"I have never experienced anything as soothing and exquisite as Susan Kushnatsian's Spa Night."
It was like a treasure hunt. I was told to go to a private home in Porter Ranch for a private "spa night" given as a gift to several women from a true angel, Susan Kushnatsian. Susan is a wonder woman. Not only does she make all her own anti-aging products with all-organic ingredients, but she home-schools her teenage children! Her sweet, stunning daughter helped out too.
That night, I had no idea what was going to happen, but when I entered the candle-lit house, I was given a robe and slippers and immediately transported or "beamed up" into a stress-free zone. The scent of lavender and roses permeated the air. Several women quietly joined me. Incredible women: Gail Lara, visionary creator and founder of Made in the Valley.net (pictured at left between her two daughters); Sony Trieu, the famous, heavenly Yoga teacher and Thai massage expert who donated her time to give each of us a luxurious leg and foot rub with the most magical product on the planet, the Miel Body Veil. The other incredible women who were there included Trish Steele, founder ofSafePassageHome.org — a non-profit that helps battered and abused women. Kristina Loken was there too. She is the beautiful star ofTerminator 3: Rises of the Machines.
I have never experienced anything as soothing and exquisite as Susan Kushnatsian's "Spa Night." The aroma of her body butters — Mango Tango, Rose Shea, Whipped Creme — and her most amazing product "Miel Body Veil" (made with rich, pristine organic honey, olive oil, essential oils, coconut oil) will sweep you away and eliminate your stress. Her staff massaged Miel Face Veil and Body Veil into the skin of my face, legs, feet, hands — and my skin never felt so soft after the treatment. It is still glowing.
There was a hot salt-water jacuzzi and swimming pool, and a table of delicious food: blueberries in papaya; lemon and cucumber water, red wine, cookies, cheese lasagna, herb salad, cake, pastries, chocolates, strawberries.
Exceptional Women * Exceptional Products * Exceptional Charities
http://www.madeinthevalley.net/Susan Kushnatsian - Bee Gorgeous Organics
Skin is the body’s hardest working organ. It holds us together, protects us from viruses, heat and cold – but while you’re conscious of what you put inside your body, do you ever think about what you’re feeding your skin?
Creator and founder of Bee Gorgeous, Susan Kushnatsian believes that all of us should readily know the answer to that question. Organic and green living is not just a lifestyle choice, but the only way of life for her and her family.
For over a decade, Susan has dedicated her time and efforts to creating a healthy and allergen-free environment for her household. Drawing from her extensive experience as a child care service provider for the past ten years, nurturing children with wholesome organic foods, coupled with her love of creating natural products, Susan has developed a private skincare line designed to meet the needs of many different skin types.
Using only reputable certified organic ingredients, Bee Gorgeous brings you quality skincare free of chemicals, in its purest form. The Bee Gorgeous skincare range includes customized facial products, body masks, lip balms, lotion bars, bath tea sachets and dream pillows. At Bee Gorgeous we provide all the tools for you to...
Bee Well, Bee Loved, Bee Gorgeous
For a complete listing of all Bee Gorgeous products and information, please visit www.samfoorganics.com
Did you know honey cleans and heals wounds, is an antibiotic, a curative for all sorts of ills from sore throat to insomnia to lethargy — and was used in World War I as the best wound healer? Doctors used honey mixed with cod liver oil to mend wounds and smooth scars.
WOMEN HAVE IT MADE….IN THE VALLEY
GRANADA HILLS, CA (August 2009) – Look at the labels on your clothes or home goods and the chances are you’ll find the words ‘Made in China’. But now, a group of San Fernando Valley based entrepreneurs are creating products which will carry the label ‘Made in the Valley’.
‘Made in the Valley, the Valley Girls Grew Up’ is an alliance of women business owners who specialize in unique hand crafted goods and a return to creative gift giving. Customers will find custom made jewelry, organic skincare, tea, chocolates and a fragrance designed exclusively for Made in the Valley shoppers. And while buying a gift, shoppers will also be helping local charities too, at a time when charitable giving is down.
