Mary Kay Wagner Ash and her cosmetics

The Mary Kay story is not so much a beauty story as a success story. A completely American success story, in which there is a desire to make money, and an emphasis on feminism and the struggle for women's rights, and, of course, a magic formula that invariably says that, with effort and hard work, you will certainly be able to do anything.

"You can do it, dear!"
(From The Autobiography of Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay).

Mary Kay Wagner Ash was born May 12, 1917... She spent her childhood in a small town near Houston. When Mary was 7 years old, her father became disabled, and her mother had to work to support her family. Mary Kay's mother got a job as a manager in one of the restaurants in Houston, she worked almost round the clock and all household chores fell on the shoulders of a seven-year-old girl, because Mary's brother and sister were already adults and did not live with their parents. In her "Autobiography" Mary Kay recalled that she learned to cook over the phone: if she wanted to cook something and did not know how, then she simply called her mother and she explained everything to her in detail, without fail ending the conversation with the phrase "You can , expensive!".

Despite all the hardships that fell on the shoulders of a seven-year-old girl, Mary Kay always felt the support and care of her mother. So, while in high school, she wanted to become the best typist in the world, and her mother bought her a typewriter, a very expensive pleasure in those days. As a matter of fact, the desire to be the best has always been inherent in Mary Kay. And after graduation, after learning that her friend was entering a prestigious institute, and her family could not afford to send Mary Kay to study even in college, she still found a way out - she got married. Indeed, according to her idea of ​​life, the idea of ​​a 17-year-old girl, it was no less successful.

After marriage, Mary Kay worked in a restaurant, and then went to study at medical school. Her first marriage was not long and ended in divorce, singer Ben Rogers became Mary Kay's second husband. They lived together for 8 years, they had three children, Mary Kay waited for her husband to return from World War II, but he returned only to inform her that he had found another. It was after this event that Mary Kay came to the unequivocal conclusion that any woman must be financially independent.

And it was at this moment that a case in the guise of a saleswoman intervened in the fate of Mary Kay bookswho once entered her house. Mary Kay could not afford to buy books then, but after talking with their saleswoman, she also begins to go and sell books, receiving a percentage of their sales. And it should be noted that Mary Kay was very successful in doing such sales, direct sales, as they are called - she knew how to convince people. Mary Kay soon joined the Dallas World Gift Company, also a direct selling company. For 10 years of work, she managed to create a successful retail network in 43 states, reaching all kinds of career heights, only the position of commercial director remained unconquered, to which the management of World Gift preferred to put a man, and not Mary Kay, who deserved it by her labor. However, Mary Kay had noticed more than once before that it is much easier for men to achieve success.

In 1963, Mary Kay leaves the company and begins writing a book about The Dream Company, a company founded for women, a company where women can easily achieve success and combine work with the family. It was from this book that the idea of ​​creating the Mary Kay company grew, which Mary Kay Ash developed together with her son Richard.

But where did the makeup come from? - you ask.Once, while still working at World Gift, Mary Kay met a woman who looked amazingly young for her age, and her friends also looked young. It turned out that they use cream for the face, created according to the recipes of the father of the same woman whom Mary Kay met. The woman's father worked as a leather tanner and once noticed that his hands looked much younger than his face thanks to a special composition that he used to soften the skin, on the basis of which a cream was created. Later, Mary Kay bought the rights to use this cream. And it was with this cream that the history of Mary Kay cosmetics began.

Mary Kay packs her cosmetics in pink jarsthat looked good in traditional white bathtubs. She gave consultations and lectures on beauty, trained new sellers or, as they were now called, beauty consultants, who, in turn, recruited apprentices and also trained them in sales. Production was acquired along the way. In 1972, the Mary Kay company became a millionaire company, despite all the disappointing forecasts made by eminent economists and lawyers about Mary Kay's brainchild. In 1978 she goes international. In 1983, the company had revenues of $ 324 million. By the way, the first beauty consultants in the company were Mary Kay's friends, and one of them, Dileen White, after taking over as National Director, will become one of the first millionaires of Mary Kay.

Mary Kay's third husband was Mel Ash. They lived with him for a long time, being happy, and he supported Mary Kay in all her endeavors. Mel Ash died of cancer in 1980. Mary Kay was very upset by his death.

In 1985, she moved to Dallas, in a house decorated with pink ornaments, retired from the company, which "does its own business," and her companion becomes a small dog. In 2001, Mary Kay Ash left this world, leaving her with her Dream Company - one of the most successful and outstanding example companies of network marketing, a company created exclusively for women.

Cosmetics from Mary Kay, or rather, the way of selling it is similar to the way of selling cosmetics from Oriflame, which is more famous in our area. In terms of quality, Mary Kay cosmetics are considered to be the best.

Today the Mary Kay assortment includes over 200 items. Mary Kay sells cosmetics designed for:

• body care;
• facial skin care;
• skin care for men;
• decorative cosmetics;
• as well as perfumery.

Today, Mary Kay has more than 2 million Independent Consultants in 30 countries around the world, and this number is growing every year. The Mary Kay Company continues to position itself exclusively as a company for and for women, and despite its increased size, retains a special cordiality, continuing to "make the lives of thousands of women around the world for the better."