My views on Mary Kay

First, I would like to start this all off by saying that I sold Mary Kay for a year and a half and then again a few years after that for about five months. No, I do not sell it now. I do not hate the company or in any way mean to make this a "bashing" post. I just wanted to write my honest opinion and a review about the company for anyone out there who is considering selling it.

 I'm sure that most of you (especially if you are from the south) have heard about, sold, knows someone who sold, thought about selling, hates, loves, has tried, swears by it, swears against it or just in general has an opinion on Mary Kay and maybe you have some questions. I plan on being honest and completely direct here. When I first started thinking about selling it I remember looking online for any type of information or experiences and finding that the internet was split in half. One side desperately hated it, and the other desperately loved it which really didn't answer any questions.So, without further ado...here are my qualms, suggestions, and questions all answered.

I got into it because a friend of mine sold it and when I attended her party I fell in love with the idea of throwing parties and having girl time and of course making money. Her director was a very fast talker and I do mean slick...I am 100% confident she could sell a snowball to an eskimo. I would put money on that. I remember thinking that she looked so happy and so excited and I wanted that plus you couldn't beat the discount on the product.

I will give them this: they have awesome products. My mother and I both swear by their miracle set and I would probably still use it as my exclusive face cleaning/moisturizing routine if it wasn't that I've had to start using Proactiv. I honestly think the makeup is way over-priced and so is most of the body care (excluding the hand scrub which I LOVE) but the face care is awesome. I also love the roll-up bag, I still use mine to this day and it's still holding together.

So I joined up and received many hugs, cheers of congratulations, and smiles. You would have thought I had said I was donating all of my money to the homeless with how happy they were for me. They had ordered the kit and sent me on my merry little way with the promises of things like this:

1. We're not a pyramid scheme
Well...yea you sort of are. They actually call it a multi-level organization but the fact is that the top lady is making a percentage (though not directly from YOUR sales) of every sale you make (if you signed up under her)and she'll also make money from anyone you get to sign up under you and so on and so on. If you draw  that out to an illustration it looks an awful lot like a pyramid, but hey call it what you want, I don't care.

2. There are NO minimum orders
Except your first one, which has to be a a minimum of $200.00 wholesale ($400.00 retail) ( that was the amount when I was selling) or you don't get the 50% off discount. So yes there is a minimum if you want the 50% off discount that allows you to make money off their products. That $200.00 minimum needs to be met EVERY three month or you do not get the discount and you are also considered inactive, which is kind of ridiculous when you have already paid $100.00 to join.

3. You do not have to have inventory to start up
I will be the first to say that you will sell more and make more money if you have the product right there for the customer to buy. The problem is that most people don't have the kind of cash to dole out $1,000.00 or more for something they aren't even sure will sell. I did not invest in inventory and was "urged" repeatedly to do so. When I again refused I was told that maybe I could ask a rich relative for a loan or....and I kid you not....take out a loan with the bank.That really put me off. Someone is just starting out in a business to make some extra money ( because obviously they need it or want it) and your suggestion is to get them to borrow money and put themselves in debt?!?! Gag. Please don't fall for this one.

4. ______ made $1,200.00 in sales last weekend at one party!!!!
Yes, but what they don't tell you is that ______ invested in about $5,000 in product for inventory and even with that $1,200.00 she still hasn't made her money back yet. I am a firm believer that you have to spend money to make the money in this business, sorry but that is how I feel. The ones who are truly making the money are the ones with LOTS of women under them getting that percentage.

5. We don't like pushy people
Yes, yes they do. I was told that and when I went out with my friend to make some sales on the go I was asked and encouraged to go up to " at least" five women to get their number and offer them a free facial. When I only got two because the whole thing was WAY out of my comfort zone I was pushed again, and again, and again until " my challenge" was complete. They like that word: challenge. You'll hear it a lot.
My director challenged me to give twenty women facials
I challenged myself to have a $200.00 party
We were challenged to do fifty faces in fifty days. 
You could make a drinking game with that word at one of their meetings and you would be TOASTED my friend.