Founder, Gail Lara developed ‘Made in the Valley’ after years as a sales and purchasing manager for major retailers in Hawaii. After hitting the glass ceiling, Lara says she recognized the need for a woman centered business model; “Women are often their own obstacle to success. So Made in the Valley does three things. It CARES for entrepreneurs through monthly mentoring meetings. We SHARE information on San Fernando Valley based businesses to encourage consumers to buy locally. And every month Made in the Valley will GIVE ten per cent of sales from the catalog and website to selected charities.”
The Valley Food Bank in Pacoima is just one of the local organizations that will benefit from Made in the Valley’s charitable giving initiative. Director, William Hernandez says he’s looking forward to the partnership; “Meeting the women of Made in the Valley, I was fascinated to see the amount of networking and encouragement that takes place. It’s great that these business owners look beyond their own bottom line and remember the needs of charities, especially now.”
Made in the Valley is encouraging customers to ‘Buy Local, Be Local’ in an effort to stimulate the local San Fernando Valley economy during the credit crisis.
Founder, Gail Lara says it’s time for all of us to do what we can to ease the San Fernando Valley’s financial woes; “Buying locally helps local businesses to thrive, improves the lives of the families of local entrepreneurs and ultimately builds a stronger community.“
Made in the Valley has also teamed up with Safe Passage Home, a charity founded by Trish Steele, which assists women who have been victims of domestic violence. Through an eight week entrepreneurial training program in conjunction with the Valley Economic Development Center in Van Nuys, women from Safe Passage will be shown how to build a business from scratch – from business plans and licensing to marketing and branding.
To find out more about joining Made in the Valley or to order gifts, go to
For interview requests, pictures, audio and video footage, contact Joanne Griffith at Jane Hannah Media – joanne@janehannahmedia.com or call 1 818 287 1092
ABOUT MADE IN THE VALLEY FOUNDER, GAIL LARA
Founder, Gail Lara was born in Lompoc, California and raised in the San Fernando Valley. Yes, she’s a Valley Girl. Gail moved to Hawaii to study, and spent more than twenty three years working in the retail industry, as a buyer and sales and purchasing manager for Liberty House, the island’s major retailer. In 1998, she became head of procurement for Pacific Century Financial before being headhunted to launch the logo marketing division for Hopaco (Boise Cascade). Gail set out to provide services to the top ten businesses in Hawaii and secured contracts with six in the first year. Returning to her Valley roots in 2001, Gail worked alongside another entrepreneurial woman starting her own jazz entertainment business, In-House Music, which gave her a further appreciation of what women go through when striking out on their own. But when the commute became too much, Gail started her own wholesale and retail business in 2004, Lara Unlimited LLC, which specialized in aloha merchandise from Hawaii. The planning stages of Made in the Valley began in September 2008 and it formally launched in July 2009. Gail was recently nominated for a San Fernando Valley Business Journal Women in Business Award.
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BEE GORGEOUS Lotion Bars. These are so yummy. You can have them made in your favorite fragrance of essential oils: lavender, rose, vanilla, etc. They contain honey, shea butter, coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil too. And they are all-natural so your body doesn't become hyper-frenetic and full of chemicals, parabens that are doing damage to our hormones and nerve endings. What you put on your skin is absorbed directly into your body just as food is.
Women's businesses of "Made in the Valley" contribute 10% of every sale to these charities:
The Valley Food Bank, Rescue Mission; Children Today; Tree People; Arts in Education Aid Council; RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network; Pet Orphans; Safe Passage Home, a Non-Profit 501(C)3 Corporation to shelter, educate, equip and direct women and their children to safety and survival of domestic violence. For more information please log on to www.safepassagehome.org; and Circle of Hope www.CircleofHopeInc.org financially and emotionally assist underinsured and underinsured individuals with Breast Cancer; and many more charities.
This is the new small business model for today: helping others, helping women and giving back to the community by providing healthy products with integrity.
This photo is of me was taken less than a month ago, on August 23, 2009, at Trish's wedding at the Bel Air Bay Club in Malibu. This was taken on Sunday, one day after the Bee Gorgeous Spa Night. My skin never looked better or felt more silky. I love Susan Kushnatsian and Bee Gorgeous Organics SamFooOrganics.com
and Gail Lara of Made in the Valley.net
