Jennifer Shon started making jewelry when her friend took her to a bead store and she became inspired to start creating pieces. After wearing the pieces she had made, her friends and strangers started complimenting her on them and requesting pieces. "I got my collection into a store and the pieces took off and I started to sell out right away, which then I started my website to reach out to more people," says Jennifer.

I draw inspiration from a lot of nature and the beauty of a bead. I create my jewelry to be worn everyday and every occasion. I don't want my customer to only be able to wear a piece once.

Some of my best selling items are the circle eternity necklace and bracelet. I wear mine everyday and it's even durable to shower and sleep in. Also the swarovski necklace which can be doubled or tripled around the neck. It's the perfect necklace for a cocktail dress or to add a little sparkle to a tee and jeans. My favorite experiences with my profession is seeing people on the street wearing my creations. It makes me happy to see someone enjoying my piece and looking great!

My plans for the future are more of the same!  I enjoy to be able to produce affordable pieces that everyone can buy and enjoy for years.

Visit www.jennifershon.com  Los Angeles, California

Special 20% discount for Chic Galleria.com readers.  Just enter coupon code chic2009

"We help take the guesswork out of buying your next beauty products"

With a background is in advertising, where she worked at both Saatchi and Saatchi and Bates Worldwide advertising agencies, specializing in beauty, fashion and luxury goods accounts, Risi-Leanne Baranja began Palacinka Beauty Blog. (PAL-A-CHINK-UH)  I've always been a beauty junkie, so the Palacinka Beauty Blog is a great way to combine my passion with my background and experience!

With Pop culture, technology, fashion, makeup artistry and photography as her inspiration she shares weekend beauty steals, gift guides; and mascara, hair product and foundation reviews.

In the future, Risi-Leanne hopes to be partnering with more digital and traditional companies and continuing to find more fabulous beauty products all around the world for our readers!

Visit www.palacinka.com  New York, New York

With its comprehensive collection of affordable and results-driven teeth whitening systems, Whiter Image has quickly emerged as one of the leaders in the $14 billion dollar teeth whitening industry. Founded in November 2007, the Whiter Image product line has already been selected by over 160 distinguished resorts, salons, spas, and retailers including: Wynn & Encore Las Vegas, Trump Towers Las Vegas, Starwood VO, Treasure Island Las Vegas, The Greenbrier, Boca West Country Club, Planet Beach, and many others. Offering both a chair-side Premium Whitening System for salons and spas along with a Home Edition Kit and a unique TOGO Whitening Pen, Whiter Image's ongoing customer support, advanced formulations, affordability, and safety protocols have allowed the company to exceed all sales expectations and expand internationally.  Founding partner, Christi Wigle shared with me her background and inspiration around Whiter Image.

Christi, can you share a little bit about yourself and how you got started?

My passion for life is to make a difference and share a smile!  I love making people smile and feeling better about themselves.  As a previous Day Spa Owner and Teeth Whitening Center Owner, I was able to provide that every day and I loved it!  I took that passion and expanded my vision to develop new products that can create smiles all over the world.  Learning from my good and bad experiences, I am able to help others reach their goals through their own journey in life.   Along with my two business partners, we focused on our individual expertise to help make Whiter Image what it is today, a leader in this industry.

Where do you draw inspiration for your products and service?

My inspiration is drawn from my desire to create more smiles.  My philosophy is to make unique products that bring a smile from the moment they see our products on the shelf to when  they share the excitement of their results with their friends and family.  I believe we can all make a difference if we raise our level of excellence in all that we do.  For me, creating only the best products helps me achieve part of my destiny in life.  Especially for women, I want every woman to know she is beautiful, whether she is rich or poor.  Feeling beautiful is a state of mind and really doesn't take much.  It's a fact that everyone cannot afford diamonds or high end products that are used by celebrities and other wealthy individuals, as a result, I created Chic-Flic to allow every women to feel like she is worth a million dollars for all her unfailing efforts to keep everything going.  Women wear many hats every day, so this is a way of tipping my hat to her for her faithfulness and diligence in all she does!

Describe your best selling items and favorite experience with your profession?

Our best selling items so far are the TOGO Whitening Pen, but stay tuned for new products that will be introduced in early 2009.  I anticipate our new Chic-Flic TOGO Teeth Whitening Pen to be one of the hottest trendsetters for 2009.  Its unique appeal for avid teeth whiteners is coupled with the love of lip products for ladies everywhere!  I've layered this hot product with all the extras including sparkling crystals, L.E.D. lights, and a mirror to ensure a flawless application.  On the corporate or industry side, we are introducing the most advanced chair-side whitening formulation for the Spa and Salon market.  I believe you will see whiter smiles shining all over because of our new pre-filled mouthpieces.  I'm excited about this new product as it increases the number of smiles that Whiter Image creates!

