The Mary Kay Holiday 2008 “Gift Guide”
A member sent me a flier that she received from her director showing all the “gift sets” and holiday products from Mary Kay.
It wouldn’t be a Mary Kay holiday season without a gold shimmery product. You’ll find a shimmer powder and a lip gloss to fit this bill.
Besides the limited-edition products, this guide highlights “sets” of the regular line products. Everyone knows that the teen on your gift list would be crazy about getting the Eye Care set, which consists of a MK eye makeup remover and an Ultimate mascara (sarcasm alert). But you’d be crazy to spend $29 for just two mediocre cosmetic products. Drugstore copies or equals of these exist for a fraction of the price.
The prices on these products really struck me. I guess it just hit me all over again. Ten dollars for men’s shaving cream? That means the consultant is paying five dollars. I can buy lots of great shaving cream for a buck or two. The MK hand cream was always one of my favorites, but eight dollars is more than I want to spend for soft hands. The body lotions and cleansers, especially, seem ridiculously high.
But hey! We all know MK products are so superior to other brands that they are worth the extra money. Right?
Lipstick on 
Ann on 
Brooke on 
Tam on 
the link doesn’t go to anything?
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Well, for those that are reading, I’ll answer your question LJ: WRONG. MK touts itself as being superior quality. They tell their consultants all about detailed scientific stuff about peptides, vitamins, etc. They tell them these things via InTouch, Applause, and through NSD’s and Sales Directors. Most other companies put “With Shea Butter and Antioxidant Vitamins E, A, & C!” (or whatever beneficial ingredients are in there) right on the packaging, real big on the front of both the box and the bottle. I have 2 problems with MK about their claims but I’ll start with this one. By not properly advertising the beneficial ingredients of their products in their print & online advertising to the customer or right on the box/bottle, it makes it hard for the consultant to let the customer know that the MK brand is as good as or better than (or so they believe) the Olay, Avon, etc. stuff the customer sees in magazines and commercials. I had one lady at a skincare class asking me all kinds of questions about ingredients, including “Does it contain grapeseed oil?…” It would be so much easier if MK just put the info on the front of the item and in the customer advertisements instead of making the IBC do it by word of mouth. Often a potential customer will decline emails, phonecalls, meeting together, etc. before an IBC even gets a chance to rattle off these facts. Maybe if MK would do a better job at advertising to the customer, not just to the consultant, it’d make life easier for the IBC. But then, MK only makes their money from the IBC and they don’t really care what the IBC does with it, as long as they’re ordering.
My 2nd problem with MK touting their products as equal to or better than high-end brands is that this is a lie. Compare the ingredients list (the one in teeny tiny print on the side of a box that customers usually throw away before noticing) of MK products to that of Dior, Chanel, Estee Lauder, even Lancome or Clinique. The quality ingredients are further down the list in MK products. Just because MK has patented something doesn’t mean it’s “all that”. MK is more like Avon, Wet’n'Wild, Neutrogena, etc. Except Neutrogena has come out with better stuff now and still costs less. MK also claims to be equal in quality to high-end brands but cheaper. Au contraire, moi cherie. My Clinique facewash does a far superior job and is cheaper than what I was paying wholesale for MK!
Another thing: Consultants, do not stock up on this limited edition holiday stuff!! Please! I warn you for your own good! If you’ve been in for a few holiday seasons then you already know this. Order only what you have actual *paid* customer orders for, and they won’t mind waiting for you to order just once or twice a month. That shipping adds up! I learned this lesson the hard way. My 1st holiday season in MK, my Sales Director said that MK sells out of the holiday items early every year & that customers just can’t get enough of them. She claimed that they fly off the shelves like hotcakes. Being new, and seeing her supposed success (not knowing she was just “faking it till she makes it”), I believed her and followed her advice. 3 years later I still had most of that holiday inventory, which I included in my 90% buyback return to MK. Yes, you can still return things 3 years, or any amount of time, after you sign up. The one year deal is another lie. Welcome to MK ladies, it’s flowing with lies and manipulation.
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P.S., MK didn’t “sell out” of most of the holiday things. My customers didn’t order many. And MK had plenty of leftovers that were 1st on the discontinued section of the order form and then on “Pink Sale” long after that holiday season ended. Just FYI.
