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