Small Business Spotlight: FoxyMango

Small Business Spotlight: 

Hello Readers and welcome to another Small Business Spotlight, today we are spending some time with Cheryl!  Her online store is growing and is now offering a lot of things that I think we will enjoy....

Hello Cheryl and thank you for sitting with us to talk about your new and improve online store.  It has been a while since we had our one on one interview when you first opened the store.  (to read Cheryl's first Spotlight you can click here: Small Business Spotlight: Strands & Company) Now, What can you tell us about it, why the changes?

Hi Elena! We’re very excited about the new shop site. Our shop has been open since May 2013 and near the end of the year, we had several months under our belt to see what shop areas our guests were most interested in, what areas were hard to navigate, etc. We redesigned the site in December to re-categorize our products for easier shopping and to better showcase new products and hot movers that sell out fast. We also have a new section “About Our Brands” which tells our guests a bit about the brands on our site and their story. We support a number of small brands that may be relatively unknown and I think it’s nice for guests to know who/where the products are coming from and that there are some really wonderful makers behind these brands, who are truly interested in providing healthy and safe-ingredient products to the public.

Somethings have not changed, like your fast and low $3.99 flat rate shipping, your offer of free shipping for all orders over $49.00 and my favorite.. "Free Samples".  We all have to admit we do love to get some free samples!

   

When we started the shop, our goal was to provide natural, organic, and safe-ingredient products that were affordable (everything in the shop is under $35) and accessible. That included offering a low, flat shipping rate so there was no guessing what the shipping rate would be and no surprise costs in your cart when you go to check out. And it included offering free samples – where you don’t have to buy anything else to get samples – because we wanted guests to be able to try items before they commit to a full-size purchase. While we don’t have samples for every item, we have a selection of about 40 samples that will let guests experience many of the quality brands we offer.

The one thing we couldn't help noticing is the new "Foxy Reward Program" you are now offering, can you tell us what the program is all about?  (i.e. how to enroll, how to accrue points and what can we do with points accrued); 

The Foxy Rewards program is a great way for our guests to accumulate points towards free products! It is easy to participate – a FoxyMango shopper simply has to have an account with us and they are automatically enrolled. Guests can get an account by signing up on our website or signing up when they place an order. Guests earn 10 points for every dollar they spend and there is also the opportunity to earn more points if they refer a friend to our shop and their friend places an order. Currently, we have four products that guests can get for free by redeeming their earned points – Nourish Organic Wild Berries Lotion, Brown Butter Beauty Facial Mask, Shea Terra Organics Hair Masque, and S.W. Basics Body Scrub. When a guest is ready to redeem points, they simply go into their Rewards account area and select the reward they would like. Our system will send a coupon code that can then be used in our shopping cart to get the desired item for free.

You have added some great products to your already amazing store, let's talk about the "Au Naturale Cosmetics" you have now available and what made you add them to your store?

Over the months, we’ve had requests for natural make-up and so I’ve been keeping my eye out for a brand that we could bring in to start off our make-up collection. During my research for brands, I came across Au Naturale Cosmetics and I also saw them featured on Organic Beauty Talk. I liked their story, their philanthropic giving (they support an educational program in Zambia with a percentage of their sales), the positive reviews about the products, the product price-point is affordable and on par with other natural make-up brands, and they offer a range of color selections for foundation. While we don’t carry their full line yet, I wanted to be sure to partner with a brand that offers a range of shades for women of color because that can be difficult to find in current natural make-up brands.

I understand make-up can be hard to purchase online and no matter how many swatches are out there, everyone’s skin tone is different so it’s a bit of trial and (hopefully not too much) error. We’ll see how the make-up does in our shop and grow the selection as our guests want to see more options.

Besides adding cosmetics to your store, what other new items is your store now offering? 

We have a new deodorant brand, Schmidt’s, which we’re really excited about. My husband and I have put this deodorant to the test and it really works great for us! Keeps us dry and smell-free all day and we find it performs just as well as any conventional deodorant – all without the harmful aluminum.

