The final part of my Saturday research blitz was checking out the ingredients in the M Cosmetics Hydrating Facial Cleanser (Normal-to-Dry).
I know that M is not Certified Organic but I wanted to know what they meant, if anything, by 'natural' sources. I mean, when I read the ingredients list of this cleanser, it sounds pretty scary. So I looked up the ingredients that didn't seem familiar to see if they were dangerous.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Adventures in M - Day 7 - Things a Movin'
Two notes about the results we are seeing with our M products:
1. When I use the Age-Defying Serum after the Toner - whoooboy! - does it sting. Better last night than the first night, but still, that is some sharpness. But my skin doesn't seem to reacting adversely, I figure it must be the Vitamin A in the serum. Hmm... maybe I could ask about that as well.
2. My BYM is feeling like crap today. This is his third day on the Vitamin 4-Pack and he's pretty sure that he is not getting sick but rather starting to purge a lot of toxins from his body. I wouldn't be surprised, he hasn't had the healthiest lifestyle. I'm doing what I can for him. Lots of hugs, a clear path to the washroom, and a continual supply of water. He hates it but knows that I am right when it comes to water consumption. It is hard to overdose on water. It is possible, but hard.
As a trainer, I've figured out that, for most people, water consumption works out to about 1 Litre per 100 pounds of bodyweight. So my BYM needs to drink just under 3 Litres of water per day. And that is just for maintenance. When you are trying to lose weight or flush toxins you can probably increase that by half. Most people are lucky if they get half that much.
So I keep handing him the water and hoping that the headache and dizziness will go away.
1. When I use the Age-Defying Serum after the Toner - whoooboy! - does it sting. Better last night than the first night, but still, that is some sharpness. But my skin doesn't seem to reacting adversely, I figure it must be the Vitamin A in the serum. Hmm... maybe I could ask about that as well.
2. My BYM is feeling like crap today. This is his third day on the Vitamin 4-Pack and he's pretty sure that he is not getting sick but rather starting to purge a lot of toxins from his body. I wouldn't be surprised, he hasn't had the healthiest lifestyle. I'm doing what I can for him. Lots of hugs, a clear path to the washroom, and a continual supply of water. He hates it but knows that I am right when it comes to water consumption. It is hard to overdose on water. It is possible, but hard.
As a trainer, I've figured out that, for most people, water consumption works out to about 1 Litre per 100 pounds of bodyweight. So my BYM needs to drink just under 3 Litres of water per day. And that is just for maintenance. When you are trying to lose weight or flush toxins you can probably increase that by half. Most people are lucky if they get half that much.
So I keep handing him the water and hoping that the headache and dizziness will go away.
Adventures in M - Day 7 - Oligofructose Complex
Part of my research yesterday was to figure out what the heck oligofructose complexes are and what they are supposed to do to increase the absorption of vitamins and minerals in our digestive system.
Oligofructose complexes are the 'patent-pending' creation of M scientists and, according to the neat little video graphics they appear to be wrapped around the mineral constituents of their multivitamin and mineral supplements.
I have no idea how they do this. I'll add it to the list of things to ask Customer Service tomorrow.
But I do know what they are - a chemistry background does have some advantages. Oligo means many and usually indicates a starch. Fructose is a fruit sugar. So, oligofructose is a polymerized (long-chained) fruit sugar. Okey-dokey. Now how does that help absorption?
Here are the studies that I found:
1. Franck determined that oligofructose-enriched inulin increased calcium absorption and bone mineralisation, published in a 2006 issue of the Nutrition Bulletin (31(4):341-5).
2. van den Heuvel found that oligofructose consumption increased the absorption of calcium in adolescent men, published in a 1999 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (69(3):544-8). Other studies he conducted found that it did not have the same impact on adults.
3. Rao studied the pre-biotic effects of oligofructose intake, published in Nutrition Research (21(6):841-8).
4. Teitelbaum and Walker reviewed the literature on the pre-biotic effects of oligofructose, published in a 2002 issue of the Annual Review of Nutrition (22:107-38).
It is important to remember that the studies cited here dealt with small numbers of subjects and that far more data would need to be collected to ensure the results. One of the problems with scientific research and the modern media is that each little study can become a source of news but, really, it is only over the course of years and dozens of studies that reliable results can be generated. Given that caveat, here is what I've understood so far:
1. Oligofructose does seem to increase the absorption (or adsorption) of minerals (at least calcium) when taken as a supplement in some studies. I could not find any studies that dealt with binding the oligofructose to the mineral and studying the impact on absorption. But the initial results looked good.
2. A secondary finding, and one that is very important for me is that oligofructose appears to be a reliable pre-biotic. Now, I knew what probiotics are: the 'good' intestinal flora (bacteria) such as Acidophilus and Bifidus. These are really important in digestion and healthy body functions. When someone has been taking antibiotics (notice, the opposite of probiotics) the healthy intestinal flora is often killed off and the intestines can be repopulated by 'bad' bacteria such as E. coli, Staph, and Strep. Taking probiotics can help to recolonize with the 'good' stuff.
But I had never heard of a pre-biotic. Now that I have I am even happier to be taking M products, because my flora need all the help they can get. And that is exactly what a pre-biotic does, it helps to create a healthy environment in the intestines for the probiotics to grow. Cool!
The upshot of all this appears to be that oligofructose complex is probably helping me absorb more vitamins and minerals from my supplemements but it is almost certainly help create a healthier digestive system through the nurturing of my digestive flora.
Excellent.
