tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192509132024-03-14T00:49:39.818-07:00What's NewJoin Kaila Westerman,the creative force behind TKB Trading, LLC, and explore about cosmetics, colorants, recipes, how to run an ebusiness and much more!Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-88721866624040834462018-10-22T13:02:00.001-07:002018-10-24T09:59:31.448-07:00Working with "% by Weight" in a recipe<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We get this question a lot:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I'm looking to make the sparkle body balm, but I don't understand this whole % by weight thing..? Can you convert it to grams or something?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is our answer:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It isn't necessary to convert to grams. Let's say the recipe is:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10% powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">30% liquid</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">60% secret ingredient.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The recipe always adds up to 100%.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, to make a 100 gram recipe, you would just do</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 grams powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">30 grams liquid</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">60 grams secret ingredient.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If 100 grams is too large a batch for you, and you only want to make a 25 gram batch. Well, 25 is 1/4th of 100 so you would mix:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2.5 grams powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7.5 grams liquid</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">15 grams secret ingredient</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope this helps.</span></div>
Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-62090177014771644432018-10-18T16:47:00.002-07:002018-10-25T12:48:11.847-07:00Increase Lip Gloss wear-resistance with new Citrine Clear Wax<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: left;">We are often asked how to make the Tkb Gloss Base (formerly known as Versagel) more resistant to being wiped off the lips. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; text-align: left;">The best ingredient to accoplish this is a wax and we are happy to recommend our new: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Citrine Clear Wax!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Here is how we found that works best: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">To 1 gram of TKB Gloss Base, you will want to add from 10%-20% (by weight) of the wax. The more you add, the stronger the fix on the lips. Add too much, and it may have somewhat of a heavy feel, so please experiment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Instructions:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">To fill one <a href="https://tkbtrading.com/products/silver-square-lip-gloss-tube" target="_blank">Silver Rectangular Gloss Container: </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Take 20 grams of TKB Gloss Base and add 4 grams of Citrine Clear Wax</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">If you feel that it needs more "staying power", add an additional 4 grams of Citrine Clear Wax. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Once you have decided what you like, we suggest you remelt it, and add your colors before dispensing into the container. It is easier to get it into the container when it is warmed up </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">You can add as much or little color as you like. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Happy making!</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Find our New Citrine clear Wax: <a href="https://tkbtrading.com/products/citrine-clear-wax" target="_blank">Here!</a></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-88283746725735426622018-10-03T12:15:00.003-07:002018-10-17T15:02:44.354-07:00Announcing a site-wide price increase of 10%<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In its 20+ years in business, TKB has rarely raised its prices. </div>
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However, increasing material costs, tariffs against Chinese imports to the US, and increases to transportation and labor (you know the drill), well, they all combine to force a serious and complete assessment of the situation.</div>
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After much analysis, we have decided to implement a company-wide price increase of 10% on all products, effectively immediately. </div>
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In the next few weeks and months, we our team will also ferret out any remaining products which we are selling at a loss, at cost, or at very slim margins. </div>
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Where we can re-source for a better price, we will. Where we can find other creative solutions, we will as well. However there will be price increases on these "Losing Lillies", some rather significant.</div>
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We appreciate your understanding as we work to be a healthy supplier able to withstand the recent changes in trade and commerce.</div>
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Should you have any specific concerns, please feel free to reach out to us at support@tkbtrading.com<br />
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Kaila Westerman</div>
Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-44842237609380957512018-09-27T11:35:00.000-07:002018-10-17T15:02:31.703-07:00About Sunflower wax and Rice Bran wax<br />
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How often do you stumble on a cosmetic formulation which calls for waxes, and specifically calls for "beeswax"? Pretty often would be my guess as beeswax has been used for 1000's of years in all kinds of cosmetics and skin care products.<br />
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Take a little break and...<br />
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Close your eyes and imagine an ancient Egyptian sold perfume unguent of sweet smelling beeswax infused with cinnamon, rose and iris.<br />
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Nice, right? But when do our poor little worker-bee-buddies get a break? The answer is when you switch to a vegan substitute for beeswax: In this blog post we are showcasing our Sunflower Wax and Rice Bran Wax!<br />
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<u><b>About Waxes in Cosmetics: </b></u><br />
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If you are a cosmetic formulator, you are going to eventually use waxes in your formulation. Waxes generally have these qualities (though there are some exceptions):<br />
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<ol>
<li>Hydrophobic (they resist water)</li>
<li>Solid at room temperature; liquid at their melt point</li>
<li>They don't dissolve in water</li>
<li>They can dissolve in other liquids</li>
</ol>
<div>
Reasons we use waxes vary, but could include:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>They help to bind things together</li>
<li>They add strength and structure to the formula</li>
<li>They offer wear resistance (harder to rub off) as well as water resistance (harder to sweat off)</li>
</ol>
<div>
<u><b>About Beeswax</b></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When you are formulating with waxes, you want your product to be strong enough to not break, and have a high enough melt point that the product doesn't melt in a purse or glove compartment. But on the flip side, you can't have it be so hard that when you rub it against your skin no color comes off, or the product drags and skips.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Finding a right balance for these problems is one reason Beeswax is commonly used in cosmetics. Beeswax has a lovely plastic quality to it. If you have some, try squishing it between your fingers and you will sense a little "give".</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Comparing Beeswax to Sunflower and Rice Bran wax shows us that they are kind of similar, but a little different. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVBBrC09KBcj5nEdmHVNx_JCJ67MKPu3pyt2EYGPIUtHG-g_HQXVeFTUu7IQ1pQorRx8tvRTuZxqRyW1YJBZzRRyeoUmLkd24kshXEJtLpXY7Gc12PDLIanpfgNkjDKNb47bv/s1600/TABLE-BEESWAX%2540144x.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="964" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVBBrC09KBcj5nEdmHVNx_JCJ67MKPu3pyt2EYGPIUtHG-g_HQXVeFTUu7IQ1pQorRx8tvRTuZxqRyW1YJBZzRRyeoUmLkd24kshXEJtLpXY7Gc12PDLIanpfgNkjDKNb47bv/s640/TABLE-BEESWAX%2540144x.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<u><b>Making the switchout</b></u><br />
<br />
The main thing to focus on when you switch out a vegetable wax for beeswax in a formula is the melt point. It should be similar. As Sunflower and Rice Bran wax both have a somewhat higher melt point than beeswax, you may get a harder product at the end, so you will probably reduce the amount of wax in your formula (easiest solution) or add in softening elements such as more oil, or a soft at room temperature cosmetic butter.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Time for recipes!</b></u><br />
<br />
Here is a recipe created by our customer Pam:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Pam's Shimmer Lip Balm Using Sunflower Wax</u></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCEvzMJqra4puHCb2kbwL5LfBpLS55axLFGwIF2-sn_i7p8Z6RNfprtHHu2lPH1PTt7uMvWntwL9Vgq6eBxabGUkGvESpa7Y2xBwZSV8yHsOu77pdvim-o93DE3GAKFHKuTZZ/s1600/Asset+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCEvzMJqra4puHCb2kbwL5LfBpLS55axLFGwIF2-sn_i7p8Z6RNfprtHHu2lPH1PTt7uMvWntwL9Vgq6eBxabGUkGvESpa7Y2xBwZSV8yHsOu77pdvim-o93DE3GAKFHKuTZZ/s1600/Asset+4.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Instructions:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
1) Measure Phase A and place into a melter bowl or 1 cup Pyrex measuring cup (or double vessel)<br />
2)Measure out Phase B. Use a colored mica of your choice<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzH0uX39Fta-HUDUcKsWf19cuVJAGWZ1yWiLNdNk4oJ-PfTaB9T08ZXCg0YIP7zeeOAgwZ34dxY9k9yOcOndZgrcCgRauAazryII98YqSXK5z6Xbw2PEpN3cUOKq0U7_SVZCZ/s1600/sunflowerONE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzH0uX39Fta-HUDUcKsWf19cuVJAGWZ1yWiLNdNk4oJ-PfTaB9T08ZXCg0YIP7zeeOAgwZ34dxY9k9yOcOndZgrcCgRauAazryII98YqSXK5z6Xbw2PEpN3cUOKq0U7_SVZCZ/s640/sunflowerONE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
3)Melt/Heat products and bring to an equal or similar temperature. (77C)<br />
