Supernatural Botanicals

Soapbox Cincinnati is an online magazine that I read regularly, so I was pleased as punch when they decided to feature Supernatural Botanicals as a Featured Growth Company.  A huge THANK YOU to the folks over at Soapbox Cincinnati and especially to Alyce Vilines for writing such a great article. 

The following is from the SoapboxMedia website. 

A self-proclaimed “girly-girl,” Supernatural Botanicals CEO Robin Feltner makes no apologies. If anything, she considers her feminine nature at the very center of her company’s success. In early 2008, after a lifetime of creating her own personal skincare products at home, and gifting family and friends with the same, Feltner launched Supernatural Botanicals, an eco-chic bath and body company, located in Delhi.

A combination of her passion for beauty products and her disillusionment with what was available on the market (“I didn’t want to smell like bubblegum,” she said) prompted Feltner to begin mixing her own formulas. A former pharmacy major at the University of Cincinnati, Feltner has a healthy knowledge of what is beneficial, as well as what is potentially harmful, to the skin.

“Ninety-five percent of what we put on our skin is absorbed by the body,” said Feltner, who sees no reason to use unnecessary chemicals and preservatives “with the array of organic ingredients available to us in nature.”

Feltner relies on centuries-old recipes to create her products, using pure essential oils, vitamins, high-quality beeswaxes, botanical extracts, and pure cocoa butters to produce her extensive skincare line and prides herself on adhering to green practices and principles in their manufacture.

Feltner also speaks passionately about her target market. Though the Supernatural Botanicals line has shown universal appeal, Feltner defines her targeted customer as the 25-and-older “grown, sexy woman.”

Offering a wide selection of organic body lotions, spa soaps, linen sprays, a botanical skincare system and more, the Supernatural Botanicals company has garnered popular national attention in its two short years in business. The company was recently contacted by “Everyday with Rachael Ray” magazine for a feature in an upcoming issue because of the many favorable web posts they’ve received about Supernatural Botanicals.  Consumer demand in their east-coast-to-west coast distribution has spawned the development of a soon-to-be-released hair-care line, as well as a line of men’s skincare formulas.

With business booming, the company is also quickly outgrowing its home base and they are already anticipating the need for additional employees to deal with the busy holiday season ahead.

Those are impressive problems to have for a company born in the midst of a recession. Feltner sees the economic climate as a blessing. “I wasn’t looking for instant success. In this economy, I have had to work for it and I feel a great deal of pride in that.”  It seems beauty, after all, is more than skin deep.

Writer: Alyce Vilines
Source: Supernatural Botanicals CEO Robin Feltner

Once you’ve had homemade salsa, you’ll never go back to vinegar-tinged jarred salsa again.  This salsa recipe mimics that of Mexican restaurants in that it’s made with fresh ingredients and, of course, made without vinegar.  It’s super impressive to whip up some salsa on the fly for when friends or family stops by.  I make mine in a food processor, but you can also use a blender.  Tweak it to your liking, add more peppers.  This recipe makes a medium-hot salsa. 

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Ingredients: 

Huge handful of fresh cilantro.

1 clove of garlic.

3 small jalapenos. 

1 small onion. 

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Ingredients: 

2 14 oz cans of whole tomatoes.

2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles.

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Dice onion

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Slice jalapenos long ways

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Then dice jalapenos, seeds and all to give it a nice kick

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Dice 1 clove of garlic

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Combine canned tomatoes, onion, jalapenos and garlic in the food processor. 

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Add a teaspoon (or so) of sugar

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Add a teaspoon of ground cumin to give it a good “Mexican” flavor.  Then pulse the food processor about 4-6 times, depending on how chunky you like it.  Keep pulsing if you like your salsa a thinner consistency. 

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Here’s where it all comes together.  Cilantro.  Use a lot of it.  It gives it a good garden taste.  I use a huge handful, and then pulse for 4 more pulses. 

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And there you have homemade salsa.  I blend mine to a medium consistency.  Serve with chips, with tacos, steaks, etc.  Great to have in the fridge all week long to accompany your dinners, and exceptionally good for a low-calorie snack. 

Shop our eco-fabulous bath & body line at Supernatural Botanicals.  Shipping only $2.95 on all orders!

So it’s May here in Cincinnati, otherwise known as zone 6, and everything in my garden and yard is starting to bloom.  It’s such a beautiful time of the year when plants are such a beautiful spring-green.  The rain has been good this season, thus far.  Here’s what’s happening in my yard.  Having luck in your yard this year? 