Oligofructose complexes are the 'patent-pending' creation of M scientists and, according to the neat little video graphics they appear to be wrapped around the mineral constituents of their multivitamin and mineral supplements.
I have no idea how they do this. I'll add it to the list of things to ask Customer Service tomorrow.
But I do know what they are - a chemistry background does have some advantages. Oligo means many and usually indicates a starch. Fructose is a fruit sugar. So, oligofructose is a polymerized (long-chained) fruit sugar. Okey-dokey. Now how does that help absorption?
Here are the studies that I found:
1. Franck determined that oligofructose-enriched inulin increased calcium absorption and bone mineralisation, published in a 2006 issue of the Nutrition Bulletin (31(4):341-5).
2. van den Heuvel found that oligofructose consumption increased the absorption of calcium in adolescent men, published in a 1999 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (69(3):544-8). Other studies he conducted found that it did not have the same impact on adults.
3. Rao studied the pre-biotic effects of oligofructose intake, published in Nutrition Research (21(6):841-8).
4. Teitelbaum and Walker reviewed the literature on the pre-biotic effects of oligofructose, published in a 2002 issue of the Annual Review of Nutrition (22:107-38).
It is important to remember that the studies cited here dealt with small numbers of subjects and that far more data would need to be collected to ensure the results. One of the problems with scientific research and the modern media is that each little study can become a source of news but, really, it is only over the course of years and dozens of studies that reliable results can be generated. Given that caveat, here is what I've understood so far:
1. Oligofructose does seem to increase the absorption (or adsorption) of minerals (at least calcium) when taken as a supplement in some studies. I could not find any studies that dealt with binding the oligofructose to the mineral and studying the impact on absorption. But the initial results looked good.
2. A secondary finding, and one that is very important for me is that oligofructose appears to be a reliable pre-biotic. Now, I knew what probiotics are: the 'good' intestinal flora (bacteria) such as Acidophilus and Bifidus. These are really important in digestion and healthy body functions. When someone has been taking antibiotics (notice, the opposite of probiotics) the healthy intestinal flora is often killed off and the intestines can be repopulated by 'bad' bacteria such as E. coli, Staph, and Strep. Taking probiotics can help to recolonize with the 'good' stuff.
But I had never heard of a pre-biotic. Now that I have I am even happier to be taking M products, because my flora need all the help they can get. And that is exactly what a pre-biotic does, it helps to create a healthy environment in the intestines for the probiotics to grow. Cool!
The upshot of all this appears to be that oligofructose complex is probably helping me absorb more vitamins and minerals from my supplemements but it is almost certainly help create a healthier digestive system through the nurturing of my digestive flora.
Excellent.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Adventures in M - Day 6 - Things That Make Us Go hmm...
So, we have a couple more things to ask Customer Service when they open on Monday.
1. Could they please send us 10 DW DVDs to put in our Business Kits. It seems that in the flurry of the new launch we were sent the old Business Kits. Which would be fine except that we are no longer to use these kits but, instead, the new presentation which is way better.
2. Once we get our paperwork in I'll need to figure out how to get my 90-day free trial on the business website now that I have already subscribed.
[3. Are the Cosmetics tested on animals? Why was the Heart Antioxidant tested on dogs? (added on Sunday)]
[4. How is the oligofructose complex formed and are there any studies I can get my hands on? (added Sunday)]
I am sure that neither of these will be a problem. M Customer Service rocks.
Off to bed now. I get to use the Skin Care stuff again. Whee! I love having new toys.
1. Could they please send us 10 DW DVDs to put in our Business Kits. It seems that in the flurry of the new launch we were sent the old Business Kits. Which would be fine except that we are no longer to use these kits but, instead, the new presentation which is way better.
2. Once we get our paperwork in I'll need to figure out how to get my 90-day free trial on the business website now that I have already subscribed.
[3. Are the Cosmetics tested on animals? Why was the Heart Antioxidant tested on dogs? (added on Sunday)]
[4. How is the oligofructose complex formed and are there any studies I can get my hands on? (added Sunday)]
I am sure that neither of these will be a problem. M Customer Service rocks.
Off to bed now. I get to use the Skin Care stuff again. Whee! I love having new toys.
Adventures in M - Day 6 - Animal Testing Continued
I admit it: I'm a nerd. Worse still, I'm a science nerd. I have one degree in Chemical Engineering and another in Biology plus I've been a Personal Trainer for over 8 years.
And I want to know everything. If there is an ingredient I don't know about I want to find out what the heck it is.
And being Green, I want to know if the company I am falling in love with has any issues with animal testing or sourcing of ingredients.
And being a neurotic adult child of an alcoholic (ACOA) I want to know if there are any skeletons in the closet that would allow me to run away quickly. Yes, I do this in relationships as well.
I thought I would ask at the Launch if M products were tested on animals but once we got there, it didn't seem like the right place - all the Senior Directors and above were super-busy. Once we got home, I did some online research to find out if it was stated anywhere.
Here is what I found. M does not have a policy of NO Animal Testing. They have said that they would not conduct animal testing on their personal care and home cleaning products and, as far as I can discover, they have not. They are on the PETA Does Test on Animals List though and I found that there have been mixed reports as to whether they animal test or not. Here are the two exceptions I found to their commitment to not test on animals, these seem to be the reason they are on PETA's list, according to PETA's Ask Carla column:
1. As part of their defense in a lawsuit launched against them by a National Brand, they did laboratory tests to show that drinking the competitor's cleaning products was lethal. As a result, 14 lab rats died nasty deaths from the lethal dosage.
