Clearance Time!

Now is a great time to stock up on old favorites or pick up an inexpensive gift for someone special! Get your gift-buying done early — just choose your goodies and let me wrap and deliver them for free. Everything in my clearance basket is 40% off the listed price...but if you choose three or more items, they instantly become 50% off instead!!!

It's first-come, first-served, so call or e-mail as soon as you make your choices. This is a great time to get a recent grad or soon-to-be senior a gift...at a deep discount!

You'll find many of these items under "Last Chance" on my Personal Website. If you want something from this list that isn't shown on the website, simply make a note of it in the Comments section when you check out and it will get added to your order before processing.

Shop online with me, your Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant: http://www.marykay.com/kyredhead

Photos and Makeup and Hair — Oh, My!

The overhauled virtual makeover program on my Personal Website is astonishing. I have played with several online makeover programs over the years, and there's always been a favorite feature from each one. Well, our new virtual makeover program has all of them — and I mean all. You can choose your highlighter, midtone, and accent eye colors, plus adjust the amount, placement, and application technique for each. You can apply your mascara three different ways, in addition to specifying the color and amount used. You can basically customize every single aspect of your cosmetic application, from drag-and-drop cheek color placement to lip liner intensity.

If all those choices seem overwhelming, you can try out seven different complete looks created by professional makeup artists! You can even upload your own photo, save all your different looks, and e-mail your makeovers to your friends. And did I mention the hair? You can also try out different hairstyles and colors — even adjust your highlights and lowlights!

As you choose the different colors in your makeover, each one is added to your "virtual compact" right on the screen. You can save your makeover, view your before and after pictures, or even print your pictures with a shopping list!

If you choose to use your own photograph instead of one of the 24 models provided for you, the program gives you tips on taking/choosing an appropriate shot and walks you through mapping your features so the makeup gets applied correctly. One important note: the makeovers do not include concealer, foundation, powder, or brow liner, so you'll want to take your "bare-faced" picture after applying those things in order to see a truly accurate makeover. I don't know many people who wear color cosmetics but not foundation.

Since I love and trust my dear husband, I let him play on the virtual makeover program, too. He created the look on the left just for me! How special is that, to know that your loved one designed a makeup look for you? He made some very bold choices, including some colors I'd never tried before, but I was brave enough to try it. I didn't apply eyeliner underneath my eyes, and my lip liner was a little less heavy-handed than it was on the model, but otherwise this is the look that he made! It was fun to branch out.

One word to the wise: if you use one of the dark matte eye colors, please start s p a r i n g l y...that stuff is potent.


My own dear mother got into the makeover game as well! (You're given fair warning — it is pretty addictive.) Here are some of the new looks she created for herself! You can tell she had fun with the hairstyle options. And she "tried" some new colors she might never have considered before! Click on the picture to see an enlarged version.


Wanna know the best part of the whole thing?


When you find a look you like, you can try it on your face for FREE!!!! Just contact me (or your personal beauty consultant, if you have one) to set up a customized color appointment, and I'll show you how and where to apply everything to get the look you want!

And if you have some friends or co-workers who get hooked on the virtual makeover game, you can invite them to join us and earn your compact free!

How Attractive! (Get it? It's magnetic!)

You probably know about our incredible new magnetic compact. It's sleek, scuff-/chip-resistant, and customizable. Well, our entire line of cheek and eye colors will be transitioning over to the mineral powder formula on the 15th of this month — that's next week! I'm currently accepting pre-orders for the new color line. Here is a new commercial that shows off the versatility and beauty of our sassy new compact.


Contact me with questions!

Beauty is just a click away! Visit me, your Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant: http://www.marykay.com/kyredhead

NEWSLETTER ~ June 6, 2008

Wow, there's so much I want to tell you about!

Our entire MINERAL COLOR LINE (eye and cheek colors) is coming out next week, and I am in a contest to get 100 opinions by June 30!!! You can choose a Skin Care Show, a Glamour Makeover Session, or a Pedicure Party — whatever meets your summer needs. Hostesses can now earn $100 in free product! Earn an EXTRA GIFT when you book for next week: June 11, 12, 13, or 14! (Out of town? You can still participate!)

Since the color transition will be complete as of June 15, my remaining inventory of classic-style compacts, eyeshadows, blushes, pressed powder, cream-to-powder foundation, nail colors, and scented spa products are in my 40% OFF CLEARANCE basket. If you have any old favorites, now's your last chance! Buy any 3 clearance products and the discount increases to 50% OFF! This includes all Men's Gift Sets — perfect for grads, grooms, and Father's Day!

