Becoming an AVON lady...

In 1999 in Chicago, I found AVON’s Skin-So-Soft bath oil in a friend’s guest bathroom and casually poured it into the bathtub. When I dried myself off an hour later, I suddenly realized it worked, my skin was soooooo soft! This might have been the first time in my life the advertising on the bottle didn’t lie.

A month later, I got badly sunburned (in shade and with a sunscreen on!) in Florida and someone sold me a well formulated Aloe Vera gel, which just about saved me. With the highest scepticism, I started to seek out cosmetics that made sense - cosmetics carefully measured and tested in labs, but made with active natural ingredients.

Another turning point came in 2004, when my friend Frantisek came for a visit and looked, well… a lot younger! Frantisek is an active man in his late 70’s and seeing his skin looking so spotless and firm was impressive. He exuberantly pulled out a bottle of body lotion and applied it on his face! “It soaks right in and doesn’t leave a greasy film. You gotta try it!” he insisted. I looked at the label and found nothing new – vitamin E, wheat extract, seaweed extract, but the results were there.

Two months later, I signed up to become a cosmetics advisor in Oriflame and an AVON lady. I wasn’t about to become a door-to-door saleswoman, but I needed access and the discount was pleasant. Of course, the product quality is impressive, but there are other aspects such as not testing on animals, which I like about these companies.

Their system of direct-sales creates an atmosphere of personal feedback other companies selling over-the-counter only wish for. Direct-sales companies don’t see the volume of sales as the only indicator of success. They know a product can be very effective for a small percentage of clients who share the same problem. Such products are “life-enhancers” and create unprecedented customer loyalty.

By default, direct-sales companies get to know more, because they spend time with their clients and this feedback filters back into the development labs. (For those interested in the business aspects of cosmetics, here is an interesting article from 1998 about AVON’s carefully planned and feedback-oriented expansion into the Mecca of cosmetics – India. )

I started testing products and supplying my family and friends (including a high percentage of men). The response was immediate. Actually, the first weekend I brought home my catalogues, a 26-year-old friend came for visit and before I even told her about my new endeavor, she said: “You are the only person who can help me – I can’t stand the idea of having wrinkles, what should I do?” First she made me laugh, but then I said: “Well, actually, if you really mean it, I have something for you.”

From then on, I received loads of questions from people with whom I normally talked life and philosophy. The catalogs lying about in our house opened many conversations: dry hair, oily hair, itchy skin, dark circles under eyes, split hair ends, hair loss - you name it. I realized that practically nobody is truly comfortable with their hair and skin, not to mention being satisfied with their looks.

To my great surprise and joy, everyone reported back that the products we selected together really worked – and not just a little bit. I got many “What a relief!” responses too and that made me really happy. So, after ten years of being out of the beauty industry, I’m back in – on my own terms, with my own line of experience.

Back to Hair and Skin Cosmetics