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Good stuff RTP.
English…problem with the flier. I had to remove it from the post. I’ll try to get it here in the near future.
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GREAT post RTP…you said it all and so very well!
Those of you who are reading this and are new to MK or thinking about MK…read what RTP says and take her advice…it will save you a whole lot of money and a whole lot of headaches!
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I think the MK holiday products are great…everyone wants a little more glamour in the holiday season and I think MK got it right this time with the gold shimmer face powder. It’s not to flashy and highlights any complexion beautifully. MK prices are comparable to other major department brands, in my opinion, and their skincare performs better than most. I have the complexion to prove it. This website is great for those who love to vent about personal MK experiences but you must know this fact, not all of us have been scorned by Mary Kay…and there are still a lot of women out there who love their product line.
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Karen, I respectfully disagree, MK products are NOT great….have you ever taken the time to read what’s in them? Very chalked full of chemicals, bad for the environment and bad for people on a long term bases!
I’m happy you like them…but honestly you would be much further ahead to find a products that is closer to nature! JMO
Cheers!
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“but you must know this fact, not all of us have been scorned by Mary Kay…and there are still a lot of women out there who love their product line.”
I don’t know that I’d describe some of the women here as being “scorned” by MK. More like lied to and deceived..
I have always said that if someone wants to sell MK, go for it. I don’t care. If you’re happy, fine. It can be a fun hobby. But don’t believe 99% of the hype.
I’ve seen no evidence that their products perform better than others. Most of that analysis is subjective. Usually the improvement in users’ complexions come from taking care of their skin on a regular basis. Since that is pounded into consultants’ heads and promoted by them, I think this accounts for most of the positive results many see.
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this has nothing to do with the holiday guide, but just a thought on the mk products based on my personal use. while i would agree that success with any skincare is based on regular use, i know from my experience that the mary kay products are the best over other brands i’ve tried. i do try others, just to see, and i’m always thankful that my mk products are there. i’ve got a couple of customers that absolutely do not like the mk mascara and then a couple that swear by it and won’t by anything else. i’ve got one that cannot stand the mk liquid foundation, but swears by mk concealer. i have tried 2 very popular (and less than mary kay) skincare lines on hsn and both have been very disappointing. i tried each (at different times) for one month and, truthfully, each was one month too long. one gal’s stuff smelled wonderful, but my face never felt clean after washing/cleansing. one of her eye cream products would not absorb into the skin and i had to resolve to putting it on at night when i went to bed. but i did try, like i said, for one month. i also tried another popular book/catalog company’s products with my teenagers and their acne, but, both of them wanted to go back to the mary kay regime i had them on after just 2 weeks. i’m all for everyone finding what they like and what works for them.
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oops – meant “buy” anything else.
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Ok, first of all, MK DOES sell out of holiday products IF THE IBC PROMOTES IT to her customers! You have to WORK the business to GET business! Obviously it didn’t “fly off the shelves” because she didn’t work at it. I know plenty of ISD’s and NSD’s who have made it and they buy the holiday products and THEY sell out before the stuff is available to IBC’s! Thank you. Just had to let some steam off. And for you ladies who are new and are thinking about doing the buy back thing, have a 50% off sale or something to get the extra products off your shelf.
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Just wanted to add that if MK products had so called “bad” ingredients in them, they wouldn’t be sold to the general public…for the record, I work my business smart and was never roped into buying inventory I didn’t need. I order what I sell and my business works great that way. Most MK women who need to vent here, were unfortunately stuck with inventory packages that they were talked into buying and knew they couldn’t sell. Mary Kay has never ever lied to me and I’ve been a consultant for four years. Never had a problem with the company at all. You have to be head strong and smart to run a direct selling business and no matter what any sales director tells you…use your common sense and don’t buy a $600 inventory package knowing full well that you probably won’t even sell half of it. There is no pink fog here, just a lot of God’s gift of common sense. Take care everyone!
