was earned by selling products — who now works at the hospital just two days a week. .. It was February 2005 and the registered nurse was headed back home to South Charleston after attending a wound care seminar.

She recalls she wasn't particularly happy in her career and on a flight from Tampa, Fla., to Atlanta, she made a list of pros and cons about her job and said a little prayer something like this, "God, please give me a sign of what to do." In the Atlanta airport, she saw from a distance as a woman carrying bags tripped and tumbled down a flight of stairs and bloodied her knee. When she encountered the woman as they prepared to board the same flight to Charleston, Keffer said to the woman, "Are you OK? I'm a nurse. Is there anything I can do to help?"

The woman, whose name was Rita Morris, handed Keffer a business card and said, "You can help me by scheduling a party for my business." "Little did I know it, but my prayer was answered right there," Keffer said. Morris, of Teays Valley, sold BeautiControl makeup, lotions and a new line of spa care products and the Dallas-based direct sales company had just started promoting the spa line through spa parties. Keffer agreed to schedule a party in her home, inviting her girlfriends over for an evening of pedicures, manicures and facials, led by Morris using BeautiControl products.

"We had a great time," Keffer said, and she ended up buying products, opting for a package deal that gave her 20 products for $250. Afterward, Keffer helped Morris carry her supplies back to Morris' car - a red Mustang convertible. "And I'm like, 'Where did you get that?' " Keffer recalled asking Morris. And Morris told her she earned it by selling BeautiControl. "That planted the seed," Keffer said.

She decided it might be fun to schedule a few spa parties and sell BeautiControl to get discounts on her own stuff and maybe make a little money. Two things happened.

Keffer found she really liked the BeautiControl line, which she describes as high-end products including everything from facial cremes and cosmetics to soothing treatments for dry feet and undereye circles. Friends started noticing her skin looked good.

And Keffer realized she loved selling - and was good at it, especially within the structure of BeautiControl, which allowed her to work as much or as little as she wanted and offered numerous opportunities for training. Since 2001, the company has been a subsidiary of Tupperware, the direct sales giant that has been around for decades.

"I'm not pushy, but if my mouth is open, my business is open," she said. "A 'no' doesn't hurt me." In January 2006, Keffer attended a meeting in Charlotte, N.C., for other BeautiControl representatives. "I was amazed," she said. "There were women there who had their GEDs and women who had MBAs. Some of them were making six figures selling BeautiControl. "That's when I had my 'aha' moment."

By August of 2006, Keffer had eight women on her sales team, mostly girlfriends and family members. She began earning some extra money and saw an opportunity to make more. A chance meeting in the Atlanta airport led to a life-changing experience and a new career direction for Lesia Keffer. It was February 2005 and the registered nurse was headed back home to South Charleston after attending a wound care seminar. She recalls she wasn't particularly happy in her career and on a flight from Tampa, Fla., to Atlanta, she made a list of pros and cons about her job and said a little prayer something like this, "God, please give me a sign of what to do."

In the Atlanta airport, she saw from a distance as a woman carrying bags tripped and tumbled down a flight of stairs and bloodied her knee. When she encountered the woman as they prepared to board the same flight to Charleston, Keffer said to the woman, "Are you OK? I'm a nurse. Is there anything I can do to help?"

The woman, whose name was Rita Morris, handed Keffer a business card and said, "You can help me by scheduling a party for my business." "Little did I know it, but my prayer was answered right there," Keffer said. Morris, of Teays Valley, sold BeautiControl makeup, lotions and a new line of spa care products and the Dallas-based direct sales company had just started promoting the spa line through spa parties. Keffer agreed to schedule a party in her home, inviting her girlfriends over for an evening of pedicures, manicures and facials, led by Morris using BeautiControl products.

"We had a great time," Keffer said, and she ended up buying products, opting for a package deal that gave her 20 products for $250. Afterward, Keffer helped Morris carry her supplies back to Morris' car - a red Mustang convertible. "And I'm like, 'Where did you get that?' " Keffer recalled asking Morris. And Morris told her she earned it by selling BeautiControl. "That planted the seed," Keffer said. She decided it might be fun to schedule a few spa parties and sell BeautiControl to get discounts on her own stuff and maybe make a little money. Two things happened.

Keffer found she really liked the BeautiControl line, which she describes as high-end products including everything from facial cremes and cosmetics to soothing treatments for dry feet and undereye circles. Friends started noticing her skin looked good.

And Keffer realized she loved selling - and was good at it, especially within the structure of BeautiControl, which allowed her to work as much or as little as she wanted and offered numerous opportunities for training. Since 2001, the company has been a subsidiary of Tupperware, the direct sales giant that has been around for decades.

"I'm not pushy, but if my mouth is open, my business is open," she said. "A 'no' doesn't hurt me." In January 2006, Keffer attended a meeting in Charlotte, N.C., for other BeautiControl representatives. "I was amazed," she said. "There were women there who had their GEDs and women who had MBAs. Some of them were making six figures selling BeautiControl.

"That's when I had my 'aha' moment." By August of 2006, Keffer had eight women on her sales team, mostly girlfriends and family members. She began earning some extra money and saw an opportunity to make more. She recalls telling her husband, Frank, "I'm going to win us a trip to Hawaii and I'm going to get a Mustang."

Her family, including two children - a daughter who now is a senior at George Washington High and a son who is a sophomore at West Virginia University - humored her. By October 2006, Keffer was earning enough selling BeautiControl that she cut her hours at Charleston Area Medical Center, where she currently is a nurse analyst in the patient accounts department at General Hospital, to two days a week. "I could leave the hospital altogether right now," she said, but added she enjoys what she does part time.