They will ask you to go up to strangers, call strangers (minimum of five times before you move on to the next person), go to stranger's homes, invite strangers to your home, push the sale, and of course push the pitch. In my experiences they are all pushy. Sorry. I quickly learned that it wasn't for me and in my first year I had lost money at the end of tax time. I just realized that it wasn't the way to make money, at least not for me.

 I honestly did do my best, I offered the giveaways, free facials, pedicure parties and raffles. I gave away my fair share of free stuff, wasted the gas driving, wasted money buying supplies, buying food, buying samples and throughout it all I lost money. People want to try it, people like ANYTHING free, and people want to have a fun time with their friends, but honestly most are not going to buy. I had a schedule booked,  and I really mean booked ( usually 18 parties a month) plus orders from family members and friends. I worked my butt off and didn't see the money coming in. It was then that I threw in the pink towel.

Hubby and I moved, got married, lost all contact with anyone from the Mary Kay world and a few years went by. I was away from my friends, bored at work, and bored at home when I brought up the idea of selling again. Hubby wasn't thrilled ( read the previous paragraph about that losing money thing) but I told him this: I wasn't going in it to "make money" and I wasn't going to waste all that money on gimmicky giveaways. I strictly wanted to get the discount, sell to family or whoever else that wanted it and have some girl time. That's what I missed the most. The weekly meetings, encouragement and fun.

They're good about making you feel special (as long as you keep that active status up of course). I loved being around positive women who knew how to have fun and uplift one another, I really missed being around that, heck I still do. I'm a big time Type-A person and so needing to have things cataloged, scheduled and organized was just right up my alley. So I contacted my friend who I sold with before and I joined up again. She of course was thrilled and said it was funny because she had just been ready to write me a note asking how I was (yeah..ok). So I joined up and she found a director down here where we had moved who "adopted" me and invited me to their meeting.

I was excited and went with eagerness. I met all the ladies and told them that I was just in it for fun, nothing serious and I didn't even care if I made money or not. They all said words of encouragement and I was on my way. Then I visited again the following week and was ushered into being the one that collected money..ok, not a problem. I didn't mind helping out. Then I was soon pushed into signing up to bring food, bringing guests, teaching the guests about our hand scrub,the girl solely in charge of collecting and hassling people about their due money, and I was even pushed into giving a lecture about blush ( which I am no "expert" on and was NOT comfortable doing this) and yet I did it all with a smile on my face.

I thought it would end and that maybe they just needed my help, but no that was not the case. I also started getting the fourth degree about selling more, getting inventory, and I began having to explain why I wasn't doing as many parties or trying to make money, I found myself explaining over and over again that I was in this for me and fun time, and then I soon realized I wasn't having fun. I felt used and that I was just another notch on the list to help them make money, and so it was yet again time to throw in the pink towel.

I found out I was pregnant and life went on like normal, then it was about six months or so after I had quit (went inactive) and (after not having heard from my friend at all in that time) I got a message from her out of the blue asking how I was. I informed her that I was excited with the news that I was pregnant and I asked how she was. The very next email she asked me to sign up again because " I'm only two people away from a red jacket!!!!" My reply: " No thank you". I told Hubby how irritated I was that my once good friend would only care about asking how I was so she could have an opening for her own agenda.

Many moons passed...Munchkin was born, and around her third month on this earth I received yet again an  email from my "friend".  It asked how I was, that she had been thinking of me and how cute the baby was, and I did not reply. The very next email ( despite my not replying) said " Hey..I don't know if you're interested but right now you can join back up for only $25.00 since you've sold before and I only need one more person on my team!!"

That was the day I un-friended her.