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Hey Crystal,
I was out there trying to make a flawed system work. I had some $1,000+ sales weeks. I advertised (as much as MK will allow per the IBC contract) and I even carried around a holiday basket with me and made sales to the gals at the espresso drive-thrus and such. I was doing at least 3 classes per week during that holiday season. I participated in the PCP program and sent emails and brochures to customers that came along after the sign-up cutoff date. I was working it. There comes a point where you hit a brick wall, a dead end. No matter how hard you work it, no matter how much time you devote to it, it does fail. Thank you. I had a 50% off sale *after* I called MK Repurchasing Dept. because I had almost a month before my return had to be postmarked. Some people bought things that they would have bought otherwise (my regulars), but it really didn’t bring in any significant outstanding sales. There were some items that I couldn’t even pawn off on people for FREE. I had a buy anything get a freebie from the freebie selection deal and there are just some colors and items that no one at all wanted. I meant Mary Kay Inc. selling out of the holiday products, and I said they usually don’t sell out of most of them. If they do it’s like one thing in a certain shade. Not to worry, any local consultant or SD surely has some sitting on their shelf you could purchase or trade for.
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MK products contain talc and parabens to name just 2 controversial ingredients. Yes, they are permitted by the FDA or sale of those items would be illegal. The FDA allows alot of other crap to be sold to consumers as well though! Talc, when inhaled, causes lung cancer. If you’re powdering your face with it, some is getting inhaled. Parabens are also carcinogens, and they come in many forms – methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, etc. Anything ending w/ “paraben” is a paraben. Also, petrolatum, aluminum (a known carcinogen and neurotoxin) and paraffin aren’t so good for us either.
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Wow, maybe we all should stop wearing make-up or it sounds like we’ll all be in trouble…many other make-up brands contain the same ingredients…stop picking on Mary Kay.
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Wow, maybe we all should stop wearing make-up or it sounds like we’ll all be in trouble…many other make-up brands contain the same ingredients…stop picking on Mary Kay.
Karen…you are a big bag of hot air…all bluster and no substance. Just because you haven’t read about the dangers of these products doesn’t mean they are good for you. That sounded like the pouting of a 13 year old.
Most MK women who need to vent here, were unfortunately stuck with inventory packages that they were talked into buying and knew they couldn’t sell.
That statement sounds even more juvenile. Why would anybody in their right mind buy something they KNEW they couldn’t sell?
Mary Kay has never ever lied to me and I’ve been a consultant for four years. Never had a problem with the company at all. You have to be head strong and smart to run a direct selling business and no matter what any sales director tells you…use your common sense and don’t buy a $600 inventory package knowing full well that you probably won’t even sell half of it. There is no pink fog here, just a lot of God’s gift of common sense. Take care everyone!
If you have been in the company for 4 years and never even spent $600 on inventory…it’s not much of a business is it? Yep, I could tell right off the bat that you were a genius…the rest of the world is just plain stupid…but not you!
After you wrote that last little bit, did you stick your fingers in your ears and say “na na na na na
na” or maybe “I’m rubber, your glue, everything you say bounces off me and sticks to you?”
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Wow, you sound like the one with the problem, Lipstick. You’d be surprised at how successful my business is without inventory. Did I bash you personally, no, I don’t think so. Maybe you shouldn’t bash other people and stop being such a crybaby yourself. I believe a negative attitude constitutes childish behavior. You people need to get over you misfortunes and move on. “Na, Na, Na, Na!!!”
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“no matter what any sales director tells you…use your common sense and don’t buy a $600 inventory package knowing full well that you probably won’t even sell half of it. ”
If women followed that advice, Mary Kay Inc would go out of business.
The consultant IS the customer.
And why would any consultant have trouble selling “half of it” ? This stuff is supposed to be in such high demand. Isn’t that why they need all these new consultants?
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Sarah I’m not going to get into a chidish diatribe with you. I didn’t bash you personally, I used
your own words to show how sill some of the things you said sounded.
I think it’s great that you didn’t buy an inventory package, but your post made it sound like you had never purchased anything.
Go do your pink MK RAH RAH thing and quit trying to promote MK on an anti MK site. Our sole purpose is to help others see the truth and avoid the pitfalls of MK.
If you love Mk, I’m happy for your, but don’t make statements that insult our intelligence and keep on singing the praises of MK in sentences that don’t make any sense.
I’m happy where I am and the world I live in is not negative. I wasn’t making any crybaby statements, just pointing out how childish your
posts were.