2. When developing their heart health antioxidant product they apparently did lab testing using dogs. According to Carla's column, this testing was not federally mandated, however, if they were hoping to be able to make health claims on the bottle then they may have had to do the testing.
And, a third incident that may or may not be relevant, and is certainly disputed:
3. Finally, M developed and sells Professional Pet Shampoo. Apparently, when they were being interviewed by an 'animal rights organization', Melaleuca asked if testing the shampoo on their own dogs before putting it out to their customers counted as animal testing - they were told that yes it did.
All in all, I'm satisfied that the company does not test its products on animals in the vast majority of cases and that any testing it does do is probably required by law.
Here is a letter from CEO Frank VanderSloot that lays out his company's position that I found while digging around.
And I want to know everything. If there is an ingredient I don't know about I want to find out what the heck it is.
And being Green, I want to know if the company I am falling in love with has any issues with animal testing or sourcing of ingredients.
And being a neurotic adult child of an alcoholic (ACOA) I want to know if there are any skeletons in the closet that would allow me to run away quickly. Yes, I do this in relationships as well.
I thought I would ask at the Launch if M products were tested on animals but once we got there, it didn't seem like the right place - all the Senior Directors and above were super-busy. Once we got home, I did some online research to find out if it was stated anywhere.
Here is what I found. M does not have a policy of NO Animal Testing. They have said that they would not conduct animal testing on their personal care and home cleaning products and, as far as I can discover, they have not. They are on the PETA Does Test on Animals List though and I found that there have been mixed reports as to whether they animal test or not. Here are the two exceptions I found to their commitment to not test on animals, these seem to be the reason they are on PETA's list, according to PETA's Ask Carla column:
1. As part of their defense in a lawsuit launched against them by a National Brand, they did laboratory tests to show that drinking the competitor's cleaning products was lethal. As a result, 14 lab rats died nasty deaths from the lethal dosage.
2. When developing their heart health antioxidant product they apparently did lab testing using dogs. According to Carla's column, this testing was not federally mandated, however, if they were hoping to be able to make health claims on the bottle then they may have had to do the testing.
And, a third incident that may or may not be relevant, and is certainly disputed:
3. Finally, M developed and sells Professional Pet Shampoo. Apparently, when they were being interviewed by an 'animal rights organization', Melaleuca asked if testing the shampoo on their own dogs before putting it out to their customers counted as animal testing - they were told that yes it did.
All in all, I'm satisfied that the company does not test its products on animals in the vast majority of cases and that any testing it does do is probably required by law.
Here is a letter from CEO Frank VanderSloot that lays out his company's position that I found while digging around.
Adventures in M - Day 6 - The Animal Testing Letter
The website where I found this is now defunct so I grabbed it out of the Google cache:
Our Position: Firm But Not Extreme
By, M President Frank L. VanderSloot
Written July 1999, Edited August 2003
In our quest to enhance lives by providing superior products, we are sometimes asked about our position on cruelty to animals - especially in regards to testing products on animals. Our position is clear: We are absolutely against cruelty to animals. There is no excuse for it, and those who participate in any type of animal cruelty should be prosecuted and held accountable under the law.
I have special feelings toward animals. I grew up on a farm. Animals have been a major part of my life since I was a toddler. The closest neighbor with kids my age lived over three miles away, so instead of playing with other kids, my sister and I played with our pets. For fun, I often slept in the barn with my jersey cow and her calf. In many respects our pets really were our best friends. Our parents taught us to care for and respect animals. We were also taught to use them wisely and humanely. We used our horse to pull the hay wagon and to help drag logs out of the forest for the stove. I milked one or two cows every night and every morning, and I was allowed to sell the cream for spending money. It was a good life!
We believe that we have a responsibility to treat animals kindly and to care for them properly. We used to hear stories of various tests on animals performed by manufacturers of household products, liked spraying dish soap or laundry detergent or even bleach into the eyes of rabbits or rats to determine the effects of these products on the eyes. There tests are unnecessary and cruel! I think these tests are morally wrong. M has long taken the position that we will not test our personal care of household products on animals. We feel that is the proper position to take, and you will find us adhering to this policy without hesitation.
We feel, however, that there are extremes to every argument. We do not adhere to the extremes. For example, we respect animal rights groups, but we will not join forces with them to condemn the consumption of beef, pork, chicken, etc. That is a personal choice. Nor do we support the position that all scientific use of animals needs to be stopped. If medical research needs to be done on animals to find a cure for AIDS or Cystic Fibrosis or Cancer or infertility or heart disease and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandates that animals testing must by done to develop these potentially life-saving products then we hope that the least invasive tests be done but we ourselves will not stop our own development of these types of products that save or enhance human lives. I have heard it asked of those who do adhere to extremes, if there were a product that was tested on animals that could save the life of your child would you allow it to be administered?
Some things get carried much too far. I remember when we were contemplating developing our pet shampoo; we were contacted by an animal rights group that wanted to know if we tested our products on animals. They were updating a list of companies that promised never to test on animals, and they planned to make that list available to the public.
I expressed our desire to be included on that list, but that it would have to specify that we would not test our household or personal care products but since we planned soon to introduce a pet shampoo, we obviously would need to bathe our own dogs before we went to market to determine whether we had a superior product. I was informed that that was indeed "animal testing" and we were not allowed on the list. Although we finally made it on the list several years later, I have never figured out how they expected us to develop a dog shampoo if we were not allowed to wash a dog with it first!