We also have a new Juniper scent of spray deodorant from Blissoma – another brand we like using.

Additionally, we have new items that expand our offering from two of our popular brands, Orange Thyme and Soultanicals. 

Now, I will take the moment to say that I've experienced the Soultanicals For Goodness Aches Bath Salts (Soultanicals Bath Salts) and I have no words to express how good my body felt after that bath!

We have new soap and perfume oil scents from Orange Thyme, and we have new hair care items on the way from Soultanicals (should be in stock the week of 2/3 at the latest).

For the future, we are researching more natural hair care brands – including brands from the UK, we will continue to expand our Soultanicals collection, and we’re researching nail polish to add to our cosmetics.

Overall, we continue to try our best to bring safe-ingredient beauty options to our guests. Sometimes people are curious why we don’t carry some popular natural brands – particularly in hair care. We’re not product ingredient experts and we’re always learning and researching but we have a philosophy of caution. We check ingredients against a variety of databases including referring to European standards which are much more strict and cautionary than in the U.S. While our high standards may limit the selection of brands we can offer, we feel great about the brands we support and we know we didn’t compromise our mission of offering safe, effective, affordable beauty options.

Wow!!  Cheryl's online store has a lot to offer and one of the many reasons we love her is because she offers the best natural products.  

Foxy Mango has a sale going on:  Foxy Mango's Valentine Day Sale- now through February 7th! Makes sure yourself or someone close to you....

To be part of our Small Business Spotlight, please contact us at caramelcurlznswirls@yahoo.com

A Santa for Everyone

Hello dear readers... I know all of you are used to reading my wife's post about hair and this is the first time I contribute to her precious baby and feel honored that she'd asked me to this.  

Christmas is very important to us, especially to my wife.  My wife never celebrated Christmas as a child.  Well, let me rephrase that, her mother did what she thought was right and celebrated Christmas the only way she could due to her lack of funds and stability. 

My wife was told at a very young age that Santa Claus was not real, just like the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.   She was further told that her cousins were receiving gifts, but the person bringing gifts at night was in fact their father, (Elena's uncle).  I'm sure that her mother found it imperative to made this revelation to the children because she had no resources to buy Christmas gifts for them.  

Seeing my wife celebrate Christmas for the last seven years, it has made me realize she is trying her best to give our children the best childhood memories she can which is something she was unable to experience as a child.   

Like any married couple, we discuss everything that involves our children. We came to a decision and put it into to play.  What I admire most about her is her determination to keep my family's traditions alive as well as start our own so that our children may share them with their children one day.

Some have asked- Why do you have a Black Santa?  

The decision to write about this came before Megyn Kelly, a Fox News host stated during her show that "Santa is White".  You can read about it here: Fox News host Megyn Kelly "Santa is white’ comments, calls critics ‘humorless"

This is my memory of days before Christmas.  When I was a child I could not wait for Thanksgiving Dinner to be over with.  Mainly because I knew the very next day it was time to put up our Christmas decorations. 

Every year my father and I would hang a big picture of Santa Claus over our front door.  I am sure some of you will remember and relate to that very notion.  There was a particular year when my father placed a new picture covering the door, well, at least I thought it was new, I didn't say much at that time other than to state the obvious, "that's not Santa Claus!, Santa Claus is white".

As any inquisitive child, I looked closely to the picture and realized it was the very same cover we had used on past years, the difference was, someone had "colored" Santa's face a nice rich coffee brown. 

My father didn't give a long explanation, in fact, he didn't respond to my statement at all. He just granted me a quick glance and continue to decorate.  I was about six or seven years old at that time, and yes, my Wife will probably tell you that is the time when Moses parted the red sea, but don't let her fool you. I can assure you I'm not that old.