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Cilantro.  This gorgeous cilantro has taken root and is spreading quickly.  Good thing, because I’ll need at least a cup of this cilantro this evening for a homemade salsa I’m making.  It makes salsa and Pico de Gallo come to life with freshness.

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Parsley.  I haven’t had a chance to plant this outside yet as I’ve only had it a few days, but it looks great sitting in my kitchen windowsill.  I’d let it grow there all season, but I want it to expand.  I’m going to need a lot more than this to make Italian dishes all summer long. 

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Annabelle Hydrangeas.  These will definitely be the sweetheart of my yard when they are in bloom.  They produce enormous white flowers that are between 8-12″ wide!  They also produce lots of flowers.  Perfect if you like having vases of flowers around your house (like I do.)

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Backyard.  The perfect place to be.  I love it here.  I don’t like that all the grass is worn off under the tire swing, but you try keeping 17 neighbor kids out of your yard.  I surrendered.  They have fun, so what’s a little rough spot in your lawn at the end of the day?  There are bigger fish to fry than that.

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Flowering Cherry Blossom Tree.  I planted this about a month ago.  It accepted its chosen location very well, but I am concerned about some of the leaves…note the top right leaf has tiny holes in it, which appears to be from pests.  I will spray it with organic pest killer this weekend. 

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Dwarf Anjou Pear Tree.  Another freshly planted tree, about a month into the ground.  I cannot wait for fresh fruit! 

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Dwarf Granny Smith Apple Tree.   Planted about a month ago, it’s doing a great job of getting rooted in place.  The fruit trees will be treated organically, of course.

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Dwarf Granny Smith Apple Tree.  Up until about four days ago, I thought this tree was dead.  It has been in the ground for over a month without even a sign of life.  Luckily, I waited before I decided to pull it out of the ground.  Four days ago, I noticed these little stubs.  It’s a beautiful thing!

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Inside of composter.  Okay, brace yourself on this one.  This is the inside of my composter.  You’ll find things like a huge tree root system, coffee grounds, celery, salad, leaves, etc.  This will take almost a year to break down and turn into soil.  But think of the organic material I’ll have for next year, and all the garbage I’ll be saving from the landfills. 

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Earth Machine Composter.  This is the what the composter looks like, tucked back into the corner of my yard.  It blends right in behind a pine tree.  Best of all, I’m helping save the Earth.  Love that!

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Bartlett Pear Tree.   It won’t produce fruit this year, but when it does…yum!  Nothing like eating fruit right from the tree when it’s still warm from the sun.

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Rows of  lettuces.  This is new this year, a raised vegetable bed.  These were all planted this past Saturday from seed, and I took these pictures on Thursday evening.  Less than seven days, and they are sprouting already. 

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Raised vegetable bed.  I’m so excited to add this bed to my yard this year.  Because my yard is filled with bunnies and squirrels, growing veggies on the ground in the traditional method is pure hassle.  A raised bed is a great way to keep out pests , to assure your soil is completely organic, and it spares your back when bending over when gardening.  I have rows of designer lettuces, spinach, strawberries, and tomatoes in this bed.

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Stargazer lilies.  These were planted as bulbs, and have been in the ground for about five weeks now.  These will produce sensational Stargazer lilies throughout the summer.  Perfect for cutting and putting in vases around the house.  Gorgeous in bouquets.   Each stem will produce at least a half dozen huge flowers. 

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Rosemary.  Rosemary just screams “put me on some roasted potatoes!”  This herb will spread out and become a wonderful addition to my Mediterranean meals I make this summer.

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Garden Salsa Peppers.  The first peppers are emerging from the baby flower pods.  Last year my garden salsa pepper plant produced tons of peppers.  If they keep on producing abundantly, I have no problems making salsa every weekend!  Bring it!

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Dill.  Okay, so she’s not prettiest girl at the dance.  Dill is not a very attractive herb.  It grows eratically and in awkward shapes.  But, there’s nothing like fresh dill.  It’s superb in dips, in salads, on seafood, and on my infamous cucumber sandwiches.  Delicious when you mix it with lettuces in your salad.

Helen Hunt

Award-winning Actress, Director and Writer

Few actresses have been praised as highly by critics and the public as Helen Hunt. From her earliest work in Community Theater, to Broadway, PrimeTime and Hollywood film roles, she has been continuously recognized for her outstanding performances.  So, what does this award-winning actor, director, writer and mother do for an encore?  Come share her conversation in her SmartTalk exclusive appearance.  Believe us – it’s as good as it gets. 

