Pink Lemonade Out of Mary Kay Lemons
Written by PinkPeace
As much as we can be very angry and disgusted with Mary Kay for any number of legitimate reasons, if we’re honest with ourselves, our experience in the pink bubble wasn’t 100% bad.
I wanted to highlight some of the positives I got out of my years in the business in the hopes that you’ll be able to look at your own experience and extract some good out of it. Trust me, you’ll feel a lot better about Mary Kay when you can see that it was part of a journey that made you a better person.
I became more outgoing and confident in public. Prior to Mary Kay, I was shy and was terrified to speak in front of others. I never wanted to go anywhere where I had to meet new people, and I was awkward any time I had to give a presentation or speak in front of a group. Mary Kay taught me how to start a conversation with someone else and keep it going by engaging the other person in talking about him or herself. My many years in directorship trained me to think on my feet in front of other women and give presentations that others were excited to hear.
I developed a more positive attitude. When I joined Mary Kay, I was negative, sarcastic and just generally unpleasant to be around. In the beginning, it was extremely difficult for me to project a positive attitude, because it just was not my nature. But as the years went by, I discovered the wisdom that “you attract more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.”
My positive and upbeat attitude gradually became natural and got me farther than my previous disposition ever would have. I became a generally much happier person by looking for the positives in any given situation instead of dwelling on the negatives. Without my MK training, I am convinced I would never have been able to turn that part of my personality around.
I learned to better deal with different personality types. Well, I’m pretty much a “D” personality – domineering, take charge and convinced that it should be my way or the highway. I was forced to deal with all different personality types in my unit and see the value in each one. I had to stretch and develop patience and tolerance for women who saw the world completely differently than I do. Eventually I came to appreciate each of their perspectives and value them for who they were.
I developed patience and persistence. I was naturally very impatient when I began Mary Kay, but I quickly learned that impatience did not help me build my business, especially when I was going through DIQ and was in directorship. I know that they always say, “Fast is good and slow is impossible.”
But when it came to pressuring women to become consultants, I found that if I took my time and “layered” them, I had more chance of success. (Of course now I wish I hadn’t brought anyone into this business, but at the time I thought I was doing the right thing.) Now if I don’t get an instant result in whatever I’m doing, I know that it’s not the end of the world, and that if I keep plugging away, I’ll eventually have a better outcome.
I learned how to give a good compliment. I know this sounds a little silly, but I was not in the habit of complimenting others before I received “warm stalking” training with Mary Kay. It taught me to be observant and pick up on little clues from women about what might make them feel special. One of the most fun things about being out of the pink bubble is giving random compliments to people just to be nice. I really love picking out something about someone else and letting her know I notice and appreciate it.
I learned to make others feel important. What a powerful life lesson! There is such value in giving recognition and appreciation to someone else. I also learned that the world does not revolve around me, and that sharing the spotlight with others is much more fulfilling. I’m so glad Mary Kay taught me to find whatever is unique and valuable about others and give it attention and recognition.
I discovered the power of praising someone to success. This has been an especially good lesson for me with my children. There is a world of difference in someone’s reaction and performance when you find something to praise rather than something to criticize. I apply this to other people that I interact with also. I’m always the first with a “good for YOU!” or “that’s fantastic – you’re doing great!” when someone does something right. I’ve been told that people like to work with me because I find things to get excited about instead of dwelling on what might have gone wrong.
I got a lot cuter. Say what you will about wearing makeup and having a dress code, but I really needed it! Before Mary Kay, I had NO clue about how to pull myself together to look appealing. I look so much better with makeup, a good haircut and cute clothes, and outside of Mary Kay, I don’t know how I would have gotten that kind of advice, short of being on a TV makeover show. And because I know I look good, I feel good and have more confidence.
Any of you who have read any of my previous posts know that I am NOT a kaybot, and I do not defend the company. But I believe God had/has you in Mary Kay for a purpose, and can make good come out of bad circumstance. Try to reflect on them as I toast you all with a glass of pink lemonade!
Visit the
Pink Peace, soooo much of this is true. Regardless of the cult like environment we have all lived through, I agree with so much of what you said.
I never thought I’d have the confidence to go live on FB, as I was only a consultant during the Covid times. There were times where it was fun. And your post makes me realize that it wasn’t all that bad.
The end was the worst, finding out that all I was to my uplines was a big old dollar sign, but they couldn’t take away from me the things I learned about myself. It did change as an individual for the better.
I have changed my MK FB Business page to Former MK Consultant, and I post a lot of stuff from here, on it. Always giving props to you ladies that give such important information to hopefully turn that woman who thinks she can really make a go of it in this scam. I tell them my story, what happened to me and my finances, and how I lost almost every single MK gal as a friend. I tell them that I have a REAL side gig, working as a cashier at a local CVS, and that I get a guaranteed paycheck every two weeks, making $15 an hour. I never made a dime with MK.