- If you use a boiler vessel: Place Phase A in vessel and while it's melting hold phase B in the double water, constantly stirring with thermometer until temperature is 77C<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3z7H8-MO72QdEHNL-Ap76nMl9Qx8uuQXS1nfedBCuPcLYUMVsB2V7qzJNrJOvEcyQMiohRyVTXUQKEt8VVYfoywFQF7YyVLS2qx9RW91_K2t04ugHGgjTdJbfv4J2ZpSGHSta/s1600/sunflowerTWO.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3z7H8-MO72QdEHNL-Ap76nMl9Qx8uuQXS1nfedBCuPcLYUMVsB2V7qzJNrJOvEcyQMiohRyVTXUQKEt8VVYfoywFQF7YyVLS2qx9RW91_K2t04ugHGgjTdJbfv4J2ZpSGHSta/s640/sunflowerTWO.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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4)Pour Phase B into Phase A. Stir well<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjer9LBCqN-TlcMj4qiT98NLnTymbDhUJWu-BX8nOTNkZyR9mqlmDPzbUJMLrR0FV1xFn6oVj4-upxw0YTvykX-HMKHty-dcOVhSV2VSrsRQH9jvWnCThWesIEzPpkIC5JJiz7f/s1600/sunflowerFOUR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjer9LBCqN-TlcMj4qiT98NLnTymbDhUJWu-BX8nOTNkZyR9mqlmDPzbUJMLrR0FV1xFn6oVj4-upxw0YTvykX-HMKHty-dcOVhSV2VSrsRQH9jvWnCThWesIEzPpkIC5JJiz7f/s640/sunflowerFOUR.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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5) Add Phase C (I use a siposable pipette) Stir well . Pour into mold<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83pWYdtkp34yV35vqHHHvT70QDEFVUCE4oujgfiwNvN4Hm86wXmlxoMS43KcnwsZix9bnryNRUtJdjhV7Gy_yG5XQAG5myftUEMWCG5122aptbuePErg_zRKIiU6k2JffBmhh/s1600/sunflowerFIVE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="1600" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83pWYdtkp34yV35vqHHHvT70QDEFVUCE4oujgfiwNvN4Hm86wXmlxoMS43KcnwsZix9bnryNRUtJdjhV7Gy_yG5XQAG5myftUEMWCG5122aptbuePErg_zRKIiU6k2JffBmhh/s640/sunflowerFIVE.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3-zs1ITjt3TwXab1uKBD6enuly6WB5s0NhiPu7KzREzTECZ1s3LPOKriSRl364bpESOCu4BJzllFp5xtXb3o44SGJ-iOgRsIjf8afTqw9wYDiq2cjpEFB5IXId3qKXyBgedf/s1600/sunflowerSIX.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3-zs1ITjt3TwXab1uKBD6enuly6WB5s0NhiPu7KzREzTECZ1s3LPOKriSRl364bpESOCu4BJzllFp5xtXb3o44SGJ-iOgRsIjf8afTqw9wYDiq2cjpEFB5IXId3qKXyBgedf/s640/sunflowerSIX.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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*The mica we used in the pictures is "Blaze". You can find it <a href="https://tkbtrading.com/products/blaze">here</a>*<br />
Note: You want to heat the oil so that it doesn't shock the wax when you add it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL29RKAqe2W7kYg-0qoXQsnuZgBr2iWn94v-sh5jlNmiRjliK1qpx5sisB8qGfINOQD57GqQwHMzxyE3I4QlP_pUFsXXz_YdmmMEhvl90eTfr5CM4kmAxK-2lM-F-OD0UAiZ6a/s1600/sunflowerSEVEN.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL29RKAqe2W7kYg-0qoXQsnuZgBr2iWn94v-sh5jlNmiRjliK1qpx5sisB8qGfINOQD57GqQwHMzxyE3I4QlP_pUFsXXz_YdmmMEhvl90eTfr5CM4kmAxK-2lM-F-OD0UAiZ6a/s640/sunflowerSEVEN.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Here is another one that we found on the internet:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>3/4 teaspoon sunflower wax</li>
<li>1/2 tablespoon shea butter</li>
<li>1 1/2 tablespoon sunflower oil</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon castor oil</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-29487755116379026242018-09-18T13:30:00.003-07:002018-10-01T11:25:33.138-07:00Making a Mouse Blush (Vegan Style)<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
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<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSMwllzkaCgbANC4TVGBE3BmwkJMMb5EUlJkIBE0e2hoHGn4NCgZm4NOe0-Rd3JQzbfsu2NrvQ_hVw_Uismq6KTik5lWAPWcQktPZJbtoRlZo-yTeZfPLtEop5wL8fGoZdqei/s1600/Fondo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSMwllzkaCgbANC4TVGBE3BmwkJMMb5EUlJkIBE0e2hoHGn4NCgZm4NOe0-Rd3JQzbfsu2NrvQ_hVw_Uismq6KTik5lWAPWcQktPZJbtoRlZo-yTeZfPLtEop5wL8fGoZdqei/s640/Fondo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
This blog post offers a recipe and tutorial for a lightweight blendable and buildable blush with a semi-matte sheen.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
<br />
Features of the recipe:</div>
<ul style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">
<li>Vegan, uses Sunflower and Rice Bran Wax.</li>
<li>Includes our K-24 Lauryl Laurate to give a nice slip and silky after-feel</li>
</ul>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
What you may learn from the recipe:</div>
<ul style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">
<li>How much color is really required to make a color cosmetic</li>
<li>How much bulking powder is required to make a color cosmetic </li>
<li>How to incorporate pure pigments into a recipe with the least amount of speckles.</li>
</ul>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0419/3361/files/zz-1_medium.JPG?v=1537296196" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
<strong>Phase A</strong></div>
<table class="mce-item-table" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 159px; width: 540px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 252.266px;"><strong>Ingredient</strong></td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 106.016px;"><strong>% by weight</strong></td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 164.766px;"><strong>Function</strong></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 252.266px;">Sunflower Wax</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 106.016px;">6</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 164.766px;">Structure</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 252.266px;">Rice Bran Wax</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 106.016px;">5</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 164.766px;">Gelling</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 252.266px;">Polyester Castor Wax</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 106.016px;">6</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 164.766px;">Plasticizer</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 252.266px;">Lauryl Laurate</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 106.016px;">4.5</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 164.766px;">Emollient</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 252.266px;">Fractionated Coconut Oil</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 106.016px;">4.5</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 164.766px;">Emollient</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
Melt the Phase A ingredients together and set to the side.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
<strong>Phase B</strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCtUqnf5KDxaikcuLuVhkdOYONsU70KwZG3n0yjPxhjwAWlKIKx1IHjeW-p8swoMPRBTCji_UBz8mxbR2tPJj7buyRFrsz-vRWpN64tHa7cT5PGfsSawXS5E8ZwO_GdpVnpHd/s1600/IMG_9070.CR2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCtUqnf5KDxaikcuLuVhkdOYONsU70KwZG3n0yjPxhjwAWlKIKx1IHjeW-p8swoMPRBTCji_UBz8mxbR2tPJj7buyRFrsz-vRWpN64tHa7cT5PGfsSawXS5E8ZwO_GdpVnpHd/s400/IMG_9070.CR2" width="400" /></a></strong></div>
</div>
<table class="mce-item-table" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);"><strong>Ingredient</strong></td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);"><strong>% by weight</strong></td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);"><strong>Function</strong></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">Titanium Dioxide (oil dispersible)</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">7</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">Color</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">Red Iron Oxide (Red Shade)</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">0.25</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">Color</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">Ultramarine Pink</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">6</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">Color</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">Fractionated Coconut Oil</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">14.75</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);">Dispersant & Emollient</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
Mix Phase B together, set to the side and allow the pigments to "slake" or fully absorb the oil. It is very important that the Phase B ingredients are so fully wetted that they are creamy and without any speckles. Here are three techniques to consider:</div>
<ul style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">
<li>With everything in a bowl, use a strong spatula to smoosh the pigment grains in to the oil. It may take a lot of smooshing.</li>
<li>Put everything into a small zip lock bag and rub vigourously between the palms of your hands. </li>
<li>Use a spatula and muller and grind the pigment into the oil. (Probably you won't do this, but its just an FYI.</li>
</ul>
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<img alt="" height="250" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0419/3361/files/zz-7_medium.JPG?v=1537296081" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></div>
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Here is a little video showing the last technique, although they are making paint.</div>
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After you have fully mixed the pigment into the oil. You may want to swatch it along a piece of paper (called a Draw Down Test) to make sure you have no speckles. Now is the time to get rid of all speckles of colors. Don't cross your fingers and hope they will go away in the final the blend, they probably won't.</div>
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0419/3361/files/zz-8_medium.JPG?v=1537296070" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></div>
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OK, now add the Phase B to the Phase A over gentle heat and stir. Finally mix in Phase C over low heat. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0419/3361/files/zz-10_medium.JPG?v=1537296050" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
<strong>Phase C</strong></div>
<table class="mce-item-table" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 208.516px;"><strong>Ingredient</strong></td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 109.766px;"><strong>% by weight</strong></td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 204.766px;"><strong>Function</strong></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 208.516px;">Mica</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 109.766px;">26</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 204.766px;">Bulk</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 208.516px;">Lauryl Laurate</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 109.766px;">20</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 204.766px;">Emollient</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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Stir well and pour into containers at about 70C. The resulting product is a little soft for a stick, but you can try it.</div>
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0419/3361/files/zz-14_medium.jpg?v=1537296000" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></div>
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Here is the colors swatched. You can see that, as a blush should, it has a certain amount of translucency. Its not a heavy "one color". One adds more as you build up the application.</div>
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0419/3361/files/zz-12_large.JPG?v=1537296030" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></div>
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<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
Raw materials available at tkbtrading.com!</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1em;">
<br /></div>
Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-41951381726976463902016-03-29T15:00:00.000-07:002016-04-07T01:44:56.711-07:005 Tips to Unforgettable Wedding Day Nails<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was 8 years old and dressing up for my imagined day,
I painted my nails with white out and colored them in with permanent markers
only to end up desperately scrubbing the ink and paint off before my parents
found out. Was your first experience with painted nails the same? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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My name is Kimberly Simon and I am the resident makeup
artist and product designer here at TKB!