As far as my favorite experience in this profession, I would have to say seeing countless women in tears as they look at their whiter smile.  Everyday we see customers that have never experienced the freedom of smiling without restraint because they were always embarrassed by their smile.  NOTHING gives you a better feeling than seeing that freedom through their tears of appreciation.  My Mom is one of them.  She was always ashamed of her smile, stained with remnants of tetracycline medication as a child.  After using our chair-side products, my Mom is so proud to show off her new smile.  Her teeth are no longer the dark, unbecoming color.  Her teeth may not be as white as any of her daughters', but that's not apparent by looking at her.  Her name is Joy and there is nothing holding her back from sharing the joy in her heart and appreciation to Whiter Image for giving back her smile.  As co-owner of the company and the daughter of one of my clients, it just doesn't get any more rewarding than this.

What are your plans for the future?

My desire for Whiter Image is to continue to be a prominent leader in the Industry and strive to introduce only the most innovative, advanced products in the teeth whitening industry.  If we create even one smile a day, it will be worth it.  I know we create more than just one new smile a day, and that feeling is indescribable, knowing you are making a difference in the lives of people everywhere.  I absolutely love what I do and will continue my passion for making a difference wherever I go and in whatever I do.

Visit www.whiterimage.com

My favorite fictional character is coming to life February 13th - Rebecca Bloomwood.

Written by Sophie Kinsella, "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is the first book of a hilariously insightful series ("Shopaholic Takes Manhattan," "Shopaholic Gets Married," "Shopaholic and Baby," etc.) featuring the addiction that nearly all women face...times 20. Rebecca is a little Lucille Ball-quirky and Carrie Bradshaw-fabulous, who is terribly financially irresponsible. My favorite detail and realism of the books are that several chapters begin with a letter to Rebecca, from a financial institution that is demanding payments. From credit cards to loans, the debt that this stylista accrues goes far above what any person should loom over his or her head. In turn , you get to learn of her responses to these companies; the greatest excuses I've ever heard from a shopaholic. Played by the cute redhead actress Isla Fisher ("Wedding Crashers"), Rebecca Bloomwood may illustrate just how I imagined her to be. Or, like many books that go big screen, her character will lack the depth that the novel character has.

I'm curious to know if the whole series will wrap up in one movie, or will this be a series too...? I just hope that Kinsella is proud of the final product, and that everyone gains a new perspective on what it means to be a smart shopper. Oh, and did I mention that Rebecca is a financial journalist in New York City? Yes, I love the irony too.

If you need some tips on being a smart shopaholic, please contact Elana Pruitt at elana@talkingchic.com or visit her Good Girl Gone Shopping blog, where you can read additional articles revolved around budgeting thy fashion finances.

Photo Credit: http://www.sophiekinsella.com

Bethany Piermantier, owner of Natural Beauty Jewelry, is fascinated by natural gemstones and pearls and feels they are mysteriously beautiful. She lets the beauty of the materials inspire each design and draws ideas from the latest styles and trends. She likes to incorporate eco-friendly materials such as bamboo, wood and coconut shell into her designs. "I am always designing new items, learning new techniques, and fulfilling special requests from my customers as best I can," says Beth.

I have always been the type of person who likes to keep busy with their hands. From an early age, I embraced any activity that allowed me to be creative and to produce a beautiful end product that I (and others) can appreciate and admire. I think I naturally gravitated towards those that could be worn - jewelry. From there, designing jewelry naturally became a creative outlet that I was drawn to.

I taught myself how to make jewelry about 10 years ago and gave away finished pieces to friends and family. I took a jewelry class in high school and fell in love with all of the tools and techniques that can be combined to create anything you can imagine. Continuing to make jewelry throughout college, I obtained a degree in Business Administration and in 2007 launched into selling my own designs through Natural Beauty Jewelry. I am dedicated to providing quality handmade jewelry created from semi-precious gemstones, freshwater pearls, sterling silver, and other natural materials. I love what I do and I pour my heart into it!

Some of my favorite experiences within my profession have been seeing people wear my jewelry. Jewelry is a personal item that represents who you are as an individual and the fact that someone has identified with my work is a huge compliment.

My best selling items include a collection of Sterling Silver Cuff Bracelets that come in an assortment of patterns and sizes. They are easy to put on and you can mix and match them to create a bangle feel. The Turquoise Dangle Earrings, Assorted Stone Necklace, and my new Black and White Collection have also been very popular items. All of my jewelry is packaged in recycled paper gift boxes and all hook earrings come with a pair of free rubber earring backs as well. I provide special services such as custom sizing, custom designed bridal jewelry and jewelry repair.

My plans for the future include diversifying my product line to include new and different materials, bangles, rings, and one-of-a-kind items. I hope to expand the availability of Natural Beauty Jewelry to specialty shops and boutiques who feel my work is right for their customers.  
 
Visit www.naturalbeautyjewelry.com    St. Paul, Minnesota

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