Tis the Season

I have tried to hold off on posting about Christmas products, but I just can't wait any longer! I am so excited about all the holiday scents this year. We have fewer scents than last year, and personally, I like that better. It can be overwhelming with too many. My favorite from last year is back: Holiday Hottie, and the other two back from last year are Hot Buttered Rum and Joy. New for this year is Glitter. It does not actually have glitter in it, which has been my most FAQ lately! There are so many fun gift sets and one in particular that I love is the Warm Your Heart Warmtini. It contains a soy candle, body mist, and body butter and part of the proceeds go to a charitable organization in Colorado. I think the best part of the holiday line is there are gift options for people that are hard to buy for...or people you don't know well like kids' teachers, coworkers, etc.
I am starting my holiday season of parties and I am pretty excited because the theme this year is Champagne & Shimmer. We will have all of the awesome holiday scents as well as play with makeup. I am bringing all my hosts a free bottle of champagne.

Get the look!

Love Kim's smoky eyes! Sometimes she goes a little heavy on the eye makeup for my tastes, but in this pic she gets it exactly right. Here's how you can get the look:

Start with a clean, moisturized face (ALWAYS start with this! It makes your makeup application MUCH smoother!)

Foundation: If you don't like foundation (like me), you can skip this step or choose one of our primers. I like the pore perfecting face primer. For a more traditional look, choose pressed powder or liquid foundation. Don't forget to blend, blend, blend, and remember, a foundation brush is a must for better application.

Shadow magnet: My preference is the shadow magnet, but the shadow primer works the same way. Cover the lid.

Shadow: Using the large shadow brush, apply the shark shadow over the lid. Then, Using an angle brush, apply the naughty blue shadow in the crease and outside corner of eye. Finish by using the blender brush to apply the shark to the inside corner and then blending over entire lid. The key here is to blend. You should not see segments of shadow. You could use three shades here instead of two, but I like to keep it simple when going with a heavy eye look.

Eye liner: I have been using the luxe creme liner in onyx lately and I apply it with a shadow liner. However, if you are not confident in your ability to apply a creme liner, you can use the felt tip liner as well. Apply the liner to the top lid only. Use the powderliner pencil in coal for the bottom lid, making sure to keep your line as close as possible to the lash line.

Mascara: Volume X mascara completes the look.

Blush: Apply the mineral blush in coral sun with the blush brush. Less is more...

Lips: Pink diamond luxury lipstick followed by age defying luxe gloss in party girl.

New Starter Kit!

I am sooo excited because Pink Papaya has launched a new $49 starter kit! And it's at the perfect time of year because all of us could use a little extra $$ for the holidays...or a LOT depending on what your business goals are. I am sending out recruiting packets this weekend with the new starter kit flyer and anyone who contacts me will also get some cranberry orange hand scrub.

Jingle and Mingle

So I know it is only September, but I am already booking Christmas Parties, better known as Jingle & Mingle Spa Parties. These feature spiced rum or eggnog (or any other favorite holiday drink!) and pampering. It's a no hassle way to get holiday shopping done as well. Since our holiday line just released, I am getting really excited to show everyone our awesome new holiday scents. Fortunately, my favorite holiday scent from last year is back, Holiday Hottie. I have a four pack of holiday body butters coming (joy, glitter, holiday hottie, and hot buttered rum) and I absolutely can't wait for it to arrive. I am also about to order a limited edition, holiday eyeshadow trio. I am trying not to spend TOO much money on stuff for myself...but the limited edition stuff gets me!

August Reflections

Well, August has been quite a month. I posted record sales, had parties and simplicity pamperings every week, and started leadership coaching with my team leader. I would have never guessed at the beginning of the summer that my business would have grown THIS much. It's exciting!
Our holiday specials were just released, and I already can't wait until I can actually promote them more. I won a four pack of body butters in our holiday scents in a team challenge we had and I am pumped to get them in the mail and share them with you!

Brushes: What Are They Good For?

I NEVER used to buy makeup brushes, primarily because I thought they were an unnecessary expense. One thing I started doing this past year is go to get makeup done by ACTUAL makeup artists to learn tips and tricks. And the biggest and most important thing I learned is makeup brushes are a must-have. For so many reasons, but here's just a few:
1.) Your makeup lasts longer.
2.) Your makeup goes on where it is supposed to! It becomes much easier to apply.
 Good quality brushes are essential. Different types of brushes are essential. Case in point: we got into a great discussion on the kabuki brush today. If you don't know which one that it is, here's a pic:

 This brush is for applying loose foundation powder. You might think it could be used for blush or bronzer, but but of those require two different brushes. Both of those products applied with a kabuki brush will be way too thick and heavy. Powder brushes go with bronzer and pressed foundation, and a blush brush for blush. Believe it or not, there's even a flat brush for liquid foundation. The powder brush is bigger and the blush brush is usually angled to define the cheekbones. The other brush for the face is the concealer brush. And yes, this is just as important! It is much easier to cover up whatever imperfections you are targeting with the small, flat concealer brush. I'll talk about brushes for eyes and lips later.
Buying good quality brushes and cleaning them regularly can make them last up to ten years. It's a small investment to get the most out of your beauty products!