I’m so excited to announce one of our first projects: the sponsorship of
a DIY Nail Polish Bar at David Tutera’s April 17<sup>th</sup> “<a href="http://yourweddingexperience.com/" target="_blank">Your Wedding Experience</a>” in Houston, Texas! At the
event, attendees will dabble in the adventure of mixing their own wedding day
nail polish. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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For the show, I created 12 unique recipes. From the fairy tale inspired “Cinderella” blue
to a rosy “Blushing Bride”, my favorite is a glittery, white polish recipe
named “Bridal Party”. I created these
recipes based on this year’s wedding color trends!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezXQpKmlQZgJDmEfL5MTrj7wiYdXnVNxFCWxHtFBudHFO14MpcjXC1Qtp-o0-H_Dze7H7AzqTao8vpZPF59h3TZyN9Gk0hKovL1VxI3AhgnwU3IWn5Pv30lazV9R1hnoXLRqS/s1600/trio1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezXQpKmlQZgJDmEfL5MTrj7wiYdXnVNxFCWxHtFBudHFO14MpcjXC1Qtp-o0-H_Dze7H7AzqTao8vpZPF59h3TZyN9Gk0hKovL1VxI3AhgnwU3IWn5Pv30lazV9R1hnoXLRqS/s320/trio1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Making a custom polish for your wedding is fun and
affordable. The hardest part is picking the color itself! Here are my 5 tips for choosing the perfect
nail polish color for your wedding day:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Try on polish weeks, even months ahead of the big
day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Consider how each color makes you feel and what kind of
attitude it stirs in you. For example,
the color red promotes a classic and sexy tone.
Nude colors represent the more traditional bride. Pastel colors are incredibly trendy for
weddings in 2016, but remember the rule is: There Are No Rules!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Never skip the base coat and top coat.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If long-lasting gel manicures aren’t your style, invest in
the most high-performance base and top coat for your wedding day. Different top coat formulas may slightly
alter the color you’re wearing. Choose
wisely!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Consider your wedding accessories.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unless you’re dressing in anything but white, your nails,
makeup and bouquet will be the colors of the show! Consider how your manicure will pair with
your flower arrangement and makeup details.
This trio will make an impression in most of your wedding day photos, so
make sure they all get along!</div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Trust your intuition.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It can be easy to doubt your choices and rely on others for
wedding planning advice. When it comes
to your nail color, the only person who will be wearing it is you! Your perfect
nail polish color is an enjoyable, rewarding, personal experience. Don’t let it be anything else.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Be prepared.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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If you’re attending <a href="http://yourweddingexperience.com/" target="_blank">David Tutera’s Your Wedding Experience</a>,
why not bring photos of your dress? A
binder full of all your wedding theme ideas will be incredibly useful as you
gather many more inspirational options at the event, especially at the DIY nail
bar.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54wfnmjsjaC1oBr9qHmzkY8_7tYB2VRCNwCyyV1Vug5iDtOmowjjBqaIGC_ycFNhoegpPcEvTScIvx550ODUsWG_tzC1LVsyeUHgcEnYqeIvus99Vlp0cIvfiM57a3Sor3kuO/s1600/trio3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54wfnmjsjaC1oBr9qHmzkY8_7tYB2VRCNwCyyV1Vug5iDtOmowjjBqaIGC_ycFNhoegpPcEvTScIvx550ODUsWG_tzC1LVsyeUHgcEnYqeIvus99Vlp0cIvfiM57a3Sor3kuO/s320/trio3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For more pre-show wedding ideas, be
sure to check out our nail polish bar hostess Alejandra Baca-Rodriguez and her
beautiful wedding blog- <span style="color: #1155cc;"><a href="http://www.bellethemagazine.com/">www.BelleTheMagazine.com</a></span>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We are looking forward to seeing all the colors you create-
don’t forget to show us your handcrafted nail polish from the show by tagging
us #TKBColors on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tkbcolors/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.kimberlysimonsays.com/" target="_blank">Kimberly Simon</a></div>
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TKB Colors Makeup Artist</div>
Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-51233984485611935312016-01-28T10:14:00.000-08:002016-01-28T10:14:00.611-08:00Working with Bulk Nail Polish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0X2mVP9OowR6M4lLCAwgW3OadEx4HKt-KD0M7JwOimrydbmRq2kX-j3U0xnztbFlctG1KRV0i5cq3UY-4cvqM1EkQ68fS_5pOyJ2WQj8J9ZddX6tegPmOBrIPHMzQfO5mHG3/s1600/Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0X2mVP9OowR6M4lLCAwgW3OadEx4HKt-KD0M7JwOimrydbmRq2kX-j3U0xnztbFlctG1KRV0i5cq3UY-4cvqM1EkQ68fS_5pOyJ2WQj8J9ZddX6tegPmOBrIPHMzQfO5mHG3/s320/Blogger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
It is shockingly easy and affordable to work with uncolored, bulk nail polish base to make your own unique creations.<br />
<br />
Our company started selling the material in early 2011. I had noticed that there customers were talking about making "Frankenpolish" where they would blend together polishes from different manufacturers -- a half a bottle of an Essie green, a quarter bottle of an OPI gold, and top it off with some Sally Hansen!<br />
<br />
They were having such a blast but my immediate thought was: Gee that looks expensive. They should be working with the uncolored base and add our mica powders to it. So, we made that happen.<br />
<br />
As with any DIY craft, it can be hard to scale up from making a few fun polishes with friends to actually running a business. Among the many problems, concerns and tasks that crop up is coming to see yourself as a manufacturer. That means understanding that you are working with a material which will have variations "batch to batch" and learning ways to work with that.<br />
<br />
The main issues that come up for Indie polish companies, as far as I can tell:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Ingredients List </li>
<li>Mixing in colors (clumping or streaking) of colors</li>
<li>Viscosity of the base</li>
<li>Reaction of additives</li>
<li>Photography</li>
<li>Labeling</li>
<li>Shelf life</li>
</ol>
<div>
I will be happy to address these various issues in future blog posts. Feel free to leave feedback letting me know any specific questions or concerns you might have and I will do my best to give you complete answers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Kaila Westerman</div>
<div>
TKB Trading, LLC</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<br />Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-1610778531083068682015-11-04T15:55:00.000-08:002015-11-05T15:45:49.661-08:00Pick a Winner for our Halloween Costume Contest?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_JTfMa1EWeUGI1AoXRUcHTaGoaK41OLK2xRYYs-rUmGSo2giZtbPuuiBJkZBXNga6o0ptt2G-rPjlTjD3p3pEQNo9XV0xRRtEk1NXWt2qELgiYecfE5J6TkkNENlU98iHFXT/s1600/IMG_1754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_JTfMa1EWeUGI1AoXRUcHTaGoaK41OLK2xRYYs-rUmGSo2giZtbPuuiBJkZBXNga6o0ptt2G-rPjlTjD3p3pEQNo9XV0xRRtEk1NXWt2qELgiYecfE5J6TkkNENlU98iHFXT/s320/IMG_1754.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Halloween came and went. While the cat was away the mice played as, apparently, there was a contest to see who could come up with the most creative "recycled costume" while I was out running errands. It was hard to choose the winner as everyone was so creative!<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I continue to work on improving our new website. I managed to make some minor improvements, but each of these areas still need work:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Better Search. The Search Box that came with the website was pretty funky. If you were looking for something called Blues and you typed in Blue, it would not come up. It was super specific. <br /><br />We have created a much better Search function. It looks "simple" up there at the top of the page, but once you start searching you will quickly be in awe of its power! (or at least appreciate it a little more). You will be able to better narrow your search by thing such as color and use, as well as price.</li>
<li>Shipping of Nail Polish by Fedex Only. We had a problem with people buying nail polish and then choosing US Mail as a shipping option. Unfortunately, while we are aware that plenty of resellers of nail polish use USPS for shipping, this is not permitted by the post office and so we will not do it. <br /><br />The minor improvement we made was to add a clarification on any product page that contains nail polish. Yet to be done is setting up the shipping program to not even allow USPS mail as an option.</li>
<li>Knowledge Base and Chat Box. We added a pop-out Knowledge Base and Chat Box to our site. Live Chat is only available on days/times when we are caught up with our work, but at least it will be an option sometimes. The Knowledge Base is something we have been building for a while and should help answer some of the more common questions we get.</li>
</ol>
Well, as with everything in a small company, things take time. We continue to be every appreciative of your feedback and wish you all a great holiday season! In the meantime, care to pick a winner?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejzJUjlyTfFv-wcqg8couykNpUl1-Lj9WzrZkJz1iuhJ0uWoeYIUxCReSKBVkbTvXqF-QKhn3LCMfxvU2hlut0oBpCCkFI191v0Bn1cBDAtXyvR0x3hhXvS_D7yOPOCGLnEI1/s1600/IMG_1752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejzJUjlyTfFv-wcqg8couykNpUl1-Lj9WzrZkJz1iuhJ0uWoeYIUxCReSKBVkbTvXqF-QKhn3LCMfxvU2hlut0oBpCCkFI191v0Bn1cBDAtXyvR0x3hhXvS_D7yOPOCGLnEI1/s320/IMG_1752.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
L to R: Kieu (liquids lady), Sam (shipping clerk), Van (containers lady), Hanna (floor manager) and Vi (accounting).</div>
Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-6935573757746457882015-09-15T17:07:00.002-07:002015-09-15T17:09:01.824-07:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Birthin' our New Baby<br />TKBTrading.com 5.0!</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53LfSXkEyvnicztj5_oFMZPJ3_XdBok22nS3X9yT9INja0LhvjRVpjAMOrzN7REhPzV41ToRUWTZRO_DADkcGX-kfPUnUv4cJ3awHf_HSg0nAA-SYJT4SwV_Zntuwba9CkNOj/s1600/2015-09-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53LfSXkEyvnicztj5_oFMZPJ3_XdBok22nS3X9yT9INja0LhvjRVpjAMOrzN7REhPzV41ToRUWTZRO_DADkcGX-kfPUnUv4cJ3awHf_HSg0nAA-SYJT4SwV_Zntuwba9CkNOj/s320/2015-09-15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
TKB was founded in December 1997. Over the years, we have had plenty of .... simple-looking.... web designs. <br />
<br />
What we lacked in flash and sizzle, we made up for in prices, heart and innovation. Time has caught up with us though and we really needed to become "mobile friendly". For this reason we are now launching our new version of "us". It's a lot prettier!<br />
