Cyber Monday!

As holiday season approaching its culmination, many of us are still not through with our shopping lists. All this running around and still missing something? No worries, I’ve been saving our sweetest deal for cyber-Monday. Are you ready!? The best deal on the Internet for a very limited time: not only do you save 15% on any order above $50 but we will also pay for your shipping …and I may even throw in a little surprise to make your holidays extra merry!

Few IMPORTANT details: this offer is good only on Monday 11-28 from 7am to 3pm EST. 15% discount will be refunded to you after the transaction is complete (we are not set up to automatically subtract discounts at check out at this time, so I will have to manually issue a refund). After an extremely busy holiday season all products are in super limited quantities.

Happy shopping!
Liana.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Is everyone ready to eat lots of yummy food this Thursday? ...and for the rest of the year, for that matter :) Well, I am! My DH just got back form a three week trip, Marmalade Hills is on its last stretch of holiday events and kids are off school, so we are very eager to enjoy this time as a family!
This time of the year, just like everyone else, I think about what I am thankful for the most.... and my list is getting longer yet more profound and condensed. Contradiction? Maybe, but not when you LOVE what you do for a living. So here is my humble list of things that I am forever grateful for:
1. Family - because other things may change us, but we start and end with family. We are one team, forever. Supporting, teaching and helping each other.
2. My relatively new friends, because if you think about it, I’ve only been here for short twelve years and I’ve met some amazing people... you know, those who after getting to know them, you think: “I want to be like her or him”.
3. Marmalade Hills - my third baby, that allowed me to see the world in different light; to have my creative outlet; to set my priorities straight; to do one, and sometimes, many tough and scary/unknown things every day; to make me feel accomplished and happy. It took me to so many new places, introduced me to so many different and interesting people who I would have never met at a “9 to 5” job... I know, I know it sounds old and cliche-ish, but it is very true and I get it now.
4. Great people (again and again) - MH two right hands (Christine and Nadiya), MH followers, neighbors, fellow vendors, wholesale customers, honest, curious, enthusiastic, eager, daring, creative, hard working, exciting and inspiring!
5. And last but not least, people who rolled their eyes every time I would go on-and-on about my new course in life that MH was taking me on. They played a very special part as well, by giving me more fuel for resilience, focus and desire to succeed no matter what! ...and I am not slowing down any time soon :)

Cheers, dear readers! Wishing you and your loved ones peace and happiness this Thanksgiving! THANK YOU all for being a part of MH life!

Time to eat my pumpkin pie, so until next time,
Liana.

Pumpkins

This weekend as I was searching the net for unique decorating ideas for Marmalade Hills' upcoming private event, I came across some gorgeous pictures of metallic pumpkins.
And today, there I was: driving to my nearest Michael's to buy art supplies for my project!
It is amazing what a can of a spray paint can do! So I decided to spray some extra rocks and a pine cone that I found in my yard... Kids LOVE their new treasures - "real" gold and silver nuggets. I think tomorrow, I will add a few gold nuggets to their collection :)

I can't wait to put the final arrangement all together!

Till next time,
Liana.

Introductory Offer + BONUS + Free Shipping

Ready for the best offer yet?! Introducing first part of our new facial care line - Facial Cleansers. These are truly life changing products, in my humble opinion. They changed my life and my skin never felt this great before! Best part, I am not afraid of wearing makeup anymore, because I know that it will be gently, effortlessly and flawlessly removed at the end of each day. These products have been already selling like hot cakes to my close friends and now they are going life on our website. You have only three days (09/16 through 09/19) to use our generous offer, all you need to do is place a $25 order on our website and receive Facial Cleansers Duo FREE! Simultaneously, enjoy 50% introductory discount on our brand new products and last, but not least, FREE Shipping!

Hope you'll love these new products as much as I do!

Till next time,
Liana.

It's September.

