Mary Kay ladies act like drones uniform in their thoughts that make-up is the only way to make it. I don’t like those ladies (for the most part).

The Make-Up isn’t bad. But, I’m more of a drugstore makeup type of chick.

are they trying to unload all those vats of blue eye shadow to legions of Sad Girls, like those companies that sell their cast off products to third world nations?

No shit, I went to a Mary Kay “party” two weeks ago. I didn’t buy anything, but I did get free lotion for “graduating” from college. [I didn’t graduate]

I don’t see how anyone makes a living selling that crap. I think you get like 20 cents per lipstick sold. You have to sell a boatload of the stuff just to get enough money for a compra.
Better for us all to stick with our own ingenious, shady, traqueteos, no?

i would do it just so I can drive around in the pink caddy!

I agree with you la roncha! It is what you make of it…if you think they don’t make any money then how can they drive around in a new pink cadillac every year? Have you ever asked a mary kay person about it? And if it is crap then how are they like the number one makeup company in the world? I’m not a consultant but I like to do my research and let me tell you that there are so many women doing it and making tons of money that it is worth asking questions.

I tried to be a consultant. And it’s not the type of thing sappy, non exuberant, less than extroverted types can do. There are a ton of meetings to attend. There are lots of young girls into it. But to get the pink Caddy, you have to get lots of other people to sign up to be sales consultants. And that’s how the top ladies get their money.

When you buy the makeup from Mary Kay (to sell toy our clients) your price is half the listed price, but you also pay the sales tax on the listed price to Mary Kay.

The “best selling makeup” stuff seems to comes from inflated numbers. Mary Kay reports sells to it’s consultants, not consultants actual sales. For instance, I buy $250.00 worth of makeup from Mary Kay. They report it as sales of $500.00 because ideally I’d sell it all (not to consider discounts). A lot of the women who start are pressured to purchase 600-1200 worth of makeup to hold as inventory because “clients don’t like to wait for their makeup”. I’ve known people who start Mary Kay who don’t like it, and simply give away the makeup they’ve purchased to friends and family.

The makeup is nice. The lipstick is really nice. But it’s an MLM organization, and as such, the more people you bring in, the more you come up. Mary Kay pays you a percentage of the purchases the consultants under you make. And when they get consultants, you are also paid a percentage of those purchases.

People who make a lot of money from Mary Kay make it because they bring in a lot of other consultants. And eventually, they stop selling and simply work on getting their consultants to drum up more sells.

t’s a pretty good program for anyone who enjoys MLM, because there are a lot shadier ones out there. I just couldn’t stand how when I was a consultant, the woman above me constantly pressured me for friends numbers and stuff.

Oh, and they also have this thing about being “lady-like” and wearing skirts and not pantsuits. They don’t deny you entry into meetings and stuff if you wear pants, but they tell you that you should wear skirts.

In order to be fair, you need to compare Mary Kay to other companies such as MAC, Clinique, Estee Lauder etc. Mary Kay can not be compared to drugstore lines like cover girl, or revlon or prescriptives.
The fact that Mary Kay is empowering fellow Latinas is great. Other companies such as Jafra have been doing it for years and have been extremely successful in Latin American Countries. Plus Mary Kay offers the highest commission over other companies with a flat commision, versus other companies that offer different commisions for different orders that are placed dependant upon the amount of the order. Tupperware offers 25%, so does Partylite. Mary Kay pays consultants 50%. You purchase a lipstick for $6.50 and you sell it for 13.00. Mary Kay is definetly not for everybody. I think it attracts women who like to look good, wearing makeup and like taking care of their skin. They also tend to be religious or spiritual. The whole idea of presenting a “lady-like” image is not a new one. It was very common in the 30’s 40’s 50’s 60’s for women to wear skirts or dresses around the home and/or to work. I dare you to find a practicing female lawyer who wears pants to court. It is just not common. When a woman wears a dress or skirt it reflects an image of femininity. And in Mary Kay’s time, skirts and dresses were the norm. I believe they encourage this practice to honor Mary Kay’s belief.
So by know you are probably saying,,,, yeah this chica is a consultant, sorry to dissapoint, but I am not. …… Not yet anyway!
Sandy

