An angry pregnant lady rant about Mary Kay.

Last night, at 10:30 PM I got a text from a gal I know from church who sells Mary Kay. I haven't seen or talked to her in months. The text said "hi" and that she was sorry we didn't get a chance to chat at an event we saw each other in passing at on Saturday and she was wondering how I was doing. I texted back no problem and said things are going well. Of course she texted again asking if I'd be able to help her meet her sales goal for the month, blah blah blah, could I please throw together a last minute Mary Kay party this weekend.

UGH.

I actually like this woman, she is really nice and fun to talk to, but since she started selling Mary Kay it's like she's a totally different person. Everything is about Mary Kay. I frequently get emails and texts from her asking if I need any products. I find this really annoying - if I need something, I will let her know. Does Crest email me and call me to see if I need more toothpaste? Does Oxyclean pester me to see if I need more laundry detergent? Um, no.

About a year and a half ago, she called me and asked me to meet her for coffee and let her practice her pitch for when she starts trying to recruit new sales members to her team. I wasn't that excited about it but decided, meh, it's an hour I can help her out and listen. I show up and it's not just her, it's her and her sales director. They were in my face about what a great opportunity it is, how amazing it's been for them, how they're making a ton of money, blah blah blah. I felt a little ambushed in that this was not what I signed up to do. I politely declined and explained that it wasn't something I was interested in. The sales director, I could tell she was annoyed like I had wasted her time, threw these words in my face, "Why would you say NO to making money and enriching women's lives?" I hate this kind of high pressure shit.

Over the next few months, both of those women called me several times to see if I was ready to dive into a career with Mary Kay. I explained to them that I am not ready to dive into any career given my children's ages and needs (P5 had just been diagnosed with autism too and getting him services was my top priority). I also explained that honestly, I am not passionate about skincare and make up. I rarely wear makeup anyway. Every few months they invite me to Mary Kay recruiting events which I always decline. Get.the.hint!

Last spring I hosted a Mary Kay party to help my friend out and I had 2 other friends come. I don't blame the others who declined - people tend to feel pretty strongly about brands and products, not to mention the dynamic of an in-home party. As far as makeup goes, I actually do like the Mary Kay makeup. Prior I used Neutrogena makeup which is sold in most drug stores and is at the same price point as Mary Kay. As for Mary Kay's skin care products - I hate them. I've tried many different products and I find the soap doesn't clean my face very well or I breakout after using it for a few days. All the skin care products I've tried seem kind of cheap and ineffective for the price. The compensation I got for hosting the party was a free mascara, which really in the long run wasn't worth it.

I feel like Mary Kay has made this woman an aggressive person who I now kind of want to avoid. Every contact with her is always followed up with a sales pitch. A few months back she contacted me and asked if it would be OK for her to drop off sample products for my Mom's group girls night in get-together. I'll admit I should have been direct and said no, instead I told her she should run it by the social coordinator of the group (I had no hand in planning the event nor was it at my house). Later when I talked to the social coordinator she said she told her no way would that fly.

So last night I texted this gal back and said that this weekend doesn't work for me, my husband is out of town till Saturday night, I am one of the leaders for a big event at church on Sunday so I will be doing prep work Saturday and then at the church all day Sunday followed by our standing date night on Sunday evening. She didn't respond until this morning I got another text saying, OK well can I host a party next week? UGH again! Seriously. This time I'm just going to have to be direct and say A) I am personally well stocked on products. B) I don't want to host a party because honestly I don't think many of my friends would be interested at this time. C) I'm pregnant, tired, busy with various activities, and I'm traveling to California next week to help my very ill father for a few days. Hosting a Mary Kay party is the last thing I want or need on my plate right now.

The last thing that bothers me about Mary Kay - three times I've heard this MK sales friend go on about how her daily emails from Mary Kay headquarters include bible verses and how much of a Christian organization the company is (a slick tactic to help sell products within churches, no doubt). She often jokes that she "gets more church from Mary Kay than from church." I actually find that line pretty offensive - and I don't agree with that offhand remark. Anyway, I feel better just ranting about this, so thanks for listening. Carry on.