The month of September, for some reason, has always been a month of life changing events for me: 7th anniversary of my daddy’s passing on 9/08, only four days later we celebrate my oldest daughter’s 7th birthday, and on 9/11 we celebrate my 12 year anniversary of arriving to the United States and remember all the lives that were lost during the terror attacks 10 years ago. During this emotional time I have so many thoughts racing through my mind, so many flashbacks. I feel sad, happy and overwhelmingly grateful for my amazing and supportive family, my kids, my super-hero husband who brought me to this great country and let me be me.

This interesting chain of events in my life is strikingly revealing and very true - life MUST go on. Sooooo, this weekend we have added one more family member and one more anniversary to our busy family. Please welcome our new baby girl - Melody. She is a brown 13 week old Boston Terrier. She is so loving, smart, super friendly and the cutest little pup I’ve ever seen! My 7 year old daughter, who knew every dog in the neighborhood since she was two and wanted a dog since she was 3, finally got her wish this year. Unfortunately we didn’t not get approved for adoption, so we found a great local breeder that had her last litter of pups before her retirement. My daughter had no idea where we taking her. She had great guesses though, everything from fashion show, Cedar Point to hockey game :)
Kids are ecstatic! As well as everybody else in the family. I can guarantee that you will be seeing more puppy related posts and pictures on MH blog :)

Remember - never forget, reflect and keep moving forward.

Hope you have a great weekend!
Liana.

Free Shipping + BONUS

As part of our pre-holiday campaign, we would like to make it easier and more convenient for you to get introduced to our best selling Bath and Body products. All you need to do is make a $25 purchase from our online store this weekend (09/09-09/11) and receive beautiful starter set with 8 various Marmalade Hills products and scents, that include our emulsifying body scrubs, silky body wash, olive oil soaps, shea butter and lotions! Best part - you do not have to pay for shipping, because we would LOVE to send it to you at no charge! Yes, yes, $50 orders get two sets! (while supplies last).

Enjoy!

Back to school!

After a very active last week of summer and fun Labor Day weekend kids were super excited to hop on their buses to go to school. I love my kids to pieces but I was ready to get back to normal work hours and kids’ normal bed-time schedule. With addition of many new activities for kids and new personal and business goals, I know that we have a VERY busy year ahead of us, which I am very much looking forward to.

Today is my first real work day in many months. It feels great to get up bright and early, have my coffee in the peaceful and quiet atmosphere and work in long stretches without constant interruptions. So lets start with tying up some loose ends. Here is what you can expect in the coming months: a) Look out for Fall newsletter in your mailboxes in a couple of weeks with our Holiday show schedule and list of new retail locations. b) Pre-Holiday SALE is in order as well, keep your eyes and ears peeled for this one, as it is going to be BIG! c) Launch of new amazing facial care products in a couple of days and a great introductory offer!

Now without further ado I would like to find out our winner of well overdue Green Breeze fair raffle that was held in July in downtown Birmingham, MI. Eight people have signed up for our raffle and newsletter in the following order: 1 - Patricia D, 2 - L. Rose, 3 - Luci P, 4 - Carrie C, 5 - Marianne S, 6 - Grace S, 7 - Vonna T, 8 - Justine S. As always I have used Random number generator and here is what I’ve got:


Congratulations Carrie! You are a winner of our raffle. Thanks so much for stopping by at our booth, please email me at liana {at} marmaladehills {dot} com to claim your prise and provide me with your shipping address. Carrie is getting a freshly whipped jar of our body butter of Carrie's choice! Just in time for cooler fall/winter months.

Till next time,
Liana.

Girl Power!

Last Saturday I had a chance to visit a very special place for a very special cause. It was a Grosse Point Shores Yacht Club. The event was organized by Michigan Women’s Foundation and benefited local organizations that help young women and girls. To add to the spa ambiance of the day, Marmalade Hills donated beautiful gifts to all the guests who came out to show their support. Afterwords I was able to explorer the yacht club, take some pictures of the beautiful weather, drive down the magnificent and historic Lake Shore Rd. and even take a peek at one of the mentions inside, thanks to the estate sale that was going on that day :) Here are few pictures of that day...