My point is this: for those who have asked where M stands on the issue, we believe in caring for and protecting animals. You can count on us to stand by our promise to never test our household or personal care products on animals. On the other hand, while we respect the attitudes of those who take a more extreme posture that animals are equal to humans, thus no animals testing in any way shape or form should be done, we do not share that position.
I hope this answers the questions about where M stands on this issue. While we do not expect everyone to agree with us, we felt it appropriate to let you know exactly where we stand.
-Excerpt from M Country magazineAdventures in M - Day 6 - Looking Gorgeous at the Launch
I really need to buy some appropriate clothes. Having been a Personal Trainer for 8 years, my 'business' wardrobe consists mostly of spandex.
When I attend these M functions (not to mention Real Estate Investing-related stuff) I'd like to have a few outfits that are completely fabulous. I'll start working on that.
The May Launch was completely packed and they had brought in Ed Bestoso from Florida to make the presentation. He is the most successful (?) Marketing Executive in M history and has risen to the rank of Corporate Director VI.
Anyway, the whole point of the launch was to introduce the DW Presentation and get everyone excited about this new tool. It seemed to work. Having never used the old Presentation (obviously, since we've only been members for 5 days, 6 now) I can only guess from the relieved and excited exclamations of other people at the launch that this is a huge step forward. Cool! Looks like BYM and I got in at the right time.
I felt pretty smug since we had already watched the presentation the night before and I had brought the booklet with me, just in case. It came in really handy as I was able to make detailed notes right on the presentation while being led through it with Ed. We were the only people in our area who seemed to be this prepared.
I also received a pleasant surprise in the Ladies' Room after the 3-hour launch was over. The makeup I had applied 5 hours previously still looked great. I had focused on the purple-y shades in my Cosmetics Value Pack: Wisteria, Misty Mauve and Rose Quartz shadows with a Plum Eyeliner on my eyes with Plum Crazy Lipliner and Politely Pink Lipstick on my lips. I haven't braved the blush yet, I've never really understood blush, but I did use the Cream to Powder Foundation and Loose Powder. Anyway, I caught a glimpse of myself as I was leaving and actually went back to check out how great I looked. I felt gorgeous. Plus, my hair worked out very nicely yesterday. And all that even after having to walk through a driving rain storm to get to the car. Keen!
The funny part is that while I was worried I had ordered foundation that was too light (I got the lightest shade they have), BYM actually commented that I looked more tanned. Hah!
When I attend these M functions (not to mention Real Estate Investing-related stuff) I'd like to have a few outfits that are completely fabulous. I'll start working on that.
The May Launch was completely packed and they had brought in Ed Bestoso from Florida to make the presentation. He is the most successful (?) Marketing Executive in M history and has risen to the rank of Corporate Director VI.
Anyway, the whole point of the launch was to introduce the DW Presentation and get everyone excited about this new tool. It seemed to work. Having never used the old Presentation (obviously, since we've only been members for 5 days, 6 now) I can only guess from the relieved and excited exclamations of other people at the launch that this is a huge step forward. Cool! Looks like BYM and I got in at the right time.
I felt pretty smug since we had already watched the presentation the night before and I had brought the booklet with me, just in case. It came in really handy as I was able to make detailed notes right on the presentation while being led through it with Ed. We were the only people in our area who seemed to be this prepared.
I also received a pleasant surprise in the Ladies' Room after the 3-hour launch was over. The makeup I had applied 5 hours previously still looked great. I had focused on the purple-y shades in my Cosmetics Value Pack: Wisteria, Misty Mauve and Rose Quartz shadows with a Plum Eyeliner on my eyes with Plum Crazy Lipliner and Politely Pink Lipstick on my lips. I haven't braved the blush yet, I've never really understood blush, but I did use the Cream to Powder Foundation and Loose Powder. Anyway, I caught a glimpse of myself as I was leaving and actually went back to check out how great I looked. I felt gorgeous. Plus, my hair worked out very nicely yesterday. And all that even after having to walk through a driving rain storm to get to the car. Keen!
The funny part is that while I was worried I had ordered foundation that was too light (I got the lightest shade they have), BYM actually commented that I looked more tanned. Hah!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Adventures in M - Day 5 - The First Few Snags
BYM and I watched the DW Presentation tonight after I had figured out how to order a presentation. It is set up really cool so that you can direct a potential customer to the site and log in while you do the same from your own computer so that you can do a remote presentation.
Apparently, this DW Presentation is a big deal - it is replacing the older presentation which has been the standard for years.
I wanted to watch it right away. We received the booklets with our Business Kits but no DVDs so watching it online was the only way I could figure out for us to do it.
It was pretty darned good. When we got to the product comparison part, though, I pointed out to BYM that the prices were off.
First of all, it turned out that I had ordered the American version so we were looking at American prices. BYM pointed that out and I said, "But look here in the catalog, they're wrong here as well."
Indeed, in the catalog, it said that the 192-load bottle of 6x Laundry Detergent was $36.99 compared to 6 bottles of 2x Ultra Tide (which is what it would take to do 192 loads) for $53.94. BYM pointed out that the prices were consistent and I was possibly insane.
So I whipped out my computer and showed him how when I was logged in and ordering, the price for the 6x Laundry Detergent was $57.50, no savings at all. I was starting to feel misled, and a little betrayed.
So my BYM jumped on the computer and started tooling around the Product Store and noticing that all of our Preffered Customer prices were the same as the Regular Customer prices.