<br />
Here are some functional issues and differences between old and new site that customers have asked us to explain. We will post more answers to questions as they arise!<br />
<br />
<br />
Q: Why the change? A: We have to be mobile-friendly for our customers. Our new site will have other awesome functions, but the mobile-friendly was the main issue.<br />
<br />
Q: Is my order history going to come over to the new site? A: Sadly, no. The old site was so old fashioned it did not integrate with any of the new site options we had. We have, however, kept our old site information active so if you require us to look anything up for you, reprint orders or do any similar research, we are happy to help you.<br />
<br />
Q: Are all the products and prices the same? A: For the most part, yes. We have added some new products to the new site and will continue to add at that location. We have also changed how we sell our plastic jars and made some adjustments on prices as a result. If you see something that confuses you or seems off, or that you simply don't like, please let us know!<br />
<br />
Q: Is shipping the same? A: Yes, it should be. Eventually we hope to implement something which will allow the international customers easier checkout without going through a "quote" process.<br />
<br />
Q: Did you change your company name to howtomakecosmetics.com? A: No. As tried and true DIYer's we are pretty much making the transition to the new website on our own. This means a lot of learning curves to navigate. To make the process a little more tentative we have temporarily had "two" versions of our company. One at howtomakecosmetics.com and the other at tkbtrading.com. However very soon both addresses will point to the exact same site. So you can type in either address.<br />
<br />
Q: Is the change of a website the first step in some kind of overall plan to change what TKB does, what it sells or who its customer base is? A: No. We don't normally have overall plans anyway, usually we stick to mood swings. Of course, we do hope, once the dust settles on the launch we can turn our attention away from website development for a while and back into sourcing new recipes, ideas, products and such.<br />
<br />
Anyway, it has been a looonnnggg process to get this baby birthed. I'll try to blog about the important things I learned, in case they are helpful to those out there, but in the meantime, hold on to your seats. TKBTrading 5.0 launching soon!<br />
<br />
Kaila<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-58479976880522131162015-06-27T15:08:00.002-07:002015-06-27T15:28:04.608-07:00My Lovelies<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzy_jnpcjb0o6kMxQad_ocH9IA-RcKhYdLmYNKALgQZL9Pn_b_K1xsZ1R30O0l4vN-UULLXFSn0AQGwcJX4uGJtq85ymm2zPoRUeoE0f1rniPw7AsAVUwbEbo3zohsDQd8boBS/s1600/2015-06-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzy_jnpcjb0o6kMxQad_ocH9IA-RcKhYdLmYNKALgQZL9Pn_b_K1xsZ1R30O0l4vN-UULLXFSn0AQGwcJX4uGJtq85ymm2zPoRUeoE0f1rniPw7AsAVUwbEbo3zohsDQd8boBS/s200/2015-06-27.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Colors are So Lovely</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In April, I vended at the Handmade Soap and Cosmetics Guild (HSCG) annual trade show in Indiana.<br />
<br />
I introduced My Lovelies, a new line of hue-intense pigments perfect for soapmakers.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrihj_VHy8Ijbut4ZoxLaSoMGKww_kPypAif_AWBuVnFyjreUob3hgmlsdyWQneLqMCh0HUNHRKoahvy_F7ITTcL-PV3qxyCMmCIUS3qefpq0dB1Dcc2cgE6w-pah2UsnOUxSl/s1600/Sticker9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrihj_VHy8Ijbut4ZoxLaSoMGKww_kPypAif_AWBuVnFyjreUob3hgmlsdyWQneLqMCh0HUNHRKoahvy_F7ITTcL-PV3qxyCMmCIUS3qefpq0dB1Dcc2cgE6w-pah2UsnOUxSl/s200/Sticker9.jpg" width="200" /></a>I offered them in both powder and liquid forms. The powders are best for the Cold Process soapmakers, and the liquids are popular with the Melt and Pour Soapmakers. All the colors are soap-stable, strongly-hued and non-bleeding.<br />
<br />
Equally important (to me), I make them! Did you ever make something so lovely and beautiful you had to keep running back to look at it, even in the middle of the night? That's how I feel about My Lovely Perfect Blue. In cold process soap, it just glows.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Perfect Blue</td></tr>
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The colors also blend very easily into nail polish. While the colors are not all approved for use in cosmetics in the USA, I'm not a hater of using in them nail polish. I'm usually pretty high on my horse when it comes to telling people to follow FDA guidelines. However, I recognize that nail polish itself is not particularly natural or "safe" and that most indie nail polish makers would really rather be left to make their own decisions. The things they put in their polish! I've come to accept that my job is to simply label the products correctly and leave the decision on use to the maker.<br />
<br />
Since the April show I haven't had a chance to really promote My Lovelies, but I'm trying to make up for that now! On our website, keep your eyes peeled for:<br />
<br />
Blue Ribbon, Electric Violet, Vivid Tangerine, Rouge Red, Summer Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Perfect Blue, Hot Pink, & Turquoise Blue.<br />
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<br />Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-32381392847241924872015-06-26T18:53:00.000-07:002015-06-27T15:39:12.786-07:00The Universe Brought Me a Building... back in 2010. I thought I'd share that story.<br />
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Like everyone else, TKB started out in a basement. That was way back in 1995. Over the years, the basement expanded into a bedroom and then from a bedroom into a flat. <br />
<br />
We were in that flat for a long time. Van studied for her citizenship exam there. I would yell to her over the boxes "What are the three Branches of government?" or "Who are our Senators?" and she would proudly end up educating me about things I long forgot.<br />
<br />
Every year there was also some kind of<br />
"The Great ...fill...in...the...blank" mistake. <br />
<br />
There was the The Great Green Disaster of '08. I won't point fingers at who made the decision to over-burden our shelves with liquid dyes. Needless to say the next day we laughed at our foolishness as we mopped up about 50 gallons of green dye. <br />
<br />
There was The Great Missing Kisses Disaster of '12. Again, to protect the innocent I won't mention who forgot to order enough sifters to go with our jars. For two months while we waited for production to finish, we scrambled week by week to find quick-ship suppliers to keep us in sifters so we could fill orders. I got so sick of Van coming up and telling me we were out of sifters again, I insisted we start calling them Kisses. "I don't want to hear another damn thing about being out of sifters!" I insisted, "Tell me we are out of kisses and at least I can do something about that!"<br />
<br />
We also witnessed the changing of the world on 9/11. That was such a sad day. I had to work but I kept running to the TV to see what was going on. Van continued to work hard as usual, ignoring my restlessness. Finally at the end of the day I asked her, "You realize that this was a hugely important day, don't you?" And she smiled and said "Yes". That smile irked me and I snapped, "What do you think is important about it?" "It's my birthday!" she replied. We laughed through tears that day. <br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm rambling. About 10 years of rambling in that flat until we got so crowded we could be standing three feet away from each other and not see the other person. We had to yell just to get our voices over the tops of boxes. <br />
<br />
I kept moaning that we needed to move to a bigger place but I didn't have time to look and I didn't think we could find what I wanted. Because I knew <i>exactly</i> what I wanted: I knew the size and the location and the price that I could afford. I just had no idea how it was going to find me.<br />
<br />
And then, one day someone knocked on my door. A couple of complete strangers -- brokers as it turned out -- with a flyer in their hand. That flyer was for the exact building I had imagined. Down to every detail. <br />
<br />
Maybe it strikes you as anti-climatic that the universe came to me dressed in suits. But actually, no one every knocked on my door except the FedEx driver. And, the building they showed me was in a completely different neighborhood; it wasn't as though they were canvassing the neighbors. <br />
<br />
When I asked them why they knocked, they explained that they had just opened their company that week and they were trying to find clients, so they figured they would just start knocking and I was the second door they chose.<br />
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So maybe you will now believe me when I say that the "Universe" (with the help of the SBA, a lender, a few brokers, and some contractors, as well as my co-workers and husband) brought a building to TKB.<br />
Moments like these are what have kept me going. I hope you also have many such moments in your lives.<br />
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Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-65667692431268377362012-10-08T12:04:00.002-07:002012-10-08T14:02:47.340-07:00The universe brought me a conveyor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
2012 has been yet another year of organizing my company. I've made a lot of progress, enough that about six weeks ago I was starting to become clueless about what the next steps were, and I knew I needed to make more changes. It occurred to me that Fedex had given me a free scale and a printer to improve my shipping so maybe they would also give me free advice. I asked my rep if there was anyone at Fedex who could come to my warehouse and tell me how to set up a more efficient shipping department. <br />
<br />
Within a week, a very nice man came out, watched what we did and made just a few achievable suggestions: <br />
<ol>
<li>Give the staff specific job duties so that when they come in they just tear into their job. Before that, we kind of shared duties, one person jumping in when another needed help. My advisor pointed out that people are more relaxed when they know what their job is and they are faster and more efficient when they do the same thing over and again. At first my husband was worried that they would get bored doing the same thing over and over, but my staff all report "no". They much prefer working this way. </li>
<li>Set specific goals for your staff. For example, tell the picking clerk exactly how many orders you expect them to pick in a shift, and then see what can be done to help them meet those goals. Of course find ways to reward them when they do. We do bonuses every quarter and it was really fun this quarter to start rewarding people based on real, definable achievements. </li>