{gorgeous afternoon}

{it felt like I was on vacation far away from home}

{30 or 40 beautiful sailboats were scattered along the shore}

Magical!

I sure do hope to cross path with all the ladies again!

Till next time,
Liana.

Updated on 09/28/11

and here is one more picture that I got my hands on just recently Liana and Carolyn Cassin, President and CEO of Michigan Women's Foundation.

Skin care essentials - Tone.

To achieve naturally glowing complexion it is crucial to follow four important steps: cleanse (surface cleanse - every day and deep cleanse - once a week), exfoliate (once a week), tone (as much as your heart desires), and moisturize (from one to two and even three times per day depending on you skin type). I have talked about cleansing here and exfoliation here.

Now it is time to shed some light on the most neglected step in facial care regiment - tone. Use of toners is a connecting link between process of cleansing and moisturizing that helps to achieve ultimate goal - beautiful and radiant skin. Toners help to restore pH level of you skin, enhance your skin tone, tighten pores, remove leftover soap or oil residue, and prepare your skin for final step - moisturizing. How it works: pure water has a neutral pH, which is close to 7.0, when natural pH of our skin is slightly acidic and varies between 5.0 and 6.0. Hence, washing your face even with plain warm water, guarantees to throw off your pH balance, and cause all kinds of discomforts. After applying pH balanced botanical toners you will not only return your skin to its natural state but you will also get more out of your moisturizer! Why? In order for the moisturizer to deliver all of its benefits, your skin has to be prepared to properly absorb them. By removing the leftover residue from a cleanser you are allowing your skin to take-in all of the natural goodness of your moisturizer. Additional botanical ingredients will provide extra shot of natural vitamins and antioxidants that are irreplaceable components in any healthy cell function.
Marmalade Hills Facial Fusions have been especially formulated to be gentle on delicate facial tissue and with pH balance of about 5.0 to help restore natural pH balance of your skin. Base ingredients of our toners: gentle and nourishing botanical distillates, distilled water, natural astringent - witch hazel and healing aloe juice.
Botanical distillates are usually obtained by steam distillation from aromatic plants. During such distillation essential oils will float on top of the surface, leaving behind the watery distillate. Botanical distillates contain diluted essential oils and many of their therapeutic qualities, making them especially skin friendly. Another important ingredient that is used in every Marmalade Hills toner is Green Tea Extract. We love using Green Tee Extract in our formulations as it naturally contains the chemical ECGC - an antioxidant proven 200 times more powerful than Vitamin E. Antioxidants are extremely important in any anti-aging and healthy skin care, as they are capable of inhibiting oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation produces free radicals - micro elements that contribute to cell destruction and therefore aging of the skin, as well as abnormal mutations, therefore creating favorable environment for deceases to form and overtake our bodies.
After the water/witch hazel/aloe/green tea base is created we customize our toners according to skin types, by adding different plant distillates and infusing them with extensive variety of botanical extracts of Rosemary, Lavender, Rose, Nettle and Ginko biloba extract, just to name a few. In the end we create 100% natural, gentle, nourishing and soothing botanical toners that work in unison with your body and help to maintain not only healthy glow on the surface but also in deepest layers of your skin!

Hope you find this post useful. Take care of your skin and it will thank you!

Till next time,
Liana.