"Hmm... that's not right," he astutely observed, "not right at all."
"What do you mean?"
"Why aren't we getting our discounted prices?"
"I thought it was just because Canadians were getting hosed," I ventured. I sometimes tend towards the cynical, especially on Friday nights when I am tired, "These are the prices they have been showing me all week."
"Unlikely," he replied. And then he called Customer Service.
Happily, the rumours about M Customer Service are true. They are super-friendly, resolved everything quickly, and were totally on top of it.
It turns out we had missed something rather important. Apparently when Doug and Jim had enrolled Jordon they had forgotten to mention that we still had to fill out the paperwork, SIGN IT, and send it in. Until then, only our first order happened at Preferred Customer rates.
Oops! But what about my Cosmetics order. No problem. They would refund us the difference when they received the paperwork. Great.
And what about the Loyalty Dollars that weren't showing up. As new customers we were supposed to qualify for 20 dollars off in each of our first five months. I hadn't been able to redeem any - obviously it was because we weren't really new customers yet. No problem, they would bump the dollars back and start them next month. Super.
And what about the future order that I had put in earlier today? She suggested it would be best to cancel it - both for the complication of pricing and the inability to redeem Loyalty Dollars on future orders.
About that future order. I thought I was being all smart and putting in an order that would ship automatically at the beginning of June using ExpressLink at the top of the Product Store page. But after submitting it, I started worrying that I had missed something and it was going to ship right away and I couldn't figure out how to check it out.
So I called Customer Service. The rep, Jeremiah, was totally nice to me, checked it out and verified that, yes, it was going to ship in June. BYM later figured out that all we needed to do to see future orders was click on the ExpressLink icon and there it would be. Of course, as I mentioned, we ended up cancelling that order a little later.
So, two little oopsies, both our fault, or at least our misunderstanding, and both resolved very easily and quickly by M Customer Service. Hooray for great Customer Service!
Apparently, this DW Presentation is a big deal - it is replacing the older presentation which has been the standard for years.
I wanted to watch it right away. We received the booklets with our Business Kits but no DVDs so watching it online was the only way I could figure out for us to do it.
It was pretty darned good. When we got to the product comparison part, though, I pointed out to BYM that the prices were off.
First of all, it turned out that I had ordered the American version so we were looking at American prices. BYM pointed that out and I said, "But look here in the catalog, they're wrong here as well."
Indeed, in the catalog, it said that the 192-load bottle of 6x Laundry Detergent was $36.99 compared to 6 bottles of 2x Ultra Tide (which is what it would take to do 192 loads) for $53.94. BYM pointed out that the prices were consistent and I was possibly insane.
So I whipped out my computer and showed him how when I was logged in and ordering, the price for the 6x Laundry Detergent was $57.50, no savings at all. I was starting to feel misled, and a little betrayed.
So my BYM jumped on the computer and started tooling around the Product Store and noticing that all of our Preffered Customer prices were the same as the Regular Customer prices.
"Hmm... that's not right," he astutely observed, "not right at all."
"What do you mean?"
"Why aren't we getting our discounted prices?"
"I thought it was just because Canadians were getting hosed," I ventured. I sometimes tend towards the cynical, especially on Friday nights when I am tired, "These are the prices they have been showing me all week."
"Unlikely," he replied. And then he called Customer Service.
Happily, the rumours about M Customer Service are true. They are super-friendly, resolved everything quickly, and were totally on top of it.
It turns out we had missed something rather important. Apparently when Doug and Jim had enrolled Jordon they had forgotten to mention that we still had to fill out the paperwork, SIGN IT, and send it in. Until then, only our first order happened at Preferred Customer rates.
Oops! But what about my Cosmetics order. No problem. They would refund us the difference when they received the paperwork. Great.
And what about the Loyalty Dollars that weren't showing up. As new customers we were supposed to qualify for 20 dollars off in each of our first five months. I hadn't been able to redeem any - obviously it was because we weren't really new customers yet. No problem, they would bump the dollars back and start them next month. Super.
And what about the future order that I had put in earlier today? She suggested it would be best to cancel it - both for the complication of pricing and the inability to redeem Loyalty Dollars on future orders.
About that future order. I thought I was being all smart and putting in an order that would ship automatically at the beginning of June using ExpressLink at the top of the Product Store page. But after submitting it, I started worrying that I had missed something and it was going to ship right away and I couldn't figure out how to check it out.
So I called Customer Service. The rep, Jeremiah, was totally nice to me, checked it out and verified that, yes, it was going to ship in June. BYM later figured out that all we needed to do to see future orders was click on the ExpressLink icon and there it would be. Of course, as I mentioned, we ended up cancelling that order a little later.
So, two little oopsies, both our fault, or at least our misunderstanding, and both resolved very easily and quickly by M Customer Service. Hooray for great Customer Service!
Adventures in M - Day 5 - The Cosmetics Value Pack arrives
I forgot to mention that when I arrived home around 1 today, my Cosmetics Value Pack was waiting inside the front mudroom. Excellent! But I didn't want to open it without permission so I called to ask if BYM minded. He didn't answer. grrr...
So I texted, "Call me, call me, call me!"
And he did. And he did not mind if I opened it without him.
So I did.
And now I have a pretty little pile of cardboard boxes sitting in front of me. And lots of packaging. Oops. As a Green, I care about excess packaging and the Cosmetics is a little over-packaged. The good news is that it isn't wrapped in plastic but it does come in a cardboard box with a cardboard liner to protect it. Sigh. We'll see if the company is receptive to that kind of feedback.