<li>Improve storage by making better use of the front room, getting rid of things that are obsolete, and going more vertical with existing shelving. </li>
<li>I think he was trying to keep the list short and sweet so I wouldn't be overwhelmed but just as he left he paused and said softly, "Maybe you should get a conveyor". </li>
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Within the first couple weeks, I implemented all but the last of his suggestions and saw a huge change in attitudes and efficiencies. That last suggestion, though, it was just weird to me. I'm not a small thinker, but I'm also not a big thinker. When someone suggests to me that I need a conveyor a part of me starts laughing inside. <br />
<br />
Then I began to pay attention to how my shipping staff was handling boxes. There was a lot of lifting and putting down, a lot of boxes getting in the way of foot traffic. Maybe we actually did need a conveyor. Something that they could pack the boxes on, then push the boxes out of the way into the waiting hands of the Fedex driver. Just maybe. <br />
<br />
Last weekend, as hubby and I were tooling around town, I suggested we go to the Habitat for Humanity Reuse store just for fun. This is a shop like Goodwill or Salvation Army only more construction related, selling such things as door knobs and old paint. I wandered the shop for ten minutes before I saw my conveyor. Perfect width, perfect length, and perfect price. <br />
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At that moment, I heard that "ping" in my brain that happens when the universe brings me something. That "ping" I heard the day I met my husband, the day I first touched the walls of my warehouse. Never thought I'd hear that "ping" standing in front of a conveyor.<br />
<br />
Maybe I'm getting better at hearing the "ping". If I get better at hearing the "ping", then maybe, it's all going to work out just fine.Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-38011511709426046872011-07-12T18:08:00.001-07:002011-07-12T18:32:01.625-07:00Inventory Talk<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNuQaZgBklHKKZurBuascO72ifwFgCO6OYDMgvG8OC_rLXadWrcdsklhGUMFpAR2L5jSvd9nYPzaOW5AoWb30We8KMYahlmeSdFj1F_eMwiLM2lvujw7iLC56Vw5Mc6X9eHvHD/s1600/DSC_0104.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNuQaZgBklHKKZurBuascO72ifwFgCO6OYDMgvG8OC_rLXadWrcdsklhGUMFpAR2L5jSvd9nYPzaOW5AoWb30We8KMYahlmeSdFj1F_eMwiLM2lvujw7iLC56Vw5Mc6X9eHvHD/s200/DSC_0104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628638924289235842" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Eight months have passed since I wrote about inventory management and I am pleased to announce that we are finally putting our thoughts into action.<br /><br />This process represents a huge challenge for me, because it is all new information and so it requires my complete attention. But the past few months have brought me a series of tough business dilemmas, one after the other, and I've finally realized that I will keep having such dilemmas until I knuckle down and get organized.<br /><br />Coming very soon (because its the only thing I'm working on): a new website (the one we have now is about ten years old and very clunky), with newly-created <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">SKU's</span> for our products so that we can pick and pack more quickly, and with integration to our accounting software so that we know what we have and when to order!<br /><br />I remember when I first learned accounting. My poor supervisor kept explaining double entry and whatnot to me and I swear every day I looked at the numbers they looked like a big plate of tangled spaghetti. Nothing made sense.<br /><br />That's how I feel right now as I try to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">shepard</span> all my non-existent systems together into a system. But we'll get there, and on the other side of this effort will be a much improved company and true freedom to be creative again, without the nagging feeling that things are out of control. <br /><br />(p.s., the reason I'm posting here now is because I will be moving my blog over to the new site, and I needed to come over and check it out. I was surprised to see that there were over 30 page views of the blog just today. I guess it never occurred to me that people read it)!<br /></div>Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-86426382725862353312010-11-08T10:28:00.001-08:002010-11-08T10:36:12.128-08:00Managing Inventory - Interesting Website<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhM0pcs6MPIpV1qDbr5WQSBDyHH_wnGg4U5IZN1slZTwrRfv3uMlWDEdav_R5ozAFA2d1oZRvxVRwDDZy2Q2JwN0dvw3fXxmwLLNkB4fsVq6l1dYlPO6pP73HB7DjOEydqW9v/s1600/logo-clearinventory.png"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 32px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537249252708903346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhM0pcs6MPIpV1qDbr5WQSBDyHH_wnGg4U5IZN1slZTwrRfv3uMlWDEdav_R5ozAFA2d1oZRvxVRwDDZy2Q2JwN0dvw3fXxmwLLNkB4fsVq6l1dYlPO6pP73HB7DjOEydqW9v/s200/logo-clearinventory.png" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>We recently worked with a tech person to help set up our Big Pour (an event where we invite local people to come in and shop in our warehouse), and he pointed out that even though we are an internet based company, most of our operations function "off the grid". </div><div></div><br /><div>The way we handle our purchase orders, our accounting, our inventory, our payroll. Plenty of these things are done a very old fashioned pen-on-paper way. While this worked for a long time, we are pulling up our big girl boots and trying out new ways of doing things.</div><div></div><br /><div>One of our areas of weakness is inventory control. So far, we have relied on Van's amazing memory, but that's not really working any more. In figuring out how we can improve, I stumbled on this very helpful, easy-to-read primer on the basics of inventory control.</div><div></div><br /><div>Check it out! <a href="http://www.clearlyinventory.com/education/inventory-management.html">www.clearlyinventory.com/education/inventory-management.html</a></div><br /><br />The advice here is forehead-slapping simple.<br /><div></div>Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-6363136247356601142010-10-21T11:36:00.001-07:002010-10-22T14:06:00.426-07:00Breaking through the PlatitudesEven the SBA likes to spread the rumor: <a href="http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/getready/SERV_SBPLANNER_ISENTFORU.html">Most startup businesses "fail" within the first five years</a>. You've heard that, right? From the web, from your well-meaning friends, from your family.<br /><br />This oft-repeated <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platitude">platitude </a>has no doubt discouraged 1,000's of hopeful entreprenuers from making the leap towards self-employment and for this reason I consider it a bit evil.<br /><br />The nay-sayers tell you that it is a lack of experience, money or sales that shut down 50% off all start-ups in the first five years. Umm. Yeah. That's kind of like advising a new bike-rider to stay in their seat and keep their feet on the pedals. We all kind of know that, don't we? No experience, no money, no sales = poor likelihood of success.<br /><br />I haven't seen a lot of failures in my 15 years of entrepreneurship. What I have seen is my competitiors and business asssociates <em>closing</em> shop (not "failing"), and mostly due to personal reasons. Typically health (a sudden illness in the family or an inability to sustain the energy level it takes to run a business) or a family crisis (a divorce or a need to focus on the children).<br /><br />This year I mourn/celebrate the loss of several well-established and successful businesses: <a href="http://mineralbasics.com/">Mineral Basics </a>(finished mineral makeup) <a href="http://www.aromaleigh.com/">Aromaleigh </a>(finished mineral makeup) and <a href="http://southernsoapers.com/cart/">Southern Soapers </a>(soapmaking supplies). Mourn because I know these women worked hard to build their companies and closing is bound to feel a bit like falling, celebrate because I know once they hit the ground they will pick the pebbles from their knees and get back up.<br /><br />When you are young and dating, five years is a long time to be in a relationship that doesn't work.<br /><br />When you are in college, five years is plenty of time to go from innocence to education.<br /><br />When you work at a company, five years is a long time to be in one job, no question.<br /><br />So here is my point: who cares if most businesses change (close) within five years. So do most relationships, schooling and jobs.<br /><br />If you are thinking about starting a business and get stuck on the fear that your business will become a statistic, get over it. Starting a business, building a business and closing that business within five years is not a failure, it is an adventure, one that you will learn from and build on. Go for it!Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-76862627751060970682010-10-03T12:21:00.000-07:002010-10-03T12:32:33.866-07:00TKB's Big Pour, the quick recap<p align="center"><object style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/YuZFUwgMxAg/hqdefault.jpg)" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YuZFUwgMxAg?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YuZFUwgMxAg?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></p><p align="center"></p><p align="left">I'm not going to say our "Big Pour" event was particularly easy to host -- it was a huge distraction from our usual daily routine and I've got lots of catching up to do.</p><p align="left">I'm also not going to boast that it was a lucrative & smart business move -- prices were pretty low and in some cases flat out loss leaders. Next time around I'll need to shop smarter.</p><p align="left">What I <em>am</em> going to say is that after 12 years of standing toe-to-toe 50 hours a week pulling, packing, and generally running an online business with no public face, Van and I got to see 100 folks walk into our warehouse with smiles on their faces and stories to tell. It was a juicy, most welcome buzz.</p><p align="left">We're doing it again, for sure. First Saturday in November. </p><p align="left">I'll blog more on what we learned from this event. I've got lots of thoughts about how we can continue to connect with local people in a way which energizes all of us to be more successful and creative. </p><p align="left">For now, I get an afternoon of relaxing. Maybe a hot chocolate in my future?