4th of July

Today is the first real Monday after a relaxing couples of weeks.... Relaxation, actually, occurred only on the weekend of 4th of July, other 12 days we were fighting all kinds of summer bugs like herpangina - in my 2.5 year old, and tonsillitis - in my 7 year old. Phewwww, I’m glad it is finally over... I hope. I am way behind on my schedule and will need to step up our Holiday production. Such is life, no complains here.
Anyways, back to the post... I just wanted to share with you some of the beautiful pictures we took during our trip to Michigan’s west coast. We started going to the Grand Haven area a few years ago: conveniently located on beautiful, sandy beaches of Lake Michigan, this gem is only 3 hours away, which is a BIG plus when you travel with small children. We fell in love with it the minute we stepped on the beach. I never knew that lakes could have white sandy beaches! Lake Michigan has many beaches. The region is often referred to as the "Third Coast" of the United States, after those of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The sand is soft and off-white due to its high quartz content.
We have spent most of our time on the beach and browsing downtown Grand Haven. At night we set in our beach chairs and watched musical fountain and fireworks. Kids were ecstatic! As always, we had an amazing time as a family, surrounded by beautiful nature.

Hope your 4th of July break was great. Till next time,
Liana.

Recent update: little did I know, three days after our short vacation was over, my little guys picked up tonsillitis from his older sister. He was miserable for another 5 days. Crazy times!

Skin Care Essentials - Exfoliate

As part of our “essential skin care steps” blog series here comes today’s post about second important step on your way to a beautiful and healthy complexion. You can read about first step here.
Exfoliation - a simple and effective beauty treatment which artificially encourages the gentle removal of surface skin cells. Our body sloughs off up to 500,000,000 dead skin cells every day - by actively assisting this process we help cell renewal and regeneration. Exfoliation actually lifts of the top layer of dead skin cells, dirt and sebum, revealing new layer of young looking skin beneath. This stimulates the blood circulation in the dermis, which in turn feeds the newborn skin cells more efficiently and rids the area of waste products. As the skin ages, the production of of new cells slows down, often leading to dull skin tone and uneven texture.
Exfoliation can also assist with some other common problems like flaky or ashy skin or enlarged facial pores. Dermatologist Susan Evans, MD, recommends exfoliation to help fight enlarged facial pores. “Pores appear enlarged when they are clogged, dilated, or infected, and that's why the best way to keep your pores small and less visible is to keep your skin clean all the time. Often the pores get clogged with dead skin cells, dirt, and oil, which makes them appear more prominent. That’s why regular skin exfoliation is essential, in order to remove the dead skin cells and to allow your skin to produce newer, healthier cells”. (WebMD article)
There are many great natural exfoliants that can be found on the natural market today. Most popular of them are sugar and salt. We create our emulsifying body polishes with pure cane sugar and Dead Sea and Epsom salts, with addition of extra conditioning butters and oils. Our double whipped body polishes/scrubs are not messy and not runny - they are always ready whenever you are.
It is recommended to exfoliate at least once a week and even more frequently during summer, to shed off extra dirt that we accumulate from spending more time outside, and to rid of sun-damaged cells. Quick tip: depending on the personal preferences body polishes can be applied on dry skin to achieve more friction and exfoliation, or lightly damp skin, to insure easy glide for sensitive skin.
Note: salt body polishes may sting sensitive skin as well as cuts and bruises.

For facial exfoliation, we recommend using Marmalade Hills clay masques, as clays provide gentle exfoliation and deep cleansing without applying any pressure.


Hope you find this post useful. Take care of your skin and it will thank you!

Till next time,
Liana.

"Love u more" Mondays.

NOTE: all Facebook giveaways have been postponed until further notice.

Love it or hate it, the Monday is here! Life is back to normal and we all have have 5 days of hard work ahead of us before we can come out and play or just regroup and concentrate on things that have been put off for far too long. So I decided to create a fun and very unselfish tradition to cheer up a special person in your life who, in your opinion, needs and deserves a “little break” or a “treat”. It will be called “Love u more” Mondays and it will be held every Monday. The process is extremely simple: first “Like” us on Facebook and than look for a post every Monday asking for a quick story about your friend who in your opinion deserves a little cheer. Leave your comment under the post by 11:59 pm EST on that same Monday and let me know which one of your friends and why he/she needs our pat on a shoulder and a virtual hug.
I will use www.Random.org to pick a winner. Winner picks the prize from our store and he/she will be contacted via Facebook messaging for shipping and special note information. The package will be carefully prepared, include a note … and maybe a little something unexpected :)

Lets make it fun and invite friends to participate! Remember, what goes around comes around!

