A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …

enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to…
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..

a youth she’s content to leave behind….
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age….
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra…
one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who lets her cry…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …….

a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family….
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..

a feeling of control over her destiny…..
how to fall in love without losing herself..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without;
ruining the friendship…..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…..

when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
that her childhood may not have been perfect…but it’s over…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…..
how to live alone…. even if she doesn’t like it…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. .

whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t take it personally…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table..
or a charming Inn in the woods…
when her soul needs soothing…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

What she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…

Four Truffles - a Women 4 Women Journey

Thank you for sharing these Philipp and we’re looking forward to our next adventure filming our Women4Women Journey!

InJoy…!

Four Truffles is an award winning women owned, women-run luxury body care brand created by women, for women and their families.   We believe that women are born with an innate sense of family, community and unity.  We strive to tie those elements together to help unify the world from the inside out – with the bonds of love, hope, faith and eternity.  Four Truffles is the proud recipient of the Ladies’ Home Journal “Do Good” stamp for our  philanthropic global efforts.

Four Truffles works directly with women-owned Argan Forest collectives in Morocco and Shea processing collectives in western Africa to get the best ingredients possible while simultaneously helping improve the social and economic status of rural women.  All our products are natural, organic, 100% vegetarian, paraben free, dermatologist tested, never tested on animals, hypoallergenic, ideal for sensitive skin, made in U.S.A, eco-centric, contain indigenous ingredients that support women4women.  Four Truffles is available in spas, boutiques and on-line.

While at Treat, I enjoyed meeting and talking to customers about Four Truffles.  I love educating people about the benefits the products have to offer and sharing our Women4Women journey stories. It never ceases to amaze me how inspired I get when I start conversing with people about Four Truffles because I walk away getting to know special women.

During my visit, I met an extraordinary young lady who is one of the Beauty Advisors at the store, and she reminded me of the true meaning of beauty inside out.   At such a young age she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer yet through it all her strong & vibrant spirit triumphed.  She’s surrounded by a loving family and is excited about her future.  Oddly enough a woman came in and was looking for a gift for a friend who is going through chemo treatment and I heard how our young Beauty Advisor recommended Four Truffles to help with the patient’s dehydrated skin.   I was very touched hearing this because the advise came from the heart of one woman who went through the same challenging experiences in her life to another currently going through similar trials and how this encounter brought encouragement to all of us.  I was reminded one more time why I just love what I do and being able to celebrate women helping women.

Health & Beauty Tips: Dry skin can be a common side effect of some chemotherapy drugs used to treat cervical cancer. Drugs like 5FU can cause skin to be come dry, flaky, and cracked.  Dry skin occurs when skin loses essential oils and moisture.
A good hydrating moisturizer that can be used especially for sensitive skin should be used at all times.

Inner Beauty Tips:
Turn your adversities into something positive by encouraging and giving hope to another who maybe going through the same circumstances you can relate to.

For those of you reading this blog right now, we encourage you to visit the Fred Jordan Mission website and learn more about how you can help.  Whether with volunteer service, donating food or even warm blankets, your efforts  will make a difference.  Help keep the Hope Alive.

Four Truffles was in the house pampering the ladies with a mini body smoother scrub and body butter massage!

Temptress – Plaza El Segundo, 730 South Allied Way #D El Segundo, CA.

Cheers!

Four Truffles is a woman owned, women-run skin care brand created by women, for women and their families.   We believe that women are born with an innate sense of family, community and unity.  We strive to tie those elements together to help unify the world from the inside out – with the bonds of love, hope, faith and eternity.

Four Truffles works directly with women-owned Argan Forest collectives in Morocco and Shea processing collectives in western Africa to get the best ingredients possible while simultaneously helping improve the social and economic status of rural women.  All our products are natural, organic, 100% vegetarian, paraben free, dermatologist tested, never tested on animals, hypoallergenic, ideal for sensitive skin, made in U.S.A, eco-centric, contain indigenous ingredients that support women 4 women!

“We at Bridges of Hope want to offer a huge expression of thanks to Four Truffles for your employment of some of our South African micro-enterprise entrepreneurs!  A handful of unemployed moms in the impoverished township of Sweet Home banded together, capitalizing on their sewing skills and determination to provide for their families, and began a Sewing Micro-Enterprise called Masikhule, which means “Let’s Grow”.  One of their first and biggest customers was Four Truffles who commissioned them to make the linen pouches which hold their lovely wooden truffles.  The ladies worked quickly and carefully to produce a quality product.  Their excitement about the project spread throughout the township, causing others in the community to take interest in the empowerment training Bridges of Hope offers and giving it instant credibility.  Not only are the Sewing Ladies blessed, but now others in the community are eager to learn how they can be similarly empowered!  Thanks Four Truffles, for believing in these ladies and giving them an opportunity to not only earn an income, but to shine! ”

Learn more about Bridges of Hope.

Four Truffles is a woman owned, women-run skin care brand created by women, for women and their families.   We believe that women are born with an innate sense of family, community and unity.  We strive to tie those elements together to help unify the world from the inside out – with the bonds of love, hope, faith and eternity.

Four Truffles works directly with women-owned Argan Forest collectives in Morocco and Shea processing collectives in western Africa to get the best ingredients possible while simultaneously helping improve the social and economic status of rural women.  All our products are natural, organic, 100% vegetarian, paraben free, dermatologist tested, never tested on animals, hypoallergenic, ideal for sensitive skin, made in U.S.A, eco-centric, contain indigenous ingredients that support women4women.