I also ordered the Travel Case for when I go to Chicago at the end of the month, the Vitamin 4-Pack with the vitamin and mineral supplement and the Calcium Supplement, and the new Summer Mini-Nail Polish 4-pack.
I'm not sure what to do now. I don't want to get all made up with nowhere to go. I'll just put everything upstairs to use tomorrow for the M May Launch down in Toronto.
Except.
For the Lip Treatment. mmm... silky.
And.
This Fuschia Lipstick.
...
Oh yeah, that's hawt!
I am the colour of ghost, Fuschia should not be a good look for me. And yet, I look rockin'. And it feels great on.
Excellent.
So I texted, "Call me, call me, call me!"
And he did. And he did not mind if I opened it without him.
So I did.
And now I have a pretty little pile of cardboard boxes sitting in front of me. And lots of packaging. Oops. As a Green, I care about excess packaging and the Cosmetics is a little over-packaged. The good news is that it isn't wrapped in plastic but it does come in a cardboard box with a cardboard liner to protect it. Sigh. We'll see if the company is receptive to that kind of feedback.
I also ordered the Travel Case for when I go to Chicago at the end of the month, the Vitamin 4-Pack with the vitamin and mineral supplement and the Calcium Supplement, and the new Summer Mini-Nail Polish 4-pack.
I'm not sure what to do now. I don't want to get all made up with nowhere to go. I'll just put everything upstairs to use tomorrow for the M May Launch down in Toronto.
Except.
For the Lip Treatment. mmm... silky.
And.
This Fuschia Lipstick.
...
Oh yeah, that's hawt!
I am the colour of ghost, Fuschia should not be a good look for me. And yet, I look rockin'. And it feels great on.
Excellent.
Adventures in M - Day 5 - My First Product Stories
I'm not even sure it is possible but it certainly feels that way. I already have my first product testimonials: the Cosmetics Age-Defying Serum, Laundry Detergent and Laundry Brightener.
Last night before I went to bed I rinsed my face with water (as mentioned previously my skin-care regimen is almost non-existent and I find that water works quite well) and then opened the box of Serum that came with the Value Pack. Pretty!
It said to use after cleansing and toning but before moisturizing. hmm... I didn't have cleanser or toner so I winged it - spreading one tiny squeeze all over my face (avoiding the eyes) and then I used my Aveda moisturizer.
Then I went to bed.
I woke up this morning and had a shower. Remember, dear readers, that this was at a quarter to five when I am only barely functional. But I had to try all the cool new products. So I washed my hair with the Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner and used the Bodywash. mmm... yummy smells.
After getting out of the shower, I used the Serum again (so, that is now twice I have used it), moisturized, pulled a pick through my hair and then wandered back to the bedroom, wrapped in yummy scents and feeling lovely.
Where, of course, I realized I was now late. I threw my clothes on, figured I'd text GreenDude later about the laundry to switch over and booted it to my first client. Totally buzzed about the products and the new opportunity.
My poor, long-suffering 6 a.m. clients. They always catches the brunt of whatever mood I'm in when I wake up. And this morning was no different. L. had to listen while I bubbled over with how cool M is and how much I am totally loving it. And then I said, checking myself out in her condo gym's mirror, "And, even though I know it isn't possible, I feel like my skin actually looks brighter this morning."
"It does. It really does," she agreed.
"Wacky."
After training my second client at 9 a.m., we were having coffee and I was regaling her with the same basic story and she said, "Now that you mention it, yeah, your face does look a little brighter."
"Huh." Surely, no matter how good a product is, I wouldn't feel a difference that quickly. But I did. And it showed. And I am now a huge fan.
The Serum made my skin more luminous in less than 12 hours with only 2 applications.
Now that rocks!
But it doesn't end there, after I got back to Newmarket, I checked the laundry. BYM hadn't received my text in time about switching loads so I pulled the darks out to transfer to the dryer - AND THEY LOOKED BRIGHTER AS WELL. Like they had been blackened, made darker.
Now. I know what you are thinking. This must all be psycho-somatic. She is seeing what she wants to see. And I would totally agree with you.
Except that I no longer care. I know what I saw. My skin looks fantastic and so does my laundry.
Rockin'!
Last night before I went to bed I rinsed my face with water (as mentioned previously my skin-care regimen is almost non-existent and I find that water works quite well) and then opened the box of Serum that came with the Value Pack. Pretty!
It said to use after cleansing and toning but before moisturizing. hmm... I didn't have cleanser or toner so I winged it - spreading one tiny squeeze all over my face (avoiding the eyes) and then I used my Aveda moisturizer.
Then I went to bed.
I woke up this morning and had a shower. Remember, dear readers, that this was at a quarter to five when I am only barely functional. But I had to try all the cool new products. So I washed my hair with the Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner and used the Bodywash. mmm... yummy smells.
After getting out of the shower, I used the Serum again (so, that is now twice I have used it), moisturized, pulled a pick through my hair and then wandered back to the bedroom, wrapped in yummy scents and feeling lovely.
Where, of course, I realized I was now late. I threw my clothes on, figured I'd text GreenDude later about the laundry to switch over and booted it to my first client. Totally buzzed about the products and the new opportunity.
My poor, long-suffering 6 a.m. clients. They always catches the brunt of whatever mood I'm in when I wake up. And this morning was no different. L. had to listen while I bubbled over with how cool M is and how much I am totally loving it. And then I said, checking myself out in her condo gym's mirror, "And, even though I know it isn't possible, I feel like my skin actually looks brighter this morning."