Till next time,
Liana.

Carry on with a smile.

I took this picture yesterday night when the house was quiet and calm, during those precious two hours when kids go to bed and all noises subside. Just like any other busy family houses, most of the time our house is filled with toys, all kinds of school projects, dirty dishes, loads of laundry and kids laughing, fighting, crying or playing in the background. You wake up in the morning and it starts all over again. Sounds familiar? I bet it does! Today is a start of a new week, new round of chores and endless projects, so I want to pass around a few thoughts to keep in mind: #1 – Optimists get the last laugh, according to a new study that shows their hearts stay healthy longer than those of grumps. The recent study says, pessimistic people may be more prone to developing habits and problems that cut life short, such as smoking, obesity and hypertension.
#2 – Numerous studies over the decades have shown that responsibility strengthens the immune system (check out Chapter 10, Stress, in Matt Ridley's "Genome")

Wake up, smile and say "Hello" to Monday :)

Can you hear wedding bells?

Wedding is one of the most important moments in persons' life: memorable, beautiful and happy. It is a very special day that you share with very special people in your life and thoughtful token of appreciation to your guests is always a great idea to have. Allow us to introduce Marmalade Hills' most popular wedding favor item: massage/spa candle. Elegant, pampering and practical, it is a perfect gift for anyone with skin. Made with soy wax, creamy shea and mango butter, nourishing jojoba oil and extra vitamin E, to moisturize and provide extra slip during massage. Like how it sounds? Just wait till you try it!

Show feedback

Yesterday I was at one of the most exciting shows I have ever been to so far. It is an annual Boutique Show that has been organized and hosted by the sisterhood of Shaarey Zedek congregation in Southfield, MI. It is definitely a five star show on my list, right after the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago. Two shows are very different though and required different amount of time and money to participate. Renegade Chicago was absolutely crazy, we had barely enough time to have a snack. We had an amazing crowd and a ton of sales but we had to pay for the hotel, the quite expensive booth fee, gas and had to pack and unpack every night and morning (this part was pretty exhausting). The Boutique Show at Shaarey Zedek was in a beautifully set up hall with lots of natural light, beautiful architecture, high quality vendors, and a celebrity speaker. The very fair booth fee included 8’ tables and linens, breakfast and yummy lunch. The fact that I didn’t have to drive far, nor pay for the hotel was another great bonus. But the best thing about this show was making great local connections: meeting people who teach at my school district, who shop at the same grocery stores, and who have already heard of us and had purchased Marmalade Hills products before from our local retail locations. Oh yeah, and listening to Patty Stanger speak was a blast - she cracked me up!
Here are a few highlights of that day:

It was a beautiful day outside and lots of women came to shop! The sea of cars was spilling over onto the neighboring streets.

Bottom line: I had great time, met new people and spread the word about Marmalade Hills. Hoping to be back next year!


Till next time,
Liana.

What is your favorite facial moisturizer and why do you love it?

I have always wanted to formulate a natural facial care line and even though MH already offers many wonderful skin care essentials, I am working on some new formulations for facial moisturizer, gentle wash, make up remover and an eye creme. I love playing with new ingredients, researching various studies and tweaking my formulas. However, I am a wrong person when it comes to moisturizers. I have been using MH Glow facial serum for a few years now and I am not used to anything else, especially oil-water emulsions (that's what creams and lotions are), they just have a different feel.
For the past few weeks I have made quite a few trial batches of facial products and tried multiple products from leading natural facial care brands. So far I didn't like any of the above. I am still looking for that perfect one. So I was hoping that maybe you can give me some clues.

Please got to our discussion board and lets solve this important world problem!

Leave a comment and I will send you a surprise gift ♥ :)

Liana.