I had a personal group while in MK. I shared the downfall with all of them, after all the lives and sales online, host a party with me, win free stuff, blah blah. I’m happy to say that only 5 people left my private group. I still have 191 peeps who stood by me. THAT in itself is amazing to me. I’ve kept the group going, not badmouthing MK, but comparing other makeup/skincare lines, still doing lives here and there. They say they miss my lives. That really warmed my heart.
So, MK gave me lemons for sure, but my group is the place where the lemonade is made. FB Enhance All That Is You. I don’t sell anything, I just post funny memes, blog about my family/friends/life/give info, promote my friends’ small businesses, and I just love everyone in it. Kudos to you on this post! You made so many good points!
Thank you so much for posting this.
Thank you for this, PinkPeace. It’s really refreshing to look back and see the good that came out of my MK experience (without discounting the bad).
I learned incredible sales and influencing skills. When I took a real sales job at the beginning of 2020, I was able to hone those skills and leverage them to create a six-figure base + commission job.
I developed grit that served me well trying to launch a new career in the midst of a pandemic.
I refined my ability to create a team dynamic. We are using these skills to foster a sense of team morale that my current team lost while we were all working away from the office.
I learned how to build boundaries in my life and work. Most of this learning was as a result of doing it poorly during MK. But I learned what I am and am not willing to tolerate when it comes to work encroaching on my personal life. I am hyper-aware of those encroachments now, and can shut them down quickly.
I developed excellent budgeting skills. When you can manage a little money, you can manage more money. And I developed a deep abiding gratitude for the ability to earn more money, a compassion for those who cannot, and an awareness of the needs around me that I am better able to help with now that I have more income. I learned the difference between a need and a want, and I am able to instill that knowledge in my kids.
I, too, became much more positive. And now, out of the pink fog, I can marry that positive outlook with an awareness of toxic positivity. And I use my positivity (mostly) to build up others, instead of tearing them down.
I learned that if you do not ask, the answer will always be no. I got over my fear of asking for what I needed/wanted. And I’ve learned to graciously accept a “no” and move on. I have learned to leave space for another person’s “no.”
What a great reflection. I was RIFed at the beginning of COVID from a position that I’d held for nearly 21 years. It took time, but almost three years later, I can finally see the good that came from that experience. I think it’s so important and healthy to seek the good in everything, even in situations you wouldn’t want to repeat.
Well said PinkPeace. I will add that most sales positions would likely have grown your skills in most of these areas. I supposed it could be said that MLM is one of the few sales positions you don’t need to interview for, allowing you to get into sales easily. Take away the recruiting, and MLM could be positioned as a true sales position with the potential benefits you mention, so long as the MLM is transparent about the very, very likely financial losses (note: no MLM is transparent about this today).
So, if an IBC believes the non-monetary rewards are worth the money lost, then one could argue it was a net positive. But this would be true only for IBCs, not SDs. I believe that any benefits (financial or otherwise) claimed by an individual SD can never be used to justify the damage done to the down-line. Good for you mentioning you wish you had never recruited…now that you understand how this works!
Thank you for your post. It is refreshing!
So this really speaks to me because of my sister –
“I got a lot cuter. Say what you will about wearing makeup and having a dress code, but I really needed it! Before Mary Kay, I had NO clue about how to pull myself together to look appealing”
My sister is this the person who has zaro clue as to how to put herself together. I was floored last year when we went shopping as she wanted to update her wardrobe, and she couldn’t answer a basic question of what styla do you like, or even so what celebrities style do you like? The whole process of shopping for herself overwhelmed her. It never occurred to me before than that some people don’t pay attention to styles or see something on a TV show and say ohhh I wonder if I can get or have something similar in my closet so I can.dress like that. My sister is strictly a jeans sneakers and UW badgers hoodie type of a girl. On the other hand it never occurred to her notice things like that and figure out what she likes and should be shopping for which also helps one to narrow down the options.
For those wondering my sister has since put together a wardrobe that loves and yes she still wears her badgers hoodies too.
I had the best time road-tripping to Seminar. Only girls trip I’ve ever been on. Seminar itself was…you know…but the drive there and back was epic.
Believe it or not, being in MK was what got me a job as a makeup artist in the Detroit area for Dior. I look back now and marvel that the account executive hired me with that background. However, I sure learned the difference between MK quality and Dior. I also learned how to actually sell and what the ingredients in the skin care did and why. I never learned that from my SD or Applause.
Thank you for this! I know that one day I will be able to look back and see the good that has come from my time in MK. I’m only 6 months out, so it’s still hard some days and the wounds are still pretty fresh. But this gives me hope!
You would’ve gotten all that from a legitimate job as a sales rep. Plus you might have made some serious money.