That is one of the biggest problems with MK…any statement that disagrees or points out a problem is considered negative. Just keep on holding your hands over your ears and shouting I can’t hear you and calling names. It won’t change the reality one bit.
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to show how sill some of the things you said sounded.
Sorry, I should have proofed my post before submitting. That should have read:
“to show how silly some of the things you said sounded.”
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Wow, when I found this website on a search engine…it said post Mary Kay opinions…I wasn’t aware that this was a company bashing website. Why do you all hate Mary Kay so much? I guess I’m just curious as to why you all sit around and make horrible comments about a company. Mary Kay doesn’t twist your arm to make you buy any of it’s products. If your a consultant you signed on full well knowing that this is a business opportunity. If you had a sales director who lied to you to purchase more inventory than you needed, you should have done your research before investing in something like this. I do run my business with as little inventory as I possibly can. Most of my customers don’t mind waiting as little as a week or less for their product knowing that it hasn’t been sitting in my basement for two years. I would really love to know what made you so bitter towards Mary Kay. If you didn’t work hard enough to make your business work you only have to look in the mirror and place blame towards yourself, not sit around and make horrible accusations to Mary Kay. I’m sure most of you only research Mary Kay products and post the supposed “bad” things in them because you have a chip on your shoulder about the company. If your really cared about the environment and the horrible things that make-up is doing to it…you’d research all cosmetic lines and post how bad their products are as well. I won’t visit your site again after this post, you can go on and have your anti-MK site to cry and moan about whatever pitfalls you’ve encountered through your business. It’s apparent that this is your therapy…sorry, I stirred up any ill feelings but just try to move on for your own sake. This website is really pathetic.
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Karen, we do welcome opinions and if you read further you would hear our stories and understand, but I guess you chose to look at the first thread you read and make your own assumptions.
All opinions are welcome, but don’t expect everyone to just agree with you. If you choose to ignore anything that doesn’t agree with your opinion, you just stay the same…never learning and maybe never showing anyone else WHY you believe the way you do.
Education is what this site is all about, telling the truth about MK and exposing the ways they decieve people into thinking they are going to make executive incomes and that product flies off the shelves. Duping consultants into buying huge amounts of inventory, failing to admit that the largest “customer” of MK is the IBC not the general public.
If you think you have a business read your consultant agreement and discover how little “control” you have over your business. MK controls all the aspects of income producing
activities. That’s the reason most people don’t make any money.
MK has a side business going on selling consultants all the “tools” they “need” and taking any profit you could make back.
We don’t reasearch ways to disparage MK, we lived them and if you took the time to read more, you’d realize that and you’d be running “your” business with eyes wide open instead of through the pink bubble that Mk likes to keep you in….by declaring everything that they don’t agree with as “negative”
I have moved on as have most everyone else in this forum…you never ventured inside to see what we really are all about. We really spend more time talking about our families, jobs, health, food, our pets, our lives than we do about MK, but we also strive to give people the facts so they can benefit from our bad experiences and keep them from falling for the same lines.
If you didn’t work hard enough to make your business work you only have to look in the mirror and place blame towards yourself, not sit around and make horrible accusations to Mary Kay.
Every one of us worked hard trying to make our businesses work, so it’s insulting when you revert to MK speak and assume we didn’t make it because we didn’t work it.
If you are placing orders for people and paying $9.00 per each small order that is surely eating into your profit…if you are truly making any.
Just do a balance sheet, listing your expenses on one side, gas, shipping, product, samples, supplies, hostess gifts, PCP, meeting dues, MK event fees, everything. Then list on the other side your sales. Subtract your sales from your cost and then divide it by the total number of hours you spend…phone calls, warm chattering, delivering orders, preparing and setting up for a class, cleaning up after, calling your hostess, preprofiling her guests, attending meetings and MK events and divide that into your profit or loss. You’ll see how very little you are making or how much you are losing.
MK is right about one thing…numbers don’t lie!
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UGH! I am so tired of listening to MK consultants and their self righteous chastising! So you LOVE MK good for you! I don’t and I have plenty of reasons not to!
I hope you listened well to what Lipstick wrote! She’s a smart woman that worked her business for almost a decade!