I'm just a very straightforward, honest person and I don't like it when people are mislead and sometimes even blatantly lied to. I don't like it when people only care about you for what you can do for them. I'm sure there are nice, genuine, caring Mary Kay ladies out there but in my experience with three different counties and two different areas...they were all the same. Like I said, Mary Kay has some AWESOME products, and for the most part it is really fun. I think the possibility to make money with them is there, but you are going to have to put A LOT of your money in and you are going to have to get a lot of girls to sign up under you if you don't want to keep having to waste a ton of money on parties that you will ( in all likelihood) lose money on ( gas, wasting products, party supplies, etc...).

Alright, well sorry it's so long but there it is. I don't hate the company, I think that they have great products and are one of the VERY BEST companies out there when it comes to donating money for women's shelters and causes. I just think that a lot of the ladies out there don't mind telling only half the truth if it means getting another girl under their belt and earning their bonuses and I don't like that. I think if it's something you are considering doing then you should have every question answered honestly, openly, and then allowed to decide for yourself if it's right for you. If you're not honest with someone in the beginning how can they trust you to lead them to a better future?

Anyways, I hope I didn't offend anyone and like I said, I'm sure there are some sweet, easy going, caring Mary Kay ladies out there, and really hope you scold and discourage all the pushy ones because trust me...they outnumber you. I just wanted to give some answers to those who have questions.

The Top 15 Fall Recipes

1. Caramel Apples by Dashing Desserts
This list HAD to start out with caramel apples. I LOVE caramel apples and being the complicated dumb-dumb that I am I always tried making the caramel sauce from scratch and it always ended up being a ruined mess. I could have kicked myself after seeing how easy it is to do if you follow these simple steps using wrapped store caramels!

2. Quick and Easy Pumpkin Pancakes by Something Sweet Something Salty
We obviously LOVE the pumpkin flavor in my household so this one is a winner in our book. I just can't decide if I like these better with maple syrup on top or apple butter...hhmmm.







3. Mini Pumpkin Pie Croissants by Shaken Together
I saw this recipe and I'm fairly certain my jaw hit the floor. I didn't even think this was a thing! How could I have not known about some of my two favorite things: fall flavor and bread coming together so perfectly!?!






 
4. Butternut Squash Soup by Martha Stewart
The absolute best thing about this recipe (other than the fact that it's really easy) is that she gives you directions on how to freeze it a few days before you need it and how to perfectly thaw it out. Awesome.








5. Stuffed Pumpkin With Cheese, Bacon,and Chipotle by Homesick Texan
Don't let the ingredient list scare you off, you literally just throw them all in the pumpkin and bake. It looks ( and tastes) like it took you all day and hours of slaving away in the kitchen, yay!






6. Chocolate Halloween Bark by The Curvy Carrot
I LOVE making bark for the holidays and I had never seen a Halloween one that incorporated peanuts and chocolate yyuumm. So I cannot wait to make this one!










7. Baked Apples with Oatmeal Streusel by Cooking Outside the Box
I actually made this recipe last year and it was a HUGE hit. Everyone loved the flavor and it was SO easy to make!







8. Crispy Rice Candy Corn Treats by Baked Perfection
I've never made rice crispy treats before and this recipe most definitely makes me want to try plus I LOVE the fun colors.







9. Pumpkin Spice Trifle by 52 Mantels
Ok, anyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for a delicious trifle and when I saw this one I literally called for Hubby to come and look. This looks AMAZING and I cannot wait to try the flavors together!

 10. Pumpkin Pie Milkshake by Sassy Mama In LA
One of my favorite treats when the fall season came rolling around was a pumpkin pie milkshake from Jack in the Box. Sadly, we do not have them down here at the beach. BOO! So you can imagine that when I found this little recipe I jumped for joy! She also uses almond milk which I had not even thought about using so I can't wait to see how it tastes.







11. No Bake Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes by A Family Feast
I LOVE how adorable these look and they sound delicious too. It seems like an easy dessert to make in the morning and then make pretty and serve right before you need it. Awesome.







12. Butterfinger Popcorn by Cookin' Cowgirl
You guys know how much I LOVE making flavored popcorn and I also love butterfingers so this combination of the two is sure to be delicious! I only wish my Mom ( aka the most butterfinger lovin' person ever) was here to taste it!