</p><p align="left"></p>Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-16344567122115716822010-09-20T11:30:00.000-07:002010-09-20T12:52:25.972-07:00The Shop Local Fast Buy Experiment<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 83px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519065206714896162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGQcRxGzz0thFl5LSFmouM-300LxsN3Fl698KVpsydMyB2eESDTeW0qIoUVLckFgemYnaGl1f2S5ib0phlgcWE-FZr1wTZUixC0_Knncx-smj8tEn44vqv1n002vmGuOFYP_S/s200/pour300x125.jpg" /><br /><div>Even though our company has been in Oakland for nearly 15 years, we've never really opened our doors to the local community, instead we have been "online". <p></p></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Lack of room and lack of English language skills amongst our staff were two big reasons for this, but there was also the comfort of the "we are an online business" cocoon. It's a warm, easy place to hide where your best foot forward can be shod in a fuzzy bedroom slipper because no one is looking. </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Living in that cocoon has two major unintended pitfalls:</div><ul><li>When you sell online, you tend to source your inventory and supplies online, which means you tend to not support your <a href="http://oaklandgrown.org/">local economy</a>;<br /></li><li>Those online transactions you send out and bring in are all shipped, which impacts the environment both in terms of packaging and freight costs. (In fact, last year my freight and shipping costs were double what I paid to all my employees combined).</li></ul><p>Early this year, I made a commitment to change. My first pass was to hire a woman (Ivy) to open a retail shop for us. Unfortunately, that relationship did not work out, but it was a helpful distraction because it gave me a better understanding of what kind of shop we could have at our warehouse.</p><p>Mid year, I hired two new employees who speak English as their first language and who are eager to see us open a shop. They pushed me to hire a designer to conceptualize the space (my sister, actually, <a href="http://www.amberwesterman.com/">Amber Westerman</a>). Working with Amber really helped us get a better grasp on what we could do here and how it should lay out for the ease of customer use and the security and safety of all involved. </p><p>While Amber's design is still being finalized (and we think it will be awesome!), we wanted to start bringing in those local people and so we decided to host a <a href="http://www.tkbtrading.com/bigpour.htm">Fast Buy</a>. </p><p>The Fast Buy concept is simple, bring in Pails, Pallets, Bags and Buckets of raw materials that local soap/salt/bath and body folks might need for their upcoming craft shows, invite them down for a one day You Pack You Pour, and start the conversation going.....</p><p><em>.....What do you want? What do you need? Did you know you could get <a href="http://www.evoliveoil.com/our_story.php">Olive Oil in Oakland </a>from a third-generation company? Did you know you could get massage lotion from a <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ACGW_enUS396US397&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=cosmetic+chemist+oakland&fb=1&gl=us&hq=cosmetic+chemist&hnear=Oakland,+CA&cid=14235350107128611281">second-generation company </a>out by the airport? Aren't those <a href="http://www.calglass.com/">increased container minimums </a>horrible? I heard we could get them from .....</em> </p><p>..... and such talk and so forth. If we know of each other, we can work together to support each other.</p><p>Our fingers are crossed, we hope to see Bay Area crafters here October 2, 2010 from 8am to noon! If you know someone who might be interested, please pass the word along!</p>Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-18079689651084659862010-08-20T12:57:00.000-07:002011-07-14T12:49:47.426-07:00Commerce and Cause: Found in Sioux Falls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjI5xLWfTS_kt9Q2stvNGo6jHFsivLYJ82IcyPYbTuiv7Z0lpG7NSE-_BG6JRGbPb5JVtM_iAh-R7JUt7aqxcFQv1Cn75Ec5qvczT8WFjGB9gFhC_JFG77hrd2UdCLbGa6u9J/s1600/photo(4).jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjI5xLWfTS_kt9Q2stvNGo6jHFsivLYJ82IcyPYbTuiv7Z0lpG7NSE-_BG6JRGbPb5JVtM_iAh-R7JUt7aqxcFQv1Cn75Ec5qvczT8WFjGB9gFhC_JFG77hrd2UdCLbGa6u9J/s200/photo(4).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490523941228756658" border="0" /></a><br />I returned last night from a 24-hour whirl to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the kind of America's heartland I had never much expected to find myself, but when your nephew marries the daughter of a windmill farmer it's also pretty much where you end up when you attend his wedding.<br /><br />Exactly one week earlier I had been in Los Angeles, at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">IMATS</span> (international Makeup Artists Trade Show) and I had been feeling the conflict of commerce versus cause (see prior blog post). At that show, I rode the rapids of thousands of young Californian women clamouring for discounted color cosmetics and their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">accouterments</span>.<br /><br />Here in South Dakota, on my way to the early morning farmer's market to grab a coffee before the wedding, I was standing near the natural water rapids which give Sioux Falls its name. A dynamic water <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">way which </span>has been running in this same location for more than 10,000 years, before their was an American heartland, before the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Lakota</span> camped at its shores, when it was just nature and nature, cascading over shiny stone.<br /><br />My whole family swarmed the small farmer's market, buying up fair trade coffee and sampling organic radishes with sea salt. Of course, there was a local <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">soap maker</span> as well, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that she had expanded into mineral makeup and was a customer of mine. Meet <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Rebecca</span> of <a href="http://www.pearlcreekgoatmilksoap.com/">Pearl Creek Goat Milk Soap (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">pearlcreekgoatmilksoap</span>.com)</a>.<br /><br />I overheard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Rebecca</span> talking to my sister-in-law about her Breast Cancer Awareness lip gloss which was part of her mineral makeup line and of course I made a beeline to her booth to hear more!<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Rebecca</span> told me about her husband's grandmother, Barbara Turner, who had given to worthy causes all her life and in particular had supported the organization <a href="http://ww5.komen.org/">Susan G. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Komen</span> for the Cure</a>. Barbara Turner had passed away after battling breast cancer not too long ago, and when she did, she made <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Rebecca</span> promise that there would always be something in her product line which would be dedicated to raising money for worthy causes. "Even if it isn't a lot of money, it's something", <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Rebecca</span> explained.<br /><br />The wedding was lovely, the champagne flowed.<br /><br />I returned to California the next morning, with a precious Barbara Turner lip gloss tucked in my pocket. It was July 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">th</span>, America's day of independence. Each time I reached for a boarding pass or a check of the clock, I touched my lip gloss. Each time I took a moment to be proud that I was so truly American: buttons, banners, ribbons and all.Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-56807717457590354852010-08-11T17:07:00.000-07:002010-08-11T18:09:09.095-07:00Unclenching the Jaw<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrt3eb_lkP6cOeT3Cb9TGs-5uOv1B82KfAim3P9zV8QjlLGN1mecXpAoqa-j88ZIUjMGEchUTaKm99nNp1JqNw0Ca666_GLhtrkHKNUdk798sVQrRdwVEoY5RhKR51LSdHY8D/s1600/IMG_2362.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrt3eb_lkP6cOeT3Cb9TGs-5uOv1B82KfAim3P9zV8QjlLGN1mecXpAoqa-j88ZIUjMGEchUTaKm99nNp1JqNw0Ca666_GLhtrkHKNUdk798sVQrRdwVEoY5RhKR51LSdHY8D/s200/IMG_2362.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504323235915804402" border="0" /></a><br />This year has been my tipping point. It is the year that I have gone from sleeping well at night to tossing and turning. The year that my jaw began to clench. I have my eye on a couple culprits:<br /><ul><li>My iPhone. I can pick it up at 2:00 a.m. and do a quick check of the emails or read up on the forum or check a twitter feed. I no longer come home at night and shut the door on the day's activities.<br /></li></ul><ul><li>Social media. Social media is a game changer when it comes to running a small business, and the changes are largely positive. But it also keeps me awake at night as I try to unravel the consequences of social behaviors that I was never very good at to begin with. In my private universe, social media is confirmation that the cool kids and the cheerleaders won the nerd war. I no longer feel confident in my relationships with my customers.<br /></li></ul><ul><li>The warehouse. Not only does paying rent on a physical space "up the ante" with regard to responsibilities, it also becomes space that needs filling, which means more products and more diverse creative projects. I no longer "know everything" about everything I sell.<br /></li></ul><ul><li>The employees. Not them particularly, just the fact that they exist. That someone has to rise to the occasion on every occasion. I no longer get to hide in my work.<br /></li></ul>Recently, I moved my desk to a different part of the warehouse and brought my files with me. In cleaning out the cabinets I stumbled across a pile of old "to do" lists. I had to smile when I saw the exact same things on a five-year-old "to do" as were on last Monday's list. Poor little Kaila, plugging away week after week and still not able to cross that one off!<br /><br />Next to the list was an old business plan and it was interesting to see how much of that plan I had actually realized and also how outdated it was when considering our current situation. A recent Wall Street Journal <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703481004574646761074327266.html?mod=dist_smartbrief">article</a> on small business suggests that the first defense against stress is to develop a long-range vision and business plan and then to simply work the plan.<br /><br />With that flicker of insight lighting the way ahead, I set the old business plan on the top of the pile on my desk, and began to write this blog post.<br /><br />The beginnings, I hope, towards unclenching the jaw.Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-84844464627700633582010-07-29T12:19:00.000-07:002018-09-24T12:30:40.504-07:00Safety Of Pigments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWO5dxEa08LdkSujIqcKF63LX-kagq-iXLIaZRh4KOxY45iGBQuf3bCX70cs7gjGBS6McPfRM3ROrga7ID1WJ6Eq6YnS4OMKV5U2hBCqobEyir2wo05mG0TUXBfxHyBkQl4Vn/s1600/Logo_trading.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="1600" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWO5dxEa08LdkSujIqcKF63LX-kagq-iXLIaZRh4KOxY45iGBQuf3bCX70cs7gjGBS6McPfRM3ROrga7ID1WJ6Eq6YnS4OMKV5U2hBCqobEyir2wo05mG0TUXBfxHyBkQl4Vn/s320/Logo_trading.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Recently, there have been videos on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Youtube</span> where concern is expressed regarding the safe use of pigments as cosmetics.<br />
<br />