Good luck to you in your MK business…notice I didn’t call you pathetic! Play nice and NO name calling that is NOT tolerated here!
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Karen, this IS a place to discuss Mary Kay and share your opinions. Unfortunately, you’re bashing people here rather than discussing.
And apparently we’re so pathetic that you can’t stay away!
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Comments like yours don’t help!
Our stories are posted, if you wanted to know.
MK teaches to stay away from ALL things negative then the 1st thing most Kaybots do is post NEGATIVE statements about those who did not enjoy their “opportunity”.
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MK teaches to stay away from ALL things negative then the 1st thing most Kaybots do is post NEGATIVE statements about those who did not enjoy their “opportunity”.
Tam, you are POSITIVELY correct!
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Karen, who are you fooling? You will be back if only to see the reactions. You are so caught up in MK that even after everyone explained their opinions to you in the SIMPLEST of terms you still seemed confused. Whose really the pathetic one here? It took you five posts before you realized that this was not a ProMK site? And whose really negative? You couldn’t make your exit without a personal attack. It seems that you don’t have one thought in your head that Mary Kay didn’t put there. And please stop the “not working hard enough” crap around! Please tell that to someone who hasn’t worked full time to support herself while earning a graduate degree. I know exactly what hard work gets you and I have several things in my life as evidence of that. What Mary Kay calls hard work is really spinning your wheels. You talk a good game but the truth is they have stripped you off all your sense of reasoning, so much that you can’t acknowledge it. Seriously do really think ALL of the women here are just bitter and lazy, and their stories have no merit? Finally to address you last statement, no this is not therapy, but I think most of the ladies here have jobs with health care, so they can see a therapist if they chose to.
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Oh, one last thing regarding the quality of MK products. I would say they are decent. I think the Time Wise line is okay if your primary need is anti-aging. If you have struggled with acne as I have, Time Wise will not effectively address that nor will Velocity. Acne treament requires very specific ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, at very specific amounts to treat your acne without being too harsh. The line that I was using before I started with MK, and will continue to use BTW, has truly worked a “Miracle” on my skin. So yes, do your research ladies and buy in accordance to your skin care needs. There are some wonderful brands out there, something for everyone.
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I just started with Mary Kay weeks ago. I notice that some people didn’t want to buy because the products are expensive. I beleive that customers will notice that the constulatnt buy the products for half off and the customers buy it for double. For example the constulaunt buy lip stick for $6 and they sell it to the customer for $13 dollars. I also tried to inivite people to my party no one was interest. It can of strange iniviting strangers to your home for a party that you don’t know that well. One thing for real I am not going to let anybody push me to buy inventory. The directors and nationals at Mary Kay don’t care about you they just want the commission they make off of you and getting the cars and trips by recuriting people under them. Because of my own thoughts about Mary Kay and some of your thoughts about this compnay I am thinking should I stay in this company. Also the directors are pushy and force you to buy the starter kit when you tell thme to wait you will paid for it later.
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Laketta, step into our forum, by clicking on the FORUM link at the top of the page. You will find a lot of informatin about MK and a lot of people who are willing to answer your questions from personal experience. Yo will be asked to register before joining our forum, but you ae not required to post anything and nobody will contact you unless you send them a PM.
It sounds like you are already having doubts and having a hard time getting people to book and/or buy from you. My advice is to get out while you can, before somebody strongarms you into buying inventory!
Good luck whatever you do!
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I have been reading up on this website and listening to the comments on Mary Kay. I really wanted to give my two cents here. I am a new consultant. I think the point here is that Mary Kay is not for everyone. Some people like the products and some do not. The same is for the business. It may work for some people and not others. I do not think Karen was wrong to stand up for Mary Kay. Everyone was attacking it quite aggressively. But there are obvious faults with the system and the management. I think it is unrealistic to aim for the car and the $5,000 /month income.
It becomes little pocket money…really you will not get rich off this business and you do have to play it smart even to get the ‘little pocket money’ – it is often is not worth it. Some women like it and think it is grea
t! They may have fun with it, use it as a way to ‘increase’ their independence, as an excuse to have a social life outside the kids and house, or to learn some things about sales. Others have very bad experiences with it where they have been lied to, pushed around, and left to ‘fend for themselves’. They realize the ‘Pink Cult’ is not for them at all. I think a lot of it has to do with your recruiter/director. If they are too pushy then you will push back hard. As you should.