A year later, she had won her BeautiControl Mustang and the trip to Hawaii, which she enjoyed with her husband for their 25th wedding anniversary. "As we sat on the beach in Hawaii, my husband said, 'I will never say another thing about your selling BeautiControl,' " she said. For Keffer, 46, there are many appealing things about her midlife career change. Though she logs 18 to 20 hours a week between spa parties, coaching her sales partners, sitting in on conference calls and making and fulfilling product orders, Keffer said it doesn't feel like work. "I love my girlfriend time, and a lot of women can't afford or won't go to a spa," she said. "This is all about girlfriend time."

The parties are fun, with various stations set up so groups of women can chitchat while having lotion rubbed into their feet or relaxing with a facial. "I pamper women, and I do it with a servant's heart," she said. "That's what nurses do. I talk to them about stress and relaxing. I put heated neck wraps on them and do arm and hand massages." Keffer also loves that BeautiControl offers training to women from all walks of life, helping them to set goals - whether to make a little extra money or make their living selling products. "It's a hands-on company. When I went to the headquarters in Texas, I sat in the director's office. They empower women," Keffer said. "It's the fastest-growing direct sales company in the United States."

As she has risen to the top 10 percent of the company's sales force, Keffer also has come to appreciate the company's charitable component, including a foundation called WHO, or Women Helping Others, that recently gave a $21,000 grant to Charleston's Health Right clinic, money which director Pat White said will go toward a cervical cancer screening program.

"I'm honored that some of the foundation's money went to a good cause right here," Keffer said. Just this month, the company began an initiative to provide books to children in New Orleans, donating a portion of sales toward the effort. "If you would have told me three years ago that I'd be selling skincare and makeup for a living, I would have laughed," Keffer said. "But it is so much more than makeup." Keffer has earned the title of director and national recruiter for the company.

How to look good

The power of cosmetics. Befor & After Photos

from News AU

MIRANDA Bond believes her organic make-up company, which has been operating for just over a year, will soon be the biggest of its kind in the world. These are not modest aims but she's confident she's on track. After all, she says the company is doubling its sales every three months and is adding one or two people a month to the staff.

The growth has been phenomenal, something most companies can only dream of. But contrary to popular wisdom, Ms Bond and her partner Jenni Williams are now pulling the reins in on their growth, slowing things down so they're only taking baby steps. It's a strategy they believe will eventually make their company formidable.

Inika, headquartered in Thirroul south of Sydney, makes cosmetics, but it stands out from mainstream cosmetic companies by making them out of Australian minerals, 100 per cent certified vegan and 100 per cent organic.

The products were born out of the website Ms Bond established with Ms Williams, called www.thrivinghealthywomen.com.au. The women had come together because of health issues both had experienced. Ms Bond had been diagnosed with endometriosis and was told she couldn't have any children. When she was also told hormone levels can affect fertility and that chemicals in some cosmetics can affect a body's hormone balance, she got some progesterone cream, threw out all her cosmetics and changed her diet. Three months later she was pregnant.

Ms William's son is allergic to dairy, nuts, fish, eggs and is chronically sensitive to chemicals, so much so that if she touched his skin while she was wearing certain cosmetics he would have a drastic reaction. As both women embarked on their toxic-free lifestyle, they set up the website as a database of articles that related to women's health.

Soon they were fielding emails from women around the world looking for organic make-up, many because they had sensitive skins or allergies. After doing some research into organic make-up suppliers, they decided to have a go at making it themselves.

"Within two weeks we'd found the best natural formulators in Australia,'' Ms Ward said. Inika, which means "small earth'' in Hindi, was formed in March 2006 and by the middle of the year they had products in shops. As factories in Western Australia and South Australia churned out their foundations, lipsticks, mascaras and eye-shadows, the pace at which the company moved was extraordinary.

Their big break, Ms Ward said, was exhibiting at the 2006 Organic Expo in Sydney. "We signed up so many accounts with shops and salons. And within three to four months we were in 21 David Jones stores around the country. "We had no strategy really. Everything just fell into place. The strategy came later.''

Part of that was to make the move overseas, a bold step considering the products weren't very established in Australia. The main reason, Ms Bond said, was that the population in Australia wasn't big enough for their company to be sustainable. And the need for a wider market was because of perceptions, Ms Bond said. "A lot of people think that because a product is 'natural' it's not as good, but our products are up there with the global make-up houses,'' she said.

With the help of Austrade, the products are now being sold in New Zealand, Slovenia, Thailand, the UK and Canada, and are considered good enough to take on more established global natural cosmetics companies such as Jane Iredale and Dr Hauschka. It's in the UK that Inika is achieving great success, so much so the company has opened offices in London and a UK website. And this is where their new growth strategy comes in. Europe promises to be a huge market, but at the moment the products are sold only in Slovenia.

Likewise Asia, but at the moment they're sold only in Thailand. North America will also be lucrative, but they're sold at the moment only in Canada. "The product is sought after in China and Japan, but Austrade said don't do it, you'll implode,'' Ms Bond said. Likewise with North America. The company is leaving the US push until last. "Now that we've got a team in the UK, it's easier to manage growth,'' she said. "Now we can continue to build in the UK and Europe.

"Our strategy is to keep a handle on things, to not lose control.'' And one of the challenges of growth is maintaining the company's independence. "We'd like to keep the autonomy we have now, and keep the intimacy,'' Ms Bond said.