Maybe he can get her family and close friends involved and stage an intervention.   We all know how hard it is to see outside the pink bubble.  If she's forced to face reality by loved ones maybe she'll see Mk for what it really is.   

I hope things work out for them.

Found the topic.  Thanks Laura J.  Hopefully I can get some useable advice here.  As I emailed Laura, my wife plunked down $4200.00 of harded earned cash fora bunch of MK cosmetics.  I was floored.  She did warn me that it would be a lot.  Still.  A little background.  My wife has not worn makeup since weve been together (about 7 years) and that has been fine with me.  I think that truth be told , many guys don't like the stuff - I mean who wants to kiss chemicals?  My personal feeling is that all these makeup companies are doing is selling guilt and inferiority complexes.  Your own looks aren't good enough, you've got to cake on layers of synthetic goo to be acceptable in public.  We have a 6 yr old daughter and she wants to do everything that mom does.  I shudder at the thought of her learning that she's not good enough as she is.  Of wasting years of her life standing in front of a mirror or spending tons of money to make some industry execs rich.  Of trying to please a bunch of sleazebags in my gender.  Besides this I have a theory that makeup actually robs a face of beauty.  My mother who used it religiously looked awful with it off.  The pores get enlarged because the skin is trying to breathe but cn't and the face turns pale from lack of sun. 

Anyway we recently have become somewhat strained in our finances and my wife came up with the idea of joining Mary Kay.  I didn't like the makeup part of it but thought, O well, we COULD use the money.  One of the things that she asked me to do was to get the internet so that she can get a MK website for her customers.  Not long after her big buy I decided to look online for info on them, alas too late.  She is hurt that I am trying to torpedo her business plan.  She did read some of it and came home tonight depressed because I introduced doubt into her mind.  She doesn't wan't to see anymore.  She really thinks that she can make a go of it.  I also don't like her recruiter much: patronizing, talking down to her as to a child.  Even telling her what she should wear to present the "proper image".  On top of that I am concerned about the feel of a cult about these people.  The totalist mindset.  I used to belong to a cult (loosely, I define a cult as a group that insists on groupthink). The use of religion to disarm legitimate doubts I find disgusting.  In a little while she is supposed to go to an all night retreat (at a cost of $100 +).  Like I mentioned to laura I suspect that this is where there will be some psychological strongarming.  She already has a lot emotionally invested in this, she doesn't take failure well - very personally.  She is a very trusting (gullible) and good person, I don't want to see her taken advantage of.  Advice?

Sorry Chaparral, this is a non-reply reply.  I don't know exactly what to tell you just now.  I'm going to think about this tonight and hopefully have some advice to add to what I'm sure you'll get from the others on this forum.

But, in the meantime, I just want to welcome and assure you that you are among friends who will really try to help.  Be patient if possible.  Does it help to know that your wife has 12 months from when she ordered to send product back for 90% of what she paid?  Just a little something to give you hope.

Chapparal,
I wouldn't waste any money buying her orgainic make up/skin care right now.  MK teaches that you have to use their products exclusively so that "you know your products first hand and you can be a walking advertisement for your business".  Maybe when you finally get her out of the fog she might be more receptive to that offer.
Your wife's recruiter probably goes genuinely (sp?) believe that she has your wife's best interests in mind.  A lot of women that I've seen in MK (including myself at the time) don't realize how shallow and self-centered they come across.
You said that your wife is very trusting and hates to fail.  I was/am the same way.  I suggest you start doing everything you can to spend time with her and build up her self esteem.  Talk to her NOW about what you are learning about the true side of MK.  It will only get harder to have that conversation the longer she is in.  Others have mentioned the 90% repurchase from the company, you may want to ask her to look into that if she has already recieved and opened her inventory.  Has she had any sales yet?  Done any classes?  Told everyone she knows that she's doing MK?  If not your job will be a bit easier.  If she has started trying to "work her business" you're going to have a harder time convincing her.  Ask her to read this bulletin board.  There are lots of other anti-MK sites, ask her to read them with an open mind.  Most of all, don't give up!

Thanks to those who have replied.  Last night my wife was close to tears so I told her that I wont say anything else about it.  Though intelligent she just doesn't look at things critically and she always makes excuses for bad people.  Example: we used to have a nosy neighbor, I'd even say a peeping tom who spent lots of times looking over our fence to see what was what.  He'd get on ladders, stand on top of the fence and even get on his roof and just look around our yard and in our windows.  This infuriated me.  I warned him to stop, he called the police.  When they came over they asked my wife what she thought and she said she didn't see anything.  She did not want to get into a situation.  So the police did not take it seriously.  This guy kept it up but she always made excuses for him.  Finally we moved.  It doesn't matter how bad someone or some group is she will always make excuses for them, says I'm too negative.  It's kind of a see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil thing. 

She woke up mad this morning, says I'm trying to doom her to failure.  I guess there's nothing that I can do to stop her.  I told her that it's always best to know what you're getting your self into and not go in with blinders on.  To know all the facts ahead of time, good and bad - ESPECIALLY when you're giving someone LOTS of money.  I talked to my brother and his wife about it.  She thinks that my wife was duped but my brother said I should just let he do what she wants.  I don't want my daughter to grow up more obsessed with some shallow phoney "image" than her mind and personhood.  Isn't that sort of what's wrong with society?

About the 90% refund thing, that still means that even were she to return it all the next day we'd still lose $420.00.  That's a lot of money.  I also don't want to see my wife change into some demon salesperson.  I HATE salespeople.  Commercials that shout at you are so abundant on television and I find really irritating.  BUY NOW! BUY NOW ! BUY NOW!  And then there's the time involved.  Whenever her recruiter calls she spends an hour or more jabbering away with this windbag  .  Actually all I hear is a lot of "uh hmm", "uh hmm", "uh hmm".  And it's usually in the evening which is prime family time.  I think this lady could have been responsible and asked how such a large purchase might affect the family, but instead all she probably could think of was the "cha-ching!", "cha-ching!", "cha-ching".  I'm curious, has there been any class action or otherwise, lawsuits against MK for misrepresentation or extortion or taking advantage of people?

Thanks for letting me vent.

That's nothing compared to what you will lose over the course of the year, between more inventory, career conference, retreats, seminar, paying for meetings, etc.  Consider it the price for a lesson learned.



Yes, it usually is. This is something that bothered me majorly. I opened my eyes to the whole phoniness gradually. I could see plainly that directors were working almost constantly. Certainly more than the few hours they like to claim. And they have assistants too. Directors are always on the phone, always either at a meeting or recruiting someone. And they neglect their family to do all of this.

One of the things that is dangerous about MK is the fact that they claim that by doing MK you will have more time for your family. But once you are in, you are encouraged, beyond the point of being able to resist, to put MK FIRST above ANYTHING to do with your family.

You eat dinner at 6:00? Too bad. Make your husband cook dinner on meeting night or slop something in a crock pot.

Your kid has a game Wednesday afternoon? Too bad. We have a special training event.

Saturday morning is your daughter's birthday? Sorry. You have to be at the country club by 7:00 a.m. to help us finish setting up the brunch.

MK destroys relationships because they put it in your head that anyone who says anything critical about the company is simply negative and is out to sabotage your success.   You need to know that and accept it now. It's the truth. We've been there, done that, regret it and know better now.

Laura J.

   Well I guess I blew that one.  I had been looking for the ingredients on the actual container the stuff comes in.  After my post I looked at some of the boxes the container comes in and did find ingredients listed there.  O' well I hope the rest of the post is helpful.