13. Apple Rings by How To: Simplify 
I saw this and thought it looked like a really original and fairly easy recipe. I had never heard of fried apple rings and we love apples so I think we're going to give this one a shot soon. 






 14. Smooth and Sweet Caramel Apple Dip by Zesty Cook
This dip looks so easy to make and sounds amazing plus it needs a few hours to set up so it would be the perfect crowd dessert to make the night before then get up the next day and walla you have an awesome dessert ready to go!






15. DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte Starbucks Copycat by Who Needs a Cape? 
I of course had to end this list with a copycat of the most favorite fall drink known to man: The Pumpkin Spice Latte!   

Did I feature you today? If so then feel free to grab a " Featured " button for your awesome blog.

<center> <a href="Https://nickieslittlebubble.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src="http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/af56/GeauxTigers1803/buttonhere.jpg"></a></center>

Submitted to:

My Cleaning Schedule

I honestly can't remember if I announced this or not, but....I am now an official stay at home mommy ( I have a badge and everything). It is awesome. Hubby and I had a nice long talk about it after a few things came together and we just knew this was the best option for us. I am SO happy, and so thankful, but that's not what I wanted to talk about today. I'm just giving you some background information because I'm thoughtful like that.

I am a very, very, very, neurotic person when it comes to cleaning. I don't consider myself OCD, I can leave things out when I'm just too exhausted to pick them up, but I do have to have a clean and organized home. I decided to sit down and make a list of my cleaning schedule to have it in solid paper form and make the house run a little smoother now that I have time to actually do the amount of cleaning I want done.  It just makes it easier to stick with and easier to remember everything when you have it right there tucked in your  organizational binder .

This list is long, like really long. I know that most of you guys will scan over this and think " she's crazy" and some of you will look and be like " oh please, she left a few steps out..." all I can say is that this works for me and my schedule. I usually get my cleaning done during Munchkin's naps ( still taking two long ones a day woohoo) or sometimes with her toddling after me room to room. Also, I've found that the more I stick to this schedule the easier it is to do. When I first started the list it might take me 40 minutes to do a certain chore that now only takes me 15 because it's getting done every week. So, here's my list. Like I said this isn't going to fit into everyone's schedule but maybe you can pull one or two things you think might work for you and roll with it. Awesome. Anyway, without further ado...here is my cleaning list:







Also, just in case you were wondering. I am NOT a fan of using bleach and lots of chemicals so for my everyday cleaning for all my surfaces including my floors I use Parsley Plus and add a few drops of Lemon and Peppermint essential oils for extra sanitizing and antibacterial power. I get all of my essential oils at Spark Naturals . They have the highest quality oils for the best prices around PLUS if you use coupon code " Bubble" you can get 10% off your whole order!
 
Going back to Parsley Plus though... it's an awesome, fume and harsh chemical free cleaner that smells AMAZING and really does an awesome job, I rarely have to use any elbow grease even when getting up some harder stuck-on messes. It's an earth friendly product and super gentle on skin in case you get it on you...seriously I can go on and on about this stuff!!

Here's something scary: take the bottle of spray that you use to clean your counters with ( AKA: the counters that you prepare food on) and read over it very carefully, I bet you'll find the phrase " wash any surfaces that will come in contact with food with water before use after using this product", or something similar to that effect. My Mr.clean all surfaces had it on there and I of course flipped out because I had used it on everything including Munchkin's high chair. Scary right? Well that's when I started to look at labels and found something safer.

The best part about this is that you can find it at Wal-Mart for around $4.00 plus if you head over to Recycle Bank you can score a  $2.00 off coupon for only 50 points (there are lots of polls for 50 point rewards) which makes this better for you and cheap: SCORE!!