When things get confusing like this I always suggest people go to the "source" which in the case of the USA would be the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) which regulates cosmetics. The FDA is actually quite approachable by phone. Their phone number is <span class="yiv1071817657phone_number" title="Alternative Phone Number"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280431238_2" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54 , 99 , 136); cursor: pointer;">1-888-723-3366. When you call, ask to speak to someone in the cosmetics division (it defaults to food safety).<br /><br />While this blog post attempts to answer some of the questions raised on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Youtube</span>, I encourage interested parties to contact the FDA directly if they are confused or concerned. If you would like to make corrections or clarifications, please feel free to post.</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span class="yiv1071817657phone_number" title="Alternative Phone Number"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280431238_2" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54 , 99 , 136); cursor: pointer;">One pigment which people have been expressing concern over is Ultramarine Blue. Ultramarine Blue </span></span>is a pigment approved by the FDA for use in cosmetics, including eye shadows but not include lip products. <a href="http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=1dc9c8cc490b2823b192b7b4bba42b34&rgn=div8&view=text&node=21:1.0.1.1.26.3.31.27&idno=21">Here is the specific language at the <span class="yiv1071817657yshortcuts" id="yiv1071817657lw_1280430609_2">FDA</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Ultramarine blue for use in cosmetics is synthetic, having been manufactured in the laboratory specifically for use in cosmetics. Natural <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ultramarines</span> are not used in cosmetics, as the FDA only allows use of synthetic <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ultramarines</span> (see link above).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>While cosmetic (synthetic) ultramarine blue may look the same as paint-grade ultramarine blue when compared side-by-side, it is not the same product. Cosmetic grade pigments are processed to meet FDA standards with regard to safety (see link above). Industrial grade (or paint grade) pigments are not required to test to this level of safety. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ultramarines</span> are processed using sulphur, they can have an odor (the familiar "rotten egg" smell). The strength of this odor depends on the pH of the product. For example, if you bring ultramarine blue under 6 on the pH scale (toward acid) it lets off sulphur fumes.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">TKB</span><span class="yiv1071817657phone_number" title="Alternative Phone Number"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280431238_2" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54 , 99 , 136); cursor: pointer;"> Trading does not sell finished cosmetics (although we do have a little baby cosmetic division we call <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">MyMix</span> Cosmetics, these products are finished cosmetics). <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">TKB</span> sells raw materials which may be used for making cosmetics, soaps, and also we sell products for arts and crafts projects. (In short, we sell colors).</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="yiv1071817657phone_number" title="Alternative Phone Number"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280431238_2" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54 , 99 , 136); cursor: pointer;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">TKB</span> Trading does not recommend that people use ultramarine blue directly on their eyes as an eye shadow not because it is unsafe, but simply because it would not make for a very good cosmetic. It would be draggy, perhaps too intense, be staining and not adhere over the long term.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="yiv1071817657phone_number" title="Alternative Phone Number"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280431238_2" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54 , 99 , 136); cursor: pointer;">There is no </span></span>particular FDA restriction related to putting ultramarine blue directly on the eyelid without any other ingredient or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">texturizer</span>. Note that in the link above, ultramarine blue's use is limited to "amounts consistent with <span class="yiv1071817657yshortcuts" id="yiv1071817657lw_1280430609_4"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280431238_4">good manufacturing practice</span></span>". In our understanding, this would allow ultramarine blue to be used at 100% if for some reason someone wanted to do that. <a href="http://www.mlmlaw.com/library/guides/fda/Coshdbok.htm">Here is an interesting link about <span class="yiv1071817657yshortcuts" id="yiv1071817657lw_1280430609_5"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280431238_5" style="-moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; cursor: pointer;">Good Manufacturing Practices</span></span> (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">GPM</span>) and the FDA</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Pigments don't dissolve in water, they disperse into it. However cosmetic pigments are often fine enough that you will see them color the water and so they may make you think they are dissolving into it. If you blend ultramarine blue into water it may appear to be dissolving, but if you leave it overnight you will see that the pigment sinks to the bottom like "sand in the ocean" and the water is much less colored looking.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Blue #1 <span style="font-style: italic;">would </span>dissolve in water, as it is a dye. However, it is also approved for use on the eyes and there is no restriction with it being used at 100%. <a href="http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=3cebab99372b0496f3e6d22cefed18da&rgn=div8&view=text&node=21:1.0.1.1.27.3.31.3&idno=21">Here is the FDA link on cosmetic Blue #1</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">TKB</span> Trading sells a color known as Carbon Black. This product is 60% D&C Black #2 and 40% Polyester 3. The purpose of the polyester is partly to encapsulate the color and make it a "jet" black. It is absolutely approved for use in cosmetics, including use around the eyes. Here is a sample formula provided by the manufacturer for a water resistant mascara. Note that the product is made in the USA.</li>
</ul>
<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
Water Resistant Mascara</div>
Phase A<br />
5.00 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Stearic</span> Acid<br />
12.00 White Beeswax<br />
9.50 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Ozokerite</span> Wax<br />
7.0 Carbon Black<br />
<br />
Phase B<br />
58.40 Water<br />
1.00 Glycerol<br />
2.00 DC-193 (Dow Corning)<br />
0.25 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Hydroxyethylcellulose</span><br />
2.00 R-49 Bleached, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Dewaxed</span> Shellac (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Mantrose</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Hauser</span>)<br />
0.10 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Phenonip</span> (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Clariant</span>)<br />
2.75 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Triethanolamine</span><br />
<br />
Procedure: Heat the wax components of Phase A to 65ºC and add<br />
pigment slowly while thoroughly mixing. Hold phase A at 65ºC. In a<br />
separate container, mix Phase B ingredients and heat to 65ºC.<br />
Slowly add Phase B to Phase A using a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">homogenizer</span>. Package<br />
while still fluid.<br />
<br />
If you have any questions, please let me know.Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-74934330090679165362010-07-05T11:48:00.000-07:002010-07-05T13:40:20.330-07:00Commerce and Cause: Missed opportunities at IMATS 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelkoYMH5plbjJnKlUFuUlaTMkObKMFeqO1N3m_8VaIaOykEMV_OBFtLffUd0IMnWH3jbnnzaMFMrZBJQYcDvVFEtoUBAuaEQeORnDQdRLJPrHzJkQP0Kg1nHnFnirxUwDZf3m/s1600/photo(3).jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelkoYMH5plbjJnKlUFuUlaTMkObKMFeqO1N3m_8VaIaOykEMV_OBFtLffUd0IMnWH3jbnnzaMFMrZBJQYcDvVFEtoUBAuaEQeORnDQdRLJPrHzJkQP0Kg1nHnFnirxUwDZf3m/s200/photo(3).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490512854585875250" border="0" /></a><br />I attended the 2010 International Makeup Artists Trade Show (IMATS) in Los Angeles a little over a week ago.<br /><br />While I have wandered many a trade show, this was my first time at the IMATS and I had heard a lot of good things about it. Primarily, I was told that there would be lots of color cosmetics and special effects companies plying their wares at deeply discounted prices.<br /><br />And ... they were right. There was lots of creative Hollywood-style special effects to observe (the designer for Avatar was on hand, and I got to see the the transformation of Hell Boy). But the bulk of the show seemed to be women in their 20's and 30's purchasing their favorite MAC and similar cosmetics at discounted pricing. And when I say "bulk" I mean it. The place was so swarming it was difficult to move through the aisles!<br /><br />My last moments at the show were spent watching a makeup artist demo how to switch your daytime look to evening in just a few strokes. The demo was taking place in front of the pink and white banner of the sponsoring brush company. I watched distractedly as the frenzy of the last minute shoppers surged around me. My gaze finally settled not on the model but on the pink banner behind her and even though the day had been instructive, I suddenly felt sad.<br /><br />All this buying, all this spending, all this energy and not a single dollar of it going for breast cancer research. Nor was there a single banner or handout for these young women who represented the exact demographic needing education on prevention. Based on my very rough estimate of the size of the crowd, at least a thousand of the people in that room were going to receive a diagnosis of breast cancer at some point in their lives, and of course many more would be impacted by the disease in their families. How hard would it have been to incorporate even the smallest nod to issues larger than eye shadow at this incredibly lucrative trade show?<br /><br />I'm not judging these companies as shallow beauty-mongers. I have no doubt that plenty of people of there would have been happy to do something to round out the experience of the event. What I am saying is that I felt an opportunity was missed. In today's world, where we have so many important things to do, to cure, to save, I was surprised that incorporation of commerce with cause hadn't occurred as a matter of course. I saw it it as a missed opportunity, and it saddened me.