Sandy I appreciate you defending the Mary Kay business. I AM a consultant - I signed up a few months ago. I’m not someone who likes to wear a lot of makeup but I’ve learned through experience that Mary Kay is the better product to use in make up and skin care. I’ve ordered everything advertised on TV, in drug stores, everywhere for my children who suffered from severe acne. Trust me none of it works - not even the ProActive. But, through my daughter and a few others I have found out that the Mary Kay Velocity and Acne Treatment Gel does work. I’ve only actually worked my business for a couple of months and have made over $2000 profit. The dresses and skirts are in honor of Mary Kay and her beliefs. When you’re a woman and you own your own business you will get more respect if you are dressed as a professional in a dress or business suit. And if you don’t believe me, dress up one day as a professional and act like one and see how you are treated. To those of you who have never tried Mary Kay - maybe you should - and for those who have - please don’t knock it! Your success in this business depends on you and how you work your business.

Well there is a lot being said about Mary Kay Cosmetics, but if you your self have never tried the products then you don’t know what you are missing. I have been a consultant since May I have 2 small children and I love being able to sell Mary Kay and enjoy my family. I have used MAC, Clinque, and even cover girl and etc. I have tried every thing and nothing compares to Mary Kay!! It is a great product and I love it!! My director is great she helps me every step of the way in my business. If you are interested contact me for some more info. I would love to help you! www.marykay.com/hannaharrison

In reading all the comments above I want to clarify something that Sandy mentioned. I do agree with almost everything mentioned in her comments except that Jafra is the highest paid Direct Sales company. In order to get 50% commission in Jafra, your 1st order in the month you order, needs to be a minimum of $300 retail, any other order you place in the same month can be any amount.An order less than $300 retail is 30% commission. I believe Mary Kay is $400-600 retail to earn 50% off, I am sure a MK Consultant can correct me if I am wrong.
I have never tried MK, I have been using Jafra since 1982 and became a Jafra Consultant in 1999, now a District Leader. We women love having choices, and that’s is what we get when there are different companies to choose. Women tend to join the company of the prodcuts they use. Most of us joined our companies to save money on our personal products. Some of us have decided to make it a business. I personally prefer buying any products I use such as candles, crystal, etc from a Direct Seller because we women should be supporting one another in our businesses. I respect all Direct Sellers because I know how hard we do work to make our money. Direct Sales is a simple process but if you want to make money, you do need to have a business plan and make a conscious effort to work the business.
If you have not heard of Jafra and would like too, first check out my website at www.myjafra.com/nlopez. If you’re are interested in products or learning about our income opportunity, my phone number and email is listed on my website.

Correction. In Mary Kay, once your first $200 wholesale is ordered, and you order at least that much once/annually, you earn the privilege of the 50% discount. This is called “Active”. We share that having inventory is a plus; believe me women are much happier going home with the products they tried that night than waiting a week. However, no level of inventory is ever required. The only quota is ordering $200 wholesale once a year.

Look, MK Consultants, I am your sister and I don’t even remember how I stumbled upon this page. BUT my bit of advice is spend your time on UnitNet reading and studying, when it’s not what we call “people hours”, because your positive energy is wasted on trying to convert the MK Haters of the world. If they’re so concerned with finding ways to slight Mary Kay, it must because we are doing as well as we say we are. We’ll never get through to the MK Haters. Ever. But we can shine our light into the lives of others.

I agree with Norma about women and the opportunity we all have in Direct Sales!! As companies continue to downsize, it is becoming a bigger trend to work a home business. I am so grateful for my business because the past two months have been the best two months of my 5 year MK career. I have met more fun women in the past six months than I have in the year and a half I have chosen to work my MK as a business.The seeds you plant in the lives of others now will come to fruition in the days, weeks, months and even years to come. Just because the media says that Wall Street is going over Niagara Falls on a rubber raft doesn’t mean we all have to jump in the water and join them! If you’re in the raft, jump out and swim upstream. If you’re on the shore, throw someone a rope or a branch!

Now go out there and meet fun, sharp women to share a smile, the product or the opportunity with!

Best wishes to all small biz sisters!