Puking Pink tells a powerful story, and 10 things she hates about Mary Kay

Name: Puking Pink

Are You Active or Inactive? Active

Amount of Initial Inventory You Purchased: $1800

How were you recruited? Tell us all the details.
I was met with the MK opportunity at a vulnerable time in my life as a newly wed who’s husband was gone in the NAVY. A good friend’s mom who I trusted called me and presented the opportunity to me. I was so excited knowing that this was the change in my life I had been praying for. I signed up after talking to my husband, and then got the inventory call.
I’m also a college student, so I was reluctant to even pay the starter kit, website, propay money, but I did to prove I was a serious consultant who really wanted to work my business. My director set the bar at $1200 for me, and I had a hard time accepting the manipulating things she was saying, because I kept thinking of all the red flags when she was telling me to use a credit card. I don’t believe in credit cards, plus I’m already in school debt, so it wasn’t an option. She made me feel guilty by telling me her sob story of when she starting MK as a bankrupt preggers who wrote a bad check to pay for her starter kit, so she wouldn’t accept excuses from me.

She pulled the God card saying I was living in fear and God didn’t call me to be fearful, blah blah blah blah blah! I gave in and borrowed the money from my mom, and luckily was able to pay it back with tax returns! Oh, and I didn’t a $1800 instead of a $1200…

I started going to adoptee meetings excited about my new “career,” but I felt uneasy, because I truly didn’t like the Mary Kay enthusiasm or all the consultants/red jackets young and old who hadn’t a CLUE HOW TO WEAR MAKEUP pretending they were makeup artists. I ignored that, though. I got caught up in the hype, and became close to my director.
Because I’m my director’s daughter’s friend, she got emotionally attached to me saying I was like her daughter, and so on, and I trusted her, because she has made so many great “milestones” w/ the company and has been in for 20 yrs. She started using our bonding experiences to manipulate me when I wasn’t doing everything she asked. I wasn’t allowed to make any orders without her, and I felt like I was micro-managed even though I opened my own business!

Do you have a memorable experience from your time in Mary Kay? If so, please tell us about it.
I went to leadership and seminar, and got swept up in the hype. My director showed me off to everyone (even though I wasn’t a star) saying how I was going to be the next big thing. Because of my age, personality, and because I wasn’t ugly everyone thought I was going to do huge things when I got home. I didn’t want to let them or myself down, so I got to work. I put on my MK uniform before and after work and hit salons trying to do baskets with them. I made phone calls. I became overwhelmed instantly in the first week! I became a workaholic, and I hadn’t even started! I felt completely wimpy, because I barely even did anything, and I was already out of energy!

A few months later I started expressing dislike in what I was doing to my director. She called me pigheaded and childish. She said the conversation was really pissing her off, and that I was jerking her around, because one minute I wanted to become a director and the next minute I just wanted to do part-time. She was very hard on me, because of our close relationship, which probably made it worse for me. I got off the phone crying and really upset in myself about being a failure or as she said “a quitter, because I didn’t even try.”

At this point, I knew nothing would change. I hated pretending that I liked what I was doing. I was so bogged down by the lifestyle, and I couldn’t get back up. I spent more money than I should’ve on gas to get to my adoptee meeting (an hour away!), printer ink, business clothes, business products, baskets & basket products for giveaways, conference costs, inventory, etc. etc.
I started finding things out about my director’s personal life like her marriage falling apart, her manipulative tactics with her daughter/family members, etc. and started to feel a little more empowered. No longer did I take all the blame for everything! I started to fish around these sites, and I knew I had to get out! Why did I feel like I was in a cult??!

I had a business phone call w/ my director to tell her I simply couldn’t do this anymore, because I didn’t have the time and money to continue part-time. As soon as the words were spoken, she freaked out! She felt personally attacked by me even though all I’d mentioned were myself and MY BUSINESS not her! She practically said I was bi-polar, started yelling at me, didn’t let me get a word in to explain anything, she even swore, and started doing this stupid role-playing. She said if I had a son who started whining because he couldn’t make the team, what would I tell him? I said, “I don’t know, I don’t have kids. Try again next year?” I knew what she was getting at, and I was so pissed off at this point.

She said she has consultants do part-time that work two jobs and have children. My question was DO THEY MAKE ANY MONEY? That’s all I’m concerned with right now. Then, she started the angle that I wasn’t teachable and I refused to learn anything in life. I’d be stuck in my present circumstances for the rest of my life and pass it onto my children. There’s really nothing so bad about my life, but whatever.
Again, I left the conversation crying. She later put up a FB post related to me. Real mature. I sent her a lengthy Email afterwards. I just really can’t believe I ignored all the warning signs. I trusted this family friend and she turned out to be a manipulative lunatic. I know she’ll be gossiping about me to all those people who had high hopes for me at seminar, but what can I do? I feel so used! Ugh!
This happened two nights ago, by the way…

What are you doing now?
Trying to get out. Trying to vent on this site, because no one except someone who’s been in MK can understand the craziness.
Feel free to include any additional comments here:
Ten Things I hate about Mary Kay:
1. Panty hose and business skirts…really? This is 2011. I spent way too much on my consultant clothes when I had so many nice business pants
2. How they use God to manipulate you into doing something, but won’t allow you to say, “God is leading me in another direction.”
3. I HATE the horribly unfashionable director’s uniform. Apart from the black one from 2010 (I think), they’re all so ugly and unflattering.
4. Most Mary Kay ladies can’t do their own makeup let alone others! For weddings, I was told to give the makeup samples to the bridesmaids and let them do their own. Why are they paying me, then? I never felt comfortable with that, so I ALWAYS did what they paid me to do at weddings.
5. Being a STAR consultant…I never understood why that was the “highest honor in MK.” I still don’t.
6. Any objection you have to anything is overcome and used against in other conversations.
7. Although I like the product, MK makeup (more so the colors) are not like pro brands like MAC. I hate that everyone in MK thinks they are when you can barely can do a clean smokey eye with the black.
8. EVERYONE IS A CLONE! This bothered me the most as a young person. I hate that I couldn’t have an identity apart from everyone else. To me, makeup is an art, but this business is all sales and NO art, therefore everyone looks cheap unless you’re gorgeous enough to pull of a cheap look. Some definitely can.
9. The directors all act like they’re living large. Unless they have a rich husband, I KNOW most of them are either in debt or just scraping by with their sales. Almost EVERYTHING goes into their business.
10. Because I was more “family oriented” and a “people pleaser” my personality was definitely working against me in this business. My director was extremely dominant making her the best candidate in the world, and I (not even joking) had to be like her to be successful. I never want to feel like my personality or my strengths are a weakness. Good Lord!