Dog Days of August

August has been a busy month! I've had two parties and a simplicity pampering, with a few more simplicity pampering sessions to come. I got an online order from out of state (woohoo for college friends!) and was top three in personal sales volume for  the first half of August. It doesn't look like I am going to get four parties for August, but I am pretty excited with what I have accomplished this month! My team leader has been AWESOME and spent so much time with me. I am doing coaching sessions with her now on a weekly basis geared to being a team leader.
My project right now is building my Facebook fan base. I did something I should have done a long time ago. I finally changed the URL part so it is easier to tell people where to go to see my page. http://www.facebook.com/caitlinpinkpapaya 
I am now up to 56 likes. I have gotten most of these in the last two weeks. The goal right now is to get to 100, and I will be doing a drawing for a free gift when I reach 100. FB pages are such a fine art! I have been trying to pay attention to other pages for all types of products/businesses to see what I like and what I don't. It's such a fine line between posting too much and not enough, and then the big question of WHAT to post. I was only posting about booking parties, but I have tried to be more informational with it. So I am going to be including makeup tips, gift suggestions, monthly specials, etc. Also trying to do better at posting when I am doing a party, etc., to get people excited!

“The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy.”
― Yves Saint-Laurent

Tangerine Tango

Wow it has been way to long since I have blogged. I must be honest, I got a little discouraged during the winter after I was the victim of a scam. I signed up to be in a Bridal Expo that cost a substantial amount of money, and the show was cancelled and I was out the money. I worked with individual customers but hadn't done anything else until July. A few important things happened in July. First, a friend of mine came to visit and her excitement over a Pink Papaya catalog I had made me think about all the things I love about the company. Second, the National Conference (which I did not attend), but tons of consultants posted pics, updates, etc from the conference on FB. It was very inspiring, and I decided to try again. A very inspiring phone call from my direct line leader led to me booking two parties that week. Since then my calendar is filling up with parties, potential parties, and potential customers. I have learned that, while I have lots of good ideas, following the templates created by successful consultants and leaders is much better. Small example, my direct line always not to go to vendor events that charge $$ (or only pay a small amount). Unfortunately, I learned that the hard way. I also learned that I really love pampering my hosts and their guests! I rarely make time for things off my "to do" list and it's been nice to socialize and relax. So I have set new goals: 4 parties a month and 6 consultants signed by December. Here's to the journey ahead!
P.S. Tangerine tango is our AMAZING new scent and August special.

How To: Organize Your Makeup Drawer

I have a bad habit of keeping EVERY makeup product I've ever been given. When I say EVERY, I have found half used lip gloss from the drug store that cost maybe  $5 at the bottom of my old makeup bag. Yes, I have several makeup bags, ranked in order of current usage to how old/expensive it is. I think it has more to do with being frugal and less to do with wanting to accumulate makeup. Every time I go through my makeup to throw away old products, I always think maybe one day I will need that tube of fire engine red lipstick that someone gave me as a joke in college. I've gotten better ever since Pink Papaya, mainly because I have been trying to replace my makeup with all PP products. So, it has forced me to get a little more organized. One awesome item I found to help me is this handy clear organizer from Target for $8.99. Here is my in-rotation-now makeup in my organizer (above right). Target also has a more expensive version for $41.99.

A Little Goes A Long Way

I've been experimenting a lot more with different color ever since I started Pink Papaya. I never was one to own a ton of makeup products or wear a lot of makeup, but I've been trying all of the products we offer. One thing I'm learning is a little goes a long way! One product I discovered and now love is correcting powder. It is a great finishing powder to use by itself or over foundation or over your face once you have finished applying makeup. It can be used throughout the day, and basically, it corrects imperfections. The best thing about PP's finishing powder is that it has white sapphire complex in it, which brightens your complexion. It is one of those products that at one time I would have walked by without a second glance in the makeup aisle and now I use it everyday. That's the end of my plug for the product, but the point of this particular post is using too much product. The other day I used a kabuki brush instead of a powder brush to apply my finishing powder and to make a long story short, applied way too much. Partly due to using the wrong brush (I wanted to see the difference between the brushes) and partly due to putting too much on the brush. You wouldn't think putting too much of a powder that really doesn't have a color would matter, but it looked ridiculous. I spent forever trying to wipe it off without completely redoing my makeup. This has been an ongoing lesson for me in my beauty consulting endeavor is that less really is more.

New Year's Resolutions

My blogging new year's resolutions are the following:

1. Blog several times a week.
2. Write more about the awesome ingredients in Pink Papaya products.
3. Discuss the importance of quality of what you put on your skin/face/body.
4. More photos!
5. Learn some new makeup techniques

I hope you had a happy new year and are facing 2012 with renewed hope for whatever your personal goals are. 

January Specials

Start the New Year out right with the sexy scent of Samba Nights! Warm up those cold winter evenings with luscious fragrance and smooth, soft skin. While you are treating yourself, purchase our featured Pinktini and Pink Papaya will give one to a parent in need! In addition 2% of all sales in the month of January will go to Jessica Seinfeld’s Baby Buggy Organization.
Free for guests who purchase between $50 or $100 in retail product!
$50.00 - customer can choose a 2oz Samba Nights Body Butter or a 2oz Samba Nights Sugar Scrub
$100.00 - choose a 2oz Samba Nights Body Butter and a 2oz Samba Nights Sugar Scrub or two of the same product!