Well, hello there!
I’m Angie Neyens from Handmade Natural Beauty (and Sassy Pants Polish), and I’m super excited to have been asked to be HHC’s first guest blogger!
First a bit about me. . . I’ve been on the Indie scene for a few minutes. Actually, since 2001. That’s the same year my son was born, so technically I have TWO 19-year-old babies! I started my line with glycerin soap only, making out of my kitchen and attending local craft shows. I eventually created a website and started selling online as well. When I lost my corporate advertising/marketing job, I was determined to make my hobby business a full-time gig. About 9 years ago, I also decided to dip my toe into retail and opened a tiny little retail boutique in our historic downtown district in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Down the road, I got up the courage to move to a larger space in the heart of downtown on Main Street and have since expanded again in the same building about a year ago. I absolutely love my new space and my larger soap kitchen in the back.
The year 2020 was definitely a challenge for retail businesses. After settling into the larger space, I was forced to shut down for 3 months due to Covid-19. If it hadn’t been for customer support and collaborations such as Hella Handmade Creations, I may not have made it through. Tons of love and a huge thank you goes to the fabulous HHC gals and customers across the world! One of the things I really enjoy about HHC is the ability to create what personally inspires me. I’ve really enjoyed my Goat Milk Soap Birthstone Series and am currently dreaming up some fun new designs for my next theme. . . no spoilers yet!!
When Dawn asked me if I’d be interested in providing a moisturizer series, I said, “Heck yeah I would!” Let us talk about that for a little bit! I’m doing a 4-month series of “Seasonally Appropriate” scents and will vary the moisturizer type to give customers a sampling of the variety I offer. I’m starting with the first moisturizer I created, the solid lotion bar. I’ve had super dry hands since I was a child. We’re talking cracking and bleeding dry, and nothing worked to fix it. Honestly, I developed the lotion bar for the novelty of it. It’s a transportable lotion that won’t open in your purse. When other lotions leak, you’d have to clean your credit cards with Q-tips! Yeah, that’s not a fun time! What I didn’t expect was how quickly this new solid bar improved the appearance of my hands! When I released it, the customers came back to me with similar feedback. When they loved it for their hands, feet, elbows, ankles, knees, I knew I had a winner! Especially during the fall and winter, many customers, including myself, don’t want to live without it.
To go with a romantic Valentine’s Day theme, I chose Passionate Kisses as the scent. It can be described as alluring, energetic, and fun. This fragrance begins with: top notes of raspberry, blackberry, and fresh strawberries, followed by mid notes of coconut milk and freshly picked roses, and ends in bottom notes of Egyptian vanilla and amber musk. It’s seriously swoon worthy!
The lotion bars come complete with a handy NEW application stick so they are less messy than regular lotions and are made with the highest quality of skin-nourishing natural ingredients. Not only will you have softer skin by using these moisturizing natural lotion bars, but you'll smell great too! The beeswax in the lotion bar helps create a moisture barrier that helps protect your skin. This is ideal for frequent hand-washers. Ingredients: Cocoa Butter, Beeswax, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Coconut Oil, Fragrance and/or Essential Oils. 
I hope you have enjoyed the soaps I have offered and hope you’ll give my lotions a try as well! Thanks for hanging with me! If you’d care to check out my other products, please visit www.naturalbeautysoaps.com and www.sassypantspolish.com. If you’re ever in the area of La Crosse, WI, please stop by Handmade Natural Beauty Boutique, 200 Main Street and say, “Hi!”