"It does. It really does," she agreed.
"Wacky."
After training my second client at 9 a.m., we were having coffee and I was regaling her with the same basic story and she said, "Now that you mention it, yeah, your face does look a little brighter."
"Huh." Surely, no matter how good a product is, I wouldn't feel a difference that quickly. But I did. And it showed. And I am now a huge fan.
The Serum made my skin more luminous in less than 12 hours with only 2 applications.
Now that rocks!
But it doesn't end there, after I got back to Newmarket, I checked the laundry. BYM hadn't received my text in time about switching loads so I pulled the darks out to transfer to the dryer - AND THEY LOOKED BRIGHTER AS WELL. Like they had been blackened, made darker.
Now. I know what you are thinking. This must all be psycho-somatic. She is seeing what she wants to see. And I would totally agree with you.
Except that I no longer care. I know what I saw. My skin looks fantastic and so does my laundry.
Rockin'!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Adventures in M - Day 4 - The Opening and Laundry Detergent
GreenDude got home and, honestly, I had forgotten about the two glorious brown cardboard boxes sitting on the kitchen table, awaiting our attention. I was watching a stock investing class (another component of our Multiple Streams of Income Plan) and totally wrapped up in Bear Pull Backs.
My big, yummy man (BYM) walked into the family room and reminded me about the presents, "Hey, do you wanna open these?"
"Ooooh, yes please." I danced into the kitchen, I am totally a kid when it comes to opening presents. "umm... I think I should open the boxes since I've never done it before..."
BYM just laughed, he knows I'm a kid dressed up in an adult's body. "Okay, I'll check off the manifest," he gallantly offered. (It is super-important to check off your package's contents with the order manifest to ensure that you received everything you were supposed to, don't assume that the shipper's are perfect - they are wonderful, but certainly not perfect.)
"Wheee!" And I dove in, tossing cardboard hither and yon while I relatively carefully opened the packages. The first was the box of 11 Business Kits. There was also 11 DW Presentation Booklets - I had no idea what they were but I didn't care. I figured I could look at them later, the fun was in the other box.
As I pulled back the flaps on the second box I knew I was in love - it was filled with neat little piles of product, plus the dispensers and mixing bottles to go with them.
After emptying the box and tossing it towards the recycling bin, I sat at the table with BYM and, honestly, felt a little overwhelmed - THERE WAS SO MUCH TO LOOK AT!
Well, we had to start somewhere, and with the kids coming back on Saturday from their mom's, I figured a good place would be the laundry. I took the pump dispenser and attached it to the Laundry Detergent, the dispensing cap and attached it to the Brightener (colour-safe bleach alternative) and took them downstairs. I popped in a load of darks, pumped the Laundry Detergent several times and then this little puddle of detergent came out.
There was no way that 1 tablespoon of detergent could wash a load properly. No way! But that's what the instructions said - I guess that is the point of it being 6X concentrated. I added the 15 mL of Brightener and just trusted that when they said it was colour-safe they were serious, added my old fabric softener (because I refuse to waste it...) and started it up, setting it on delay so that it would be ready the next morning to switch to the dryer. Modern front-loaders are a beautiful thing.
I went back upstairs and BYM and I distributed most of the product towards their destinations, shower stuff upstairs, dish stuff in the kitchen. Admittedly, we left the cleaning products on the table, we didn't mix them up right away. One of the ways that M saves money and plastic is by sending re-usable spray bottles. You buy the little bottle of concentrate and then add water yourself. Instead of grocery store products where they add all the water for you and waste all the plastic.
Tomorrow the testing begins. Does this stuff really work? Will I notice a difference? We'll see...
My big, yummy man (BYM) walked into the family room and reminded me about the presents, "Hey, do you wanna open these?"
"Ooooh, yes please." I danced into the kitchen, I am totally a kid when it comes to opening presents. "umm... I think I should open the boxes since I've never done it before..."
BYM just laughed, he knows I'm a kid dressed up in an adult's body. "Okay, I'll check off the manifest," he gallantly offered. (It is super-important to check off your package's contents with the order manifest to ensure that you received everything you were supposed to, don't assume that the shipper's are perfect - they are wonderful, but certainly not perfect.)
"Wheee!" And I dove in, tossing cardboard hither and yon while I relatively carefully opened the packages. The first was the box of 11 Business Kits. There was also 11 DW Presentation Booklets - I had no idea what they were but I didn't care. I figured I could look at them later, the fun was in the other box.
As I pulled back the flaps on the second box I knew I was in love - it was filled with neat little piles of product, plus the dispensers and mixing bottles to go with them.
After emptying the box and tossing it towards the recycling bin, I sat at the table with BYM and, honestly, felt a little overwhelmed - THERE WAS SO MUCH TO LOOK AT!
Well, we had to start somewhere, and with the kids coming back on Saturday from their mom's, I figured a good place would be the laundry. I took the pump dispenser and attached it to the Laundry Detergent, the dispensing cap and attached it to the Brightener (colour-safe bleach alternative) and took them downstairs. I popped in a load of darks, pumped the Laundry Detergent several times and then this little puddle of detergent came out.
There was no way that 1 tablespoon of detergent could wash a load properly. No way! But that's what the instructions said - I guess that is the point of it being 6X concentrated. I added the 15 mL of Brightener and just trusted that when they said it was colour-safe they were serious, added my old fabric softener (because I refuse to waste it...) and started it up, setting it on delay so that it would be ready the next morning to switch to the dryer. Modern front-loaders are a beautiful thing.