Either way, that was quiet some time ago but I can recall this conversation very well.  After my father, sisters and I finished decorating our Christmas tree, it was time for a well deserved cup of hot chocolate.  As we sat drinking our chocolate and watching TV, our parents decided to joined us.  After the TV show ended, my dad asked me, "Bill, tell me what do you think of the black Santa on the door?" I responded: "It's kind of funny because everyone knows Santa is white", my dad continued by asking "Oh, really, is that what you think?"

My father was not upset by any means. He continued to tell me that he had spoken and seen Santa and that he was in fact "black".  He then proceeded to ask, "Bill have you ever seen any white man bring presents over to our house, ever? The only persons you see here are black right?" 

I had to agree to that, during Easters, Birthdays or during any other holidays, the only people that brought us any type of goodies were black.  My father was never mean, that was never his style.  What he did explained to me was that Santa Claus takes on the color of the people he is delivering presents to. (i.e. Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, etc.)  Well, that kind of made perfect sense to me.

For the next few years after we would put out our Santa Clauses that had been "painted" black.  But one year, my father came home with a new box, it had a new Santa in it, and when we opened the box, I could only smile!! The new Santa Claus was black!, not painted by my parents but one that was created to be black and sold at stores! My first thought was "how cool is that!!"  

Now, as a father it is important that my children know that although white Santa Claus is highly advertised. Santa Claus comes in every color, it just depends on who he is delivering presents to.

In our house, I am black, my wife is Hispanic and our children know they are the perfect mix.  They are perfect because they are a combination of mommy and daddy, and they have the best of our two worlds.  A combination of our hair down to every feature on their face. 

As my father instilled in me, just because a black Santa Claus is not highly advertised and not often seen, it doesn’t mean he does not exist.   Our children get to see that fat jolly guy who brings toys to all the good boys and girls as someone who looks like him.   Though my son may not know this now, but one day he will help the jolly fat black guy deliver toys to his very own children.

I believe that having something or someone good that the looks like the children makes it easier for them to relate to and bring a sense of pride and gives them a positive self image of themselves and people who look like them.  After all, different races make up this wonderful world that we live in. 

So, to all, have a Merry Christmas and to all a good night!

CONTEST WINNER

Good Morning everyone... 

Here is the winner of our:

Thank you for those who participated and for sharing the things you are most thankful for.  

Now, drum roll please... 

MONICA GONZALES!!!! 

* CONGRATULATIONS *

Thank you for your entry and for sharing the things you are most thankful for.  

To see Monica's entry and all of the entries, you can click on:

 "Things-im-most-thankful-for-contest".  

To claim your $50.00 prize, please inbox me your paypal address ! 

Black Friday Sales!!

Hello Ladies: 

It is that time of the year already..... BLACK FRIDAY SALES!! 

And let's be honest, who doesn't like a good sale?  Well, here they are... the sales you were waiting for: 

Beemineproducts.com

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Foxymango.com

 

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Babybighair.com

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Mixedchicks.net

PER MIXEDCHICKS' FB ANNOUNCEMENT:  

"BLACK FRIDAY SALE! On Friday, November 29th, the entire site is 20% off! That means you can stock up on all of your faves from the Adult, Kids and Men's haircare lines including our best-selling Leave-In Conditioner, Deep Conditioner and our newest addition Spring Hair Bands! 

In order to enjoy our 1-day Black Friday sale - you must enter the promo code: BlackFriday before you checkout. This sale is only available on our website MixedChicks.net and will only be offered for 1 DAY - November 29th 2013! "

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Blendedbeauty.com

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Honeycurls.com

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Curlformers.com

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Carolsdaughter.com

                         

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Shop the Annual Friends & Family Event. 
Enjoy up to 25% off your order. Now through 
December 3, 2013 at 11:59PM PST

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3sistersofnature.com

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https://www.facebook.com/SouthernHissyFits

 These are regularly priced at $36, on SALE for $18 plus monogram! 