Wanna pick cash off a MONEY TREE...literally? Come as my guest to the Hostess Contest & Celebration on Tuesday, June 17 and you'll earn a HALF PRICE ITEM plus a chance at the money tree. Bring a friend and earn another ½ price item! I've already paid to register you and all your guests, so you're good to go. For more chances to earn CASH, host a pampering party before June 16. The hostess with the highest party sales automatically earns $100 CASH!

When you get your before-and-after pictures done with me by June 25th, you'll be entered in our COVER GIRL CONTEST. The winner will be voted for and announced at the Reveal Party on June 26th, so invite all your friends and family to attend and vote for your pictures! The winner gets a $100 gift basket plus an 8x10 of her "after" picture.

I can't wait to see what you think of all the new mineral products! IT'S SO EXCITING!

Here's a rundown of dates:

• June 11-14 ~ Earn an extra gift on top of hostess credit when you book one of these dates.
• June 15 ~ Complete transition of color line to mineral powders.
• June 17 ~ Hostess Contest & Celebration
• June 25 ~ Deadline for before-and-after pictures for our Cover Girl Contest.
• June 26 ~ Our Cover Girl Reveal Party
• June 30 ~ Deadline to complete the 100 opinions contest.

4 Spring Looks ~ 4 Minutes or Less, part II

I road-tested two of the spring looks mentioned in my March 5 blog post. Be sure to contact me if you'd like to know exactly which colors I used. Here are the results!

Spring Colors
It was kind of scary to think of using a baby blue shadow from lash to crease, but with a light hand and a little unobtrusive eyeliner, it came out fine. It's a very no-frills look. It might be less risky to use a matte eye shadow as opposed to a shimmer. This melon-colored gloss is probably my favorite gloss. It looks scary and orange in the tube, but when you put it on it's like a juicy version of your own lip color!



Beach Babe
It was surprising how well the bronzes coordinated with the pinks! It makes sense, though, considering those are the colors your face becomes when you've been in the sun. This was my first time using this particular blush, and I absolutely adored it. It's the perfect sun-kissed pink shade.


As always, I used black brown mascara, brow pencil, concealer, and foundation (this time, it was liquid with a dusting of mineral powder on top — my new favorite combination).


Don't forget to vote in my important March poll, located in the right-hand column of this blog!

Create-A-Face Tutorial, part II

It would be more accurate to label this as "Create-An-Eye Tutorial"...but that sounds creepy.

In these pictures, I have completed each step on one eye only. This is so you can see what a difference each individual step makes. Also, each step is shown in two pictures — one with open eyes and one with closed eyes.

This tutorial shows how to apply eye makeup to standard eyes. For video tutorials dealing with other eye shapes, please click here!



Step 1: Highlighter Shade
Apply to browbone and from lash to crease to make these areas more noticable.




Step 2: Midtone Shade
Apply in the crease to contour.







Step 3: Accent Shade
Apply along upper lash line and into the outer third of the crease — kind of like an "L" laying on its back.



Step 4: BLENDblendBLEND
Instead of swishing back-and-forth, thereby making a muddy mess of your careful color placement, sweep light-to-dark.


Step 5: Eyeliner
Draw a thin line as close to your lashline as possible. You can do it just on the top or top and bottom, but for pete's sake, don't just do it on the bottom! If you are tempted to skip it all together, click here.

Step 6: Mascara
Curl your lashes first. Even if you have long, dark lashes naturally, you will benefit from a good mascara!

Want more in-depth tips and tricks? Want to get personal, one-on-one help? Contact me (or your personal beauty consultant) for a FREE how-to session!

Contact me to see which colors I used here!

Create-A-Face Tutorial

You've asked for it, so here it is...your very own Create-A-Face tutorial!

A web cam comes built-in on my new laptop (thank you, tax credit!), but I don't have it yet. As such, I painstakingly took pictures at each step and threaded them together for you! The pictures on the left show what it looks like before each step is completed, while the pictures on the right were taken after completing each step. This is just a bare bones face; no contouring, highlighting, sculpting, etc. — just the basics.

Let's begin!

Step 1: Apply your concealer.
Here, I've simply put it on my eyelids (from lash to brow) and dark circles.

Step 2: Apply a light layer of foundation.
The face on the left is completely bare, and the one on the right has both concealer and a light layer of liquid foundation.

Step 3: Apply another light layer of foundation.
This step is only for those of you who like more coverage or want to conceal redness. However, this only works if your foundation is buildable (not all foundations are).

Step 4: Apply your powder.
Powder helps to cut down on shine, set your foundation, and control oil. I used a light layer of mineral powder foundation for maximum air-brushed effect, but loose and pressed powder work as well.

Step 5: Apply color cosmetics.
This step is optional, of course, but if you've done steps 1-4, you probably plan to wear makeup.

For a step-by-step eye tutorial, stay tuned!


Contact me to see which colors I used here!