I LOVE Recycle Bank. It is an awesome website where you answer questions and take polls to learn lots of tips about recycling and going green and you earn points when you do those things, and those points can be redeemed for LOTS of stuff including magazine subscriptions (I've gotten four different magazine subscriptions...can you say HELLO CHRISTMAS GIFTS!) samples, coupons and lots of other great stuff. I definitely recommend checking them out.

Anyways, that is my list and my favorite cleaning product and I'm really excited to hear your comments and what you use and your techniques. I LOVE hearing new ideas. So please feel free to share and comment.

Love you guys and happy cleaning!!

And that is how I became a caterer for a weekend.

Alright so for those of you who might not know: my Hubby runs the maintenance side of a summer camp. Awesome right? Right. Well a few months ago his partner (who runs the booking/scheduling side) left to take over another job and this left Hubby working both positions which is usually something he can handle but for this group he couldn't use the caterer that the camp usually uses because the group was only 23 people ( the normal guy won't cook for any group less than 25). This is where that part of our marriage that the term "partnership" got thrown around and long story short I ended up cooking for them ( totally by myself) while my amazing, awesome, fantabulistic sister watched Munchkin all weekend long (by herself) for the first time. Needless to say this past weekend was a very humbling one for everyone involved.

Let me just share a few facts:
1. The kitchen utilities have been in service longer than my mother has been alive.
2. I have not once turned on a stove in that kitchen prior to Friday morning (AKA: first breakfast for the group)
3. I have never cooked for a group of people larger than seven.

This is basically how things played out:


  1. ( Thursday Night)
Hey....you've got this. You're a great cook! You've cooked for lots of people, they love your food. You'll be fine, it's only three days. You've got this tiger!







2. (Friday Morning)
UGH. Why am I up at 4 a.m.? Who eats breakfast at 6:15?!? Ok, pull it together, let's do this.....set up the waffle griddles, make the mix, this is easy. No problem. Maybe I really can do this.



 

3. ( Still Breakfast)
OH MY GOD! Why are the griddles not hot?!? What happened? I swear I turned them on, they were on and now they're not. What is going on? Oh good lord I tripped a breaker!!! The coffee maker, the warmer, the cooler and both griddles are off! Why? Why did I volunteer for this?! Where is the breaker? Where is another outlet?!?!



And I really could have used someone like Wanda Sykes to just be like:

 

 

   4. (After fixing the breaker and moving griddles) OK.OK. You've gotten the worst out of the way, it's easy peasy from here baby. No worries, just keep making waffles and let's start on that bacon. 

5. ( Halfway through making breakfast)
What demon bacon is this!!? It's burning in seconds and tearing apart! Why?!? I hate you Smithfield. I hate you so much. PLEASE just cook normally and stop splitting and just be normal!What evil pig did you come from? We're halfway through this and I will not be under-minded by bacon!






6. ( Thirty minutes until breakfast)
Wait...I need more waffle mix. Uh-oh. I'm out. Like....out.out. Like there is no more mix and that means I cannot make any more waffles and OH MY GOD why did I even try this?? How did I run out!!?!? Oh no..how many is that total??  I give up, I give up. Mark my words...I GIVE UP!








7. (Twenty minutes until breakfast)
* Hubby walks in while I am frantically counting waffles and tells me everything is fine and to calm down *











8. We hastily figure out that everyone can have one waffle and most will be able to have seconds. Get drinks,fruit, cereals, and sides out. Group starts to line up and I put on my best smile making the plates and passing them out.







9. ( After Breakfast is served)
Thank the LORD! HALLELUJAH! I made it!! One breakfast down!





That is how it went word for word, emotion for emotion. It honestly got a lot better as the weekend progressed and it helped that this group was the most fantastic, wonderful group I could have asked for. They were super nice and one wonderful lady and her son brought me flowers because she has cooked for groups and knows how stressful it can be. Towards the end I got the art of timing down a little more and things got a little easier plus I did have help on the last breakfast service, and Hubby helped for dinners. All in all it was certainly a learning experience. I have a whole new appreciation for caterers I can promise you that.