<br /><br />I later shared my feelings with my co-workers and husband. They tried to wrap their heads around mine but the wrapping quickly unraveled. You see, all my co-workers and my husband come from communist Vietnam. Just after the fall of Saigon, life was recast into something dull, dark and dreary with no color in clothing or cosmetics. While Vietnam has since modernized and now fashion and cosmetics are everywhere, this is not true in every country.<br /><br />"Americans think change happens when it is expressed in buttons, banners, and ribbons", my husband said, "But in the minds of many, the simple act of purchasing a lipstick is an exciting expression of freedom, independence and joy. It is a celebration of the beauty of life. It is cause enough."Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-20038299954169349582010-04-05T15:25:00.000-07:002010-04-05T15:33:21.356-07:00Where to Get Ideas for Your BlogHere are two tips.<br /><br />1) Set up a schedule: Monday = What's New, Tuesday = Recipe, Wednesday = Tip or Trick, and so forth. If you have a specific schedule like this, then it is kind of a no-brainer. You simply look at the calendar, see, Oh, it's Monday, and then ask yourself what you could talk about that is new. I used this tip for a few weeks and it really helped me with daily blogging.<br /><br />Having said this, daily blogging is really just generating lots of words on a page. If your purpose is to drive traffic to your blog or your company, I think you get more bang for your buck if you write about things which have a lot of buzz.<br /><br />For example, my post on the natural colorants used in cosmetics by 100% Pure, I get a lot of traffic off of that, compared to other posts. And I've seen a lot of comments as well. I suspect this post is the perfect storm of topical, controversial, and intriguing.<br /><br />So, how does one find more topics like this? Recently I discovered <a href="http://www.google.com/alerts">Google Alerts</a>. They could not make it any easier for you to get daily (or less often if you want) alerts about topics of interest to you. These alerts will direct you to other blogs, posts, websites, news stories, etc., about a topic of interest. If all you do is post: "Hey look at this fascinating blog post I found on such and such . . . and here is what I think about it . . . " Well, I think then you can consider yourself having jumped into the giant stream of info that is our internet.Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-14061497631312921972010-02-04T12:02:00.000-08:002010-02-05T09:42:56.238-08:00Hey Dr. Oz, how about Fruit and Flower Pigments in Cosmetics?This past week, Oprah's Dr. Oz tried to increase his ratings by <a href="http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/price-beauty">bashing Mineral Makeup</a> as one of the most dangerous forms of color cosmetics. His basic concern was the inhalation hazard. Umm. OK. I'm going to set that one to the side for now and ask, "Hey, Dr. Oz, how about taking a look at the newest trend on QVC, which is color cosmetics made with fruit and vegetable pigments?" Can we say "not-FDA approved and at risk for bacterial growth"?<br /><br />Loose powder mineral makeup is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but the use of fruits and vegetables to pigment cosmetics sure ain't. The FDA strictly regulates color additives and their approved uses in cosmetics. Per the FDA, the definition of a color additive is a follows (source: <a href="http://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/Legislation/FederalFoodDrugandCosmeticActFDCAct/FDCActChaptersIandIIShortTitleandDefinitions/ucm086297.htm">Sec 201</a>)<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(t)(1) The term "color additive" means a material which—<br /><br />(A) is a dye, pigment, or other substance made by a process of synthesis or similar artifice, or extracted, isolated, or otherwise derived, with or without intermediate or final change of identity, from a vegetable, animal, mineral, or other source, and<br /><br />(B) when added or applied to a food, drug, or cosmetic, or to the human body or any part thereof, is capable (alone or through reaction with other substance) of imparting color thereto; except that such term does not include any material which the Secretary, by regulation, determines is used (or intended to be used) solely for a purpose or purposes other than coloring.</span><br /><br />I just got off the phone with Naomi Richfield-Fratz in the cosmetic division of the FDA (email her at naomi.richfieldfratz@fda.hhs.gov).<br /><br />Naomi confirmed for me that the cosmetic industry is largely self-regulating with regard to the ingredients used, except that the color components are strictly regulated. If a company states that their COLOR comes from non-approved ingredients, then they are flat out not in compliance with the FDA and are subject to a warning letter, fines, and possibly seizure of their products. <br /><br />More importantly than the letter of the law, however, let's take a look at the ingredients in a sampling from this company, <a href="http://www.100percentpure.com/fruitpigments_home.html">100% Pure</a> which describes their products as "the first and only cosmetics colored from antioxidant rich fruit and vegetable pigments". <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Fruit Pigmented Vanilla Eyeshadow: Ingredients: Organic Rice Starch, Pigments of Organic Carrot, Squash, Organic Apricot, Organic Peach, Papaya and Organic Tomato, Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Organic Lavender, Organic Rosehip OIl3, Organic Avocado Butter, Organic Cocoa Butter, Vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate), Mica (natural shimmery mineral.</span><br /><br />Sounds lovely and edible. But where is the preservative? As the FDA's Richfield-Fratz said to me on the phone, "I'd be worried about bacterial growth in a cosmetic which uses food or fruit juice for coloring."<br /><br />Look, I'm not a 100% Pure hater. What I am a hater of is that because the 100% Pure product is on QVC, my customers are coming to me and asking why they can't use organic fruit juice to color their handmade natural cosmetics. <br /><br />Just the other day I was contacted by a vendor which offered me an exciting new line of "100% natural pigments from plant extracts" made to be "effective natural colouring agents" to bring "a touch of natural colour to your makeup products". When I asked the vendor: how can you sell these given the FDA Regs, the response was: "These are not classified as colorants – only color enhancing extracts".<br /><br />When I asked Richfield-Fratz at the FDA if there was a special designation or exemption for "Color enhancing extracts" she laughed.<br /><br />The best she and I could come up with was that the European Union has a different list of what is approved, and perhaps these products are approved in the EU. This is something I'll have to investigate.<br /><br />In the meantime, she confirmed that the FDA is a complaint-driven organization and their first step would be a simple letter to the violator asking them to cease and desist. But she admitted nothing might happen at all until there is "an incident".<br /><br />Well, that's all I've gotten so far. I'll keep you posted as the research unravels.<br /><br />Hey, Dr. Oz! You listenin'?Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-63902504935854206862010-02-03T14:30:00.001-08:002010-02-03T14:38:20.952-08:00Determined to drill this one down: Natural Products as Color AdditivesI am determined to drill this one down, because our customers would love to start using botanical additives for color cosmetics. The fear is that the FDA would act against them if they did.<br /><br />The FDA strictly regulates color additives and their approved uses in cosmetics. Per the FDA, the definition of a color additive is a follows (source: <a href="http://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/Legislation/FederalFoodDrugandCosmeticActFDCAct/FDCActChaptersIandIIShortTitleandDefinitions/ucm086297.htm">Sec 201</a>)<br /><br /><br /><em>(t)(1) The term "color additive" means a material which—<br /><br />(A) is a dye, pigment, or other substance made by a process of synthesis or similar artifice, or extracted, isolated, or otherwise derived, with or without intermediate or final change of identity, from a vegetable, animal, mineral, or other source, and<br /><br />(B) when added or applied to a food, drug, or cosmetic, or to the human body or any part thereof, is capable (alone or through reaction with other substance) of imparting color thereto; except that such term does not include any material which the Secretary, by regulation, determines is used (or intended to be used) solely for a purpose or purposes other than coloring.</em><br /><br />So, if one included a botanical which is used for a purpose other than coloring, that would be OK. <br /><br />Recently I contact a vendor of natural products which they market heavily for use in coloring cosmetics. I asked them to explain how this was possible. Here is the response:<br /><br />"These are not classified as colorants – only color enhancing extracts"<br /><br />Well, I'll keep you posted. I'm still in conversation with the vendor and I'll also put in a call to the FDA.Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250913.post-46144829939046317802010-02-02T10:14:00.000-08:002010-02-02T10:28:08.590-08:00100% Pure Redux and Bare Escentuals Business ChangesI have been following the growth and changes at 100% Pure and I received some interesting <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">responses</span>. You can revisit that post and those responses here: <a href="http://tkbtrading.blogspot.com/search/label/100%25%20pure">http://tkbtrading.blogspot.com/search/label/100%25%20pure</a><br /><br />Long Story Short: This Berkeley-based company makes natural cosmetics and has a patent pending on using fruit and flower pigments to color them.<br /><br />Yesterday the broker who sold <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">TKB</span> the building we are currently in came to visit. We purchased the building about a year and a half ago and he was checking in to see if we were ready to expand.<br /><br />He said that 100% Pure had just signed on for a new, 75,000 square foot space (about two years ago, they had just moved from their 10,000 square foot space to a 30,000 square foot space). So obviously, Home Shopping Network is working for them.<br /><br />In other news of the month, Leslie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Blodgett</span>, founder of San Francisco-based Bare Escentuals (sales of $556 million in 2008)<span style="font-family: arial;font-size:8pt;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"></span></span> sold her business to the Japanese Cosmetic firm <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Shiseido</span> for $1.7 Billion. <br /><br />Could be 100% pure is headed in the same direction?Kaila Westerman, TKB Trading, LLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05681545989032272779noreply@blogger.com0