Here is one Pink Truth reader’s experience with Mary Kay when she needed a job:

I joined Mary Kay because I had been one of the millions of people who had been looking for a job for two years and after many job applications and only a few interviews, I decided to join Mary Kay because I was at the end of my rope.

Well, no one actually talked me into it and I did not hear the “opportunity” story. I just went to the Mary Kay internet site and put my zip code in.  Within a few hours a girl called me and invited me to a “Success Meeting” the next evening.  Considering I was very vulnerable at this point (and they knew it) I probably would have signed up for the Foreign Legion.

Written by GettingOutOfDebt

Attention: Every person who wants to move up in Mary Kay- please read.

If you’re reading this as a consultant, please know that every word is true and meant to help you learn the other side of the MK story.

I originally started in Mary Kay Cosmetics in April of 1991 in college.  What attracted me most was the dream of earning free cars, diamond rings, the glitz and glamour of Seminar.  I was a very high- I, and my sales director at the time pegged me right away.  She knew showing me the Seminar video tape would get me to sign right away.  I did and a week later I was asking my parents fora $1,000 to get inventory.  I even shared with them the line- “You can’t sell from an empty wagon”  So of course, they sent me the money so I could get started.

Written by The Scribbler

Many recruits are snared into Mary Kay Cosmetics with the lure of executive earnings. They are told that the sky’s the limit, and the earnings are unlimited, if only you are willing to work hard enough. Sales directors tout their “highest checks” without ever mentioning all the business expenses that must be paid out of those checks, or that those are a one-time deal and don’t represent their normal commission checks.

The hard workers are the ones who make it big in Mary Kay, right? Wrong. One has to look no further than superstar Allison LaMarr, who was the fastest woman ever to make it to Mary Kay National Sales Director. Yet all of that hard work resulted in a downward spiral that culminated in Allison becoming the fastest quitter in Mary Kay history. She has flailed around since, attempting to be a personal coach, a failed participant  in multi-leve marketing company MLM Bellamora, a former “executive” for multi-level marketer Seacret Direct, and has been spinning her wheels trying to build a downline as a distributor for Seacret. (No wonder she stopped posting publicly about her Seacret stuff long ago!)

Written by Pinkslipping

Why do I share this? Because I’m not an exception to DIQ – I was the standard!!

Not to make excuses, but I was being led by my senior and her senior by with sayings such as “you are a find a way, make a way gal“, “you’ll never work as hard as you do in DIQ” and “the only way to fail is to quit“. Oh and my favorite line of all while I was in DIQ: “Your debuting unit is never the unit you have a year later“.

Written by Personal Use Recruiter

As an award winning top personal recruiter in another multi-level marketing company, this was my experience.

For every SEVEN new customers I added to my customer base: I signed only ONE new recruit. (I know, I know… make-up MLM is an easier sell. You all kicked my butt at recruiting!)

For every TEN qualified consultants I recruited (who placed a first inventory order): FOUR would quit before the end of the year.

For that same TEN consultants I recruited on my team: Only FOUR would duplicate themselves by accidentally, or with my help, recruiting someone else

This article was originally published in March 2009. We are running it again to illustrate what happens to Mary Kay “stars” in a period of five years.

Written by The Scribbler

Curious about that title, dear seeker?  If you are, you’ve found the right flight!  Pass your battered Ziploc bag packed with 3 oz bottles to that TSA agent over there – the one with the barrel-chest and the Pop-Tart sized choppers – and we’ll clear security in no time.  What?  You need one of us to volunteer to be searched?  Fair enough; I’ll be the sacrificial lamb if it’ll help get everyone else to the gate unspoiled.

From Mary Kay national sales director Anita Garrett-Roe: How to get to national sales director status.

Anita says getting to national status involves making women feel “special”. (Let’s be honest though, if you contribute to the numbers for nsd status, they don’t care WHO you are!)

So tell them you’ve selected them and they can come with you to the top. More emotional manipulation, in my opinion!

Written by PinkPeace

If you had been lucky enough to be in my Mary Kay unit, at some point you would have sat down with me one-on-one to go over the following document. I liked to do it during new consultant orientation, while you still had stars in your eyes about Mary Kay and thought that the sky was the limit in this business. I wanted to put big money potential in front of you BEFORE you experienced difficulties in recruiting, so you’d have a goal to work toward.

What I didn’t tell you was the reality behind this little document. I mean, why be negative? It was my job to be a good coach and see the potential in everyone. I didn’t want to stand in the way of your success, even though it wasn’t happening for me. This business is what you make it!

Written by MKDV24

For the majority of my Mary Kay career, I was a “sales only” consultant in a high producing, top unit. And even though I wasn’t interested in doing anything more than selling Mary Kay products, I still attended my director’s weekly unit meeting.

Rain or shine, snow or sleet, I never missed a week. I was loyal and attentive. I took notes, and contributed by providing sales ideas. I could recite every single booking script put in front of me. I was a consistent seller – thinking like a retailer.