Gal Pals showing some love and support!

Last month, we had another successful Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good™ Private Party.  We thank our generous host Sukhbir Mathew and her family for a wonderful evening!

We saw many familiar faces and welcomed new ones.   It was a fun evening mixing and mingling, while massage therapist Jessica Posada went around the room giving guests mini hand massages.  Everyone was excited to hear about our Women4Women Journey.

We want to thank everyone for  your support.  Our wooden truffle jars were a hit, which was even more special, as we were able to tell everyone about the sewing project with the  Masikhule Women Enterprise -  South Africa.  This event helped raised awareness and money for Bridges of Hope South Africa.

Thank you to all our retail and media partners – Ladies’ Home Journal, Genlux Magazine, Nails Magazine, Dermstore.com!

Four Truffles is a woman owned, women-run skin care brand created by women, for women and their families.   We believe that women are born with an innate sense of family, community and unity.  We strive to tie those elements together to help unify the world from the inside out – with the bonds of love, hope, faith and eternity.

Four Truffles works directly with women-owned Argan Forest collectives in Morocco and Shea processing collectives in western Africa to get the best ingredients possible while simultaneously helping improve the social and economic status of rural women.  All our products are natural, organic, 100% vegetarian, paraben free, dermatologist tested, never tested on animals, hypoallergenic, ideal for sensitive skin, made in U.S.A, eco-centric, contain indigenous ingredients that support women4women.

Which scent journey is best? That's always a topic of debate around here.

Good times - mixing, mingling and sharing Four Truffles!

Rain...Rain...go away! It turned out to be a beautiful evening!

In the township of Philippi, a settlement called Sweet Home is where the women who worked on our sewing project live.  Comforting and wonderful thoughts  come to mind when one hears the words “Sweet Home” – ironically enough it is the complete opposite.

Sweet Home is a shanty community with approximately 12,000 people living in one of the poorest areas in the world.  It was originally a rubble dump.  The homes barely have solid walls and most people cannot access electricity nor water.  The unemployment rate is extremely high.  Numerous problems arise in this situation such as malnutrition, children being abandoned and left in the streets to fend for themselves, lack of education, gang related issues, HIV/Aids pandemic and other social crisis associated when a community does not have access to resources.

As we illustrate this setting to help you visualize what Sweet Home is like, we also want to share an inspiring story of transformation in the midst of all this.  Sometimes all we need is Love, Faith, and Hope to help change lives.

Under the leadership of Susan and Dennis Wadley, Bridges of Hope South Africa was created in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the region.  Partnering with the remarkable survivors of decades of oppression, crushing poverty, and the worst health pandemic in history, Bridges has discovered a model of community transformation that works.  They created a Community Health Education program referred to as CHE.  This program empowers community members to take charge of the problems their communities face in a holistic way.  Volunteers are trained to go into their neighborhoods and teach physical, spiritual and social health principles.

Four Truffles is committed to supporting Bridges of Hope’s efforts by providing financial assistance to their educational programs at Bridges Academy and supporting the development of Women Micro-Enterprise.  In September, we commissioned the women of the Masikhule enterprise to sew our passion pouches that we use for our Wooden Truffle Jars.   Masikhule is a name that means “Let’s Grow” and was started by a group of ladies in 2009.

From the start, the women had to learn how to properly start a business.  This included finding the means to acquire sewing machines among other things that would enable them to get started.  Since this is by no means a “hand me down” project, the women had to bake bread and pastries to sell at the marketplace.  With this money, they purchased sewing machines and started their business.  As you can see self-sufficiency and sustainability is the goal from the onset.

(In this first photo, meet Nowetha Boyana 38 years old.  She leaves in a 3 roomed shack at Sweet Home with her husband and 3 kids.  She is a member of CHE committee and is one of the ladies who started the sewing project in 2009.  She is very skilled in sewing)

Once we gave the women the go ahead with the sewing project, we provided them with the fabric and trimming.  We also gave them detailed information like specifications and sewing instructions.  When we finally received the pouches in our office, we were so excited to see how well everything turned out!  The attention to the sewing details was done according to the specifications!

(Meet Nohonest Fokazi, 28 years old.  She also lives in Swee Home with her husband and 2 kids.  She is unemployed and workds as a CHE volunteer and she is good in designing and cutting.  Here you see her with Four Truffles passion pouch)

The reward this project provided the Masikhule women was very special for us.  Financially, a little goes a very long way in countries like South Africa, but the most significant impact was the hope and encouragement women received.  They are now looked upon as role models and a success story.  Other women in neighboring areas are inspired and they too want to learn how this all became possible.  This is what our Women4Women Journey is about.  A true story of Empowerment and Four Truffles is  grateful for the opportunity to make a difference.  We share this story with our friends, families and supporters because you too are a big part of it.

And so we close with heartfelt thanks to each and everyone for their support.  May many blessings come your way and a very Happy Thanksgiving Holiday to All!

With love, hope, faith, eternity,

The Four Truffles Team

Meet Christina Mthandane, 36 years old who lives in Sweet Home with her 5 kids and 1 grandson. She is with the HIV support group and recently joined CHE. After being trained to sew, she decided she wants to train other women as well.

Thumeka Mfeketho, 29 years old and Zukiswa Nkonzo, 33 years old. Both are being trained by Christina after completing their CHE training