Tickets are still available for the Cincinnati show on Wednesday, May 26 at the Aronoff.  Click here for more info. 

The phrase, “tough cookie” comes to mind when thinking of Lee Woodruff.  After meeting Lee, there’s no denying her fighter spirit.  Lee Woodruff was in Cincinnati with Smart Talk Connected Conversations to talk about her experiences over the last few years, and needless to say, this girl has had her fair share of hard knocks. 

Lee’s life turned upside down when she received a call in 2006 that her news reporter husband, Bob Woodruff, (the one with the dreamy blue eyes) had been injured while covering the war while in Iraq.  And we’re not just talking “injured”, Bob was thisclose to losing his life. 

While her Bob lay in critical condition for days upon days, months, in fact,  Lee watched in horror as her beautiful husband’s head swelled to the size of a rugby ball.  She had no idea if he’d wake up again.  Even then, she had no idea if he’d remember her or their children after he did wake up.  Fighting back a tsunami of tears and emotion, Lee asked Bob’s doctor “will he still love me when he wakes up?”  His doctor assured her “yes, he will!” 

Through a long and grueling healing process, Bob Woodruff slowly reemerged to nearly 100% of his former glory.  Physically, he looks unscathed.  Bob is back on the news and looks as gorgeous as he once did.  Lee says his only residual issues remain with word-finding abilities (for instance, he referred to a breast augmentation as a breast explosion.) 

To endure what Bob did and to come back so strong was surely a gift from God, one that Lee clearly acknowledges.  Lee’s faith is what helped carry her through.  And really, when things are catastrophically bad, faith is all you have to cling on to.  And cling she did. 

To fully delve into Lee’s horrific turned joyous experiences, you can read her book, Perfectly Imperfect.  Lee is not only an amazing speaker, but she’s also knows her way around the literary world.  She also has an amazingly fun side to her as well.  I promised her I’d include Flannel Nightgown video (see below.)  The flannel nightgown stems from an incident one night when Bob threw her flannel nightgown over the balcony into the street!   In no uncertain terms, Mr. Woodruff let it be known that he’s not on board with the comfy flannel look. 

To read more about Lee, her work and her life’s experiences, visit her website at www.LeeWoodfuff.com 

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niiu4MqDVNQ

Lee Woodruff

Good Morning America Editor and Journalist

How do you survive when life as you know it changes in an instant? Lee Woodruff is singularly equipped to tell you. Author, journalist and contributing editor for Good Morning America, Lee’s life took a dramatic turn when her husband suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq. Suddenly, her field of expertise – home and family – expanded to include brain injury awareness and advocacy for families coping with this affliction. Be dazzled by courage – in an instant! Visit speaker’s site.

Lee will be in Cincinnati on April 29 at the Aronoff with Smart Talk Connected Conversations.  If you’ve never been to a Smart Talk lecture series, it’s a must see.  This is the second to last show of the season (Helen Hunt is next month.)  Smart Talk does a wonderful job in bringing the most spectacular personalities to town so we can get a piece of their story…in real time. 

Tickets are still available at Smart Talk’s website.   Again, time is running out to experience a Connected Conversation in Cincinnati for this season.  You’ll absolutely love it.  Go buy your tickets and I’ll see you there!

Supernatural Botanicals will be providing Swag Bag-spa products for this event.  The first 100 people will receive a swag bag.  It’s a must!  Don’t miss this. 

For the first time in what seems to be an eternity, I have a sunburn.  I never meant for it to happen, but it happened at the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day game I attended on Monday. 

You never really realize how blistering hot the sun is until you are sitting under it for three hours…unable to move from your seat. 

I now remember why I always avoid the sun, or at least use a sunblock.  Not only did the sun burn my skin, but it also parched my skin.  By Monday evening, I could feel my skin was very dry, and it looked aged by 10 years in just a few hours. 

I’ve been using Supernatural Botanicals Grapefruit Body Lotion since Monday, and it’s literally healing my skin with each use.  You can physically see your skin transforming from dry and parched, to soft and moisturized.  In my opinion, and of course I’m a bit biased, it’s truly the best lotion on the market.  It’s better than anything I’ve ever used on my skin.  It truly feels like skin therapy, leaving your skin ultra-soft and smelling amazingly fresh. 

Save your skin.  Start here. 

  I will be the Natural Beauty Expert for Cincinnati at the Examiner!  Please make sure to visit me there and subscribe! 

Go to my Examiner page  now.