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"Things I'm Most Thankful For Contest"

There are so many things to be thankful for during Thanksgiving Day. 

 

I decided to do this contest because one of the things I’m most thankful for is for the support and loyalty of all my readers.  This is us, Caramel Curlz & Swirls, saying “thank you” for following our social pages and blog.  Also, I wanted to do this contest because sometimes in the mist of the everyday hardships, we forget to be thankful for the little things we take for granted.  The main purpose of this contest is for us to think about all the challenges and all the accomplishments we have acquired during the past year.  To be able to acknowledge every single blessing regardless as to how small and to be truly grateful. 

What I’m most thankful for?  How hard is it to pick just one thing?

I’m Thankful for my children:  I am thankful for having happy and healthy kids; although my son has had many accidents and ER visits during his first years of life, and Ms. Bree had hearing problems, speech problems, pneumonia and she was hospitalized for a week followed by surgery. 

I’m Thankful for my marriage: I am thankful for having a husband who pushes enough because he knows that is exactly what I need in order to succeed; I am thankful for a marriage that with time has  become stronger and continues to get stronger every day;

I’m Thankful for my job: I am thankful for a job that allows me to be there for my children when needed, and for a boss that understands that family always comes first.

I’m thankful for our financial stability: I am thankful for the income my husband and I make, which allows us to provide shelter for our family, food for their tummies and family activities which is a lot more than I had growing up.

I’m thankful for all the love and support: I am thankful for the unconditional love and support I receive from my husband’s family. 

I’m grateful for every single one of you who follow us every day, share pictures, tips and advice.

I am thankful that my mother is alive, although she is not part of my family and has continue to refuse been part of it, nevertheless, I am thankful for the choice I made when marrying my husband all those years ago which led us to have this beautiful family together.  I may not have my mother to share all my blessings with, but I am thankful for every person in my life who love me and comfort me when I need to be comforted. 

   

Remember, for a chance to win $50.00 (via Paypal), all you have to do is submit your family photo (it does not have to be a professional photo) and describe the things you are most thankful for!  The contest will close Thanksgiving Day and the random winner will be chosen and announced the day after Thanksgiving.

Here are some of the entries: 

I am thankful for my family, for the love my man has not only for me but for our daughter. I'm thankful to God for allowing us to wake up every morning and live our lives the way He would like us to live. I don't know how my life would have been if I didn't have my daughter or hadn't met my boyfriend over 7 years ago. But I'm so so thankful that I did and I wouldn't change it for the world. I am also thankful that we were finally able to get our own place midway through this year, so that we could finally be a family together and live our lives together. 

Mia, Barron and Zaleea 

What I'm most thankful for?

 I was given the most precious gift! The life a wonderful boy born with a brain bleed, clubbed feet and severe sleep apnea yet you'd never ever be able to tell there's anything wrong with him. He's been trough so much, with a series of casting to correct his clubbed feet and surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids in hopes to help him sleep better and get rid of sleep apnea but it didn't work it's still severe. He currently has 3-5 appointments a week for speech, physical and horse therapy weekly and regular feet and well baby check ups. I'm thankful for the patience, ambition and courage God has given me to be able to handle all we have too. It's not hard dealing with it all as a single mom but my parents and the rest of my family are amazing and are always there for us!!

Monica Gonzales and son.

I'm so thankful for the people in this picture that God has richly blessed my life with. Coming from a broken home myself, and never seeing any woman in my family have a successful marriage or relationship. I grew up thinking people never stayed, and that they always leave. Until I met met my husband and got to spend time with his family. Just seeing how his father adored his mother, and showed open affection baffled me. My husband told me as a teenager when we would spend time at each others houses that I was it for him! That he wanted to marry me and it would be for life! He proved himself then, and still to this day he is treating me like the queen he calls me:) Our sons have even caught on and started calling me that also. So thankful that our sons will grow up under this example.

Korrie Kelly & Family