My statement. This website should accept both the good and bad comments in order for people like me (new consultant or potential consultants) to make informed decisions to be able the weight the pros and cons of the business. It just seemed to me like and good comments were taken with a too much hostility.
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I think the point is more that if you want to do MK, fine, but be informed and know what you’re getting into.
Apparently you haven’t been reading here much. The whole point of this website is not really to trash MK but to point out some of the misconceptions, myths and outright deceptions.
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I find it ironic that when pro MKers are talking about how negative we are and how wonderful MK is they think that is just fine. They also seem to think it is fine to assume that those who got out of MK are bitter, lazy and just love misrepresenting MK to others.
But if those of us who have had bad experiences in MK choose to tell our experiences, we are bitter, angry and just trying to rain on “good” people’s parade and of course we must NOT believe in God or have good moral values, good work ethics or we would have been successful.
I find those opinions to be as insulting as they find my opinions. I am sad that they can not even consider that there are many who have had bad expereinces with MK and the motives for sharing them are to save others from the same bad experiences.
I will pray that in the coming year there will be some acceptance and understanding of what we have been through.
I am truly happy for those who love their MK business and have not gone into debt, but I will not stop telling of my experiences or the pitfalls, because the one person who might be saved from a mistake is worth all the disparaging remarks from those who believe MK is a wonderful.
Let them choose to live in a “pink bubble” holding their hands over their ears chanting “I will not listen to your negative comments, I choose to be positive and believe there is something wrong with you!”
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Well written Lipstick!
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Welcome to the wonderful world of MLMs. They are very expensive hobbies at best, and life destroyers at worst. I’ve been in several (including MK, Amway, Princess House, etc.) and they are ALL EXACTLY THE SAME. If you attended the meetings of any MLM with a blindfold on and truly had no idea which MLM it was, you would swear they were all the same. They are all going to: make you rich, help you stay home with your kids, etc. Yeah, and I’m the Easter Bunny.
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Wow! I know that the last post was in 2008 by the way, but just couldn’t resist, being a two-time MK Veteran myself. For some of you with Stellar experiences, here’s another opinion:
When I was recruited (both times) I was lied to by directors who were about to lose cars or who were trying to upgrade to the infamous pink cadillac. Although I used the products since I was a teen, and have a family full of former IBC’s, I fell for the pitch, hook, line, and sinker. I bought inventory, sold it back, wrote a letter to explain why, and bought more. The company basis is wonderful, and if you get under the right director, you WILL prosper. If you don’t, but you know how to do what you need to do, you WILL prosper. (this doesn’t mean to follow the MK rules, but to study direct marketing and MLM’s and go with what really works – it is a numbers game, by the way).
I am now happily in another, different, MLM/Direct Marketing company, and doing well, not keeping stale inventory (my new company prohibits the purchase of anything that you will not use or sell in 90 days). My products are sent directly to the customer, and the commission check comes to ME. The products are expensive, but are worth it (this time). MK was wonderful to me for years, but this makes MK look like I pulled it out of the trash….sorry, but this is how it works for me…everyone’s skin is different…MK is right, you SHOULD use complete systems because they are designed to work together for the best results.
So, Easter Bunny, I have found the right one…wanna know the scoop?
All in good fun, ladies. MK can be great or can trash your finances. The bottom line is that you decide. You would not go to your local discount store and buy tons of their products to go peddle would you? Research, make an informed decision, and don’t try to sell anything that you don’t truly believe in or you will FAIL MISERABLY…and the unfortunate part is, it will be YOUR OWN FAULT! (it was mine too)
If you love it I am SO happy for you!
If you hate it, I am so sorry that you never learned that you were in charge of those decisions.
If somehow got away without hearing the “hide tanner story”…oh my, you never really were a IBC were you???
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Nu-Thoughts said:
Sorry, but that’s simply a marketing ploy to get you to buy more product. There is no evidence whatsoever that using the “complete system” leads to stellar results.
Yeah…now that you have had a sip of the rah-rah kool-aid, you can put aside your own objections and just blindly sell
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