I got duped by Mary Kay Cosmetics

I entered a random drawing at the mall advertising a free facial and makeover. You had to guess how many items were in a glass container. So, I said sure, why not. So, I get a call from a woman informing me that I had won. She took my name and address and mailed me a postcard that said I had won a free pampering session that included a hand treatment, a facial, and a $20 gift card.

The day of my "pampering" session had arrived. So I walk into a room where tables and chairs are set up with makeup trays placed on the tables and about 10-15 women in the room. I was greeted then by the woman who sent me the postcard. I asked the woman if the other women in the room had also won the contest and she said, "no, not all of them." I'm already starting to get suspicious. She then brought me coffee and a muffin. OK, thanks.

The woman then led me to a sink where she squirted something that felt like Vaseline Jelly on my hands and she told me to rub my hands together. At that point, it was clear, this was not what I thought it would be. A pampering spa session is when other people do it for you, not when you have to do it yourself.

For the next couple of hours, we were given a history of Mary Kay cosmetics, how successful these women were selling Mary Kay cosmetics (new cars, vacations) and a walk through of the products that were placed onto our makeup trays, which we had to apply ourselves. The funniest moment came when we were told to check our phones and write down as many female names and phone numbers for a pampering session. For each name and phone number that was given, you would be entered in a raffle to win a free prize. I immediately refused to do this. The woman who sent me the postcard shot me a dirty look and said, "you don't know any women who would like this?" I said I didn't comfortable doing that. LOL, she was mad that I didn't write any names down. I don't give a shit. That's a good way to make my friends/acquaintances get mad at me. It's bad enough I fell for this scam.

So after this 2 hour sales pitch, I was led into another room for another sales pitch to buy cosmetics and/or to become a Mary Kay representative. I told the women I may be interested if I can only sell on-line and I wasn't interested in doing parties, in other words, scamming people into thinking they would be getting a facial that they would be doing themselves. The woman shot this down and went into a spiel how Mary Kay reps work as a team. What?? OK, fine. Now comes the time to sell me products. But wait, I still have my $20 gift card, which I used, but I still ended up buying two products and spent $27 on crap that I don't need. There is a silver lining. I'm going to sell those two products on eBay and get my money back.

You have been warned. This "pampering session" is nothing more than a recruiting session. If someone from Mary Kay calls you and tells you that you won a free facial and pampering session, RUN. I will never purchase any products from Mary Kay. Deception is not a good sales pitch.

Cooking

"Personally, I feel a sense of abundance when I prepare a home cooked meal. I love the feeling that I've placed everything we need on the table. It's different from a restaurant enterprise--that's an act of commerce, a transaction. At home, no one worries about what to order from the menu or what the tab's going to be, what wine to pair with the food.

And I love to see the way people taste and enjoy what I've prepared. It's a way of showing my care and regard for someone. When I create something delicious in my kitchen, it sends a clear message.

When we sit down together for a meal, we slow down, relax and talk with each other. It's always nice to be quiet while we eat and just enjoy the comfort and companionship of a shared meal."

By Susan Wiggs, The Beekeeper's Ball