I went back upstairs and BYM and I distributed most of the product towards their destinations, shower stuff upstairs, dish stuff in the kitchen. Admittedly, we left the cleaning products on the table, we didn't mix them up right away. One of the ways that M saves money and plastic is by sending re-usable spray bottles. You buy the little bottle of concentrate and then add water yourself. Instead of grocery store products where they add all the water for you and waste all the plastic.
Tomorrow the testing begins. Does this stuff really work? Will I notice a difference? We'll see...
Adventures in M - Day 4 - The Packages Arrive
Around 4 pm the UPS truck pulled up and the poor guy started hauling out packages - 2 packages to be precise. I helped him carry them in and asked about the possibility of adding a note to our delivery instruction to leave any packages inside the front mudroom if we are not home. He was super-friendly and told me that if we hadn't been home he would have tried the door anyway. Fabulous. Now I didn't have to worry about going to fetch undeliverable packages or having them get wet on the porch. M orders do not require a signature so if you work they will be there when you get home. Cool!
Now the packages are sitting on the table, crying out for me to open them.
But I think I had better wait for my baby to get home - Christmas is no fun if you steal it away from someone else.
So I wait. And I text him, "Come home now!" I am not the most patient woman on the planet.
Now the packages are sitting on the table, crying out for me to open them.
But I think I had better wait for my baby to get home - Christmas is no fun if you steal it away from someone else.
So I wait. And I text him, "Come home now!" I am not the most patient woman on the planet.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Adventures in M - Day 3 - The Waiting
doo, doo, doo... waiting, waiting, waiting. Technically, this is 2 days from the first order. Will it come today?
I kept looking through the website, reading as much as possible, learning about the products, figuring out what I would buy in my next order - we would certainly require the hand dishwashing detergent, and more laundry detergent since we do infinite laundry. Or at least it seems that way to me. Moving from a single life to a partnership with three children aged 9 to 14 is quite shocking - in many ways, laundry being one of the lesser of them. But that is another story.
I noticed something weird though, while I was looking through the Product Store. The whole benefit of joining M as a Preferred Customer (PC) is that you receive honkin' discounts off the Regular price. But for every single product the Regular and PC prices were the same. I noticed it but assumed (never, never do this) that it was because Canadian customers were no longer saving money due to the recession/exchange rate/alien fly-bys/whatever and that we would just have to accept it. Silly me, I just forgot all about it and moved on with the fun part - the shopping.
And waiting.
I kept looking through the website, reading as much as possible, learning about the products, figuring out what I would buy in my next order - we would certainly require the hand dishwashing detergent, and more laundry detergent since we do infinite laundry. Or at least it seems that way to me. Moving from a single life to a partnership with three children aged 9 to 14 is quite shocking - in many ways, laundry being one of the lesser of them. But that is another story.
I noticed something weird though, while I was looking through the Product Store. The whole benefit of joining M as a Preferred Customer (PC) is that you receive honkin' discounts off the Regular price. But for every single product the Regular and PC prices were the same. I noticed it but assumed (never, never do this) that it was because Canadian customers were no longer saving money due to the recession/exchange rate/alien fly-bys/whatever and that we would just have to accept it. Silly me, I just forgot all about it and moved on with the fun part - the shopping.
And waiting.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Adventures in M - Day 2 - The Makeup Order
I trained my clients in the morning and debated whether or not to place my seemingly-humongous Skin Care and Makeup order. How much money did I want to spend in the first month? I mean, really, hundreds of dollars just seems like too much.
But, on the other hand, I usually spend a couple hundred dollars on new makeup and skin care products every Spring, so it wasn't really outside the budget. If I was smart enough to have a budget. hmm...
Decision made, I came home and placed the order.
And I started to wait. 2-3 days can seem like an awfully long time when Christmas is coming in a box - in May.
But, on the other hand, I usually spend a couple hundred dollars on new makeup and skin care products every Spring, so it wasn't really outside the budget. If I was smart enough to have a budget. hmm...
Decision made, I came home and placed the order.
And I started to wait. 2-3 days can seem like an awfully long time when Christmas is coming in a box - in May.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Adventures in M - Day 1 - The Shopping
So, after signing up and finding out what GreenDude had ordered, I had to start shopping. While the Value Pack is super-cool there were still lots of products I wanted that would not be arriving in 2-3 days with his shipment.
Getting into our account on the website was easy - I went to the M website and just entered our customer information and, Boom!, a huge product store at my fingertips. I'll have one of everything, please.
Did I mention I love to shop?
First, there were the vitamins. I knew that the Value Pack had the 4-Pack of Vitamins but I didn't get what that was (and, to be honest, my attention was not on vitamins) so I ordered the V Multivitamin and Mineral supplement for women, which, in the 4-Pack of Vitamins comes with a Calcium supplement. Okay, that was a mouthful, but it sounded right so I added it to my list.
Serious stuff taken care of I moved directly on to the make-up. Ooooh! The prettiness. A high-end fashion designer has lent her name to M to create an eponymous line of skin care and makeup products.
Confession time: I love makeup and skin care but I rarely wear makeup and I do extremely little in the way of skin care. I tend to blame it on getting up at quarter to 5 in the morning. That early, I just don't care about looking pretty - functional is just great with me. Moving is an achievement. Putting my clothes on the right way is monumental. And my 6 a.m. clients just have to deal with it. And they do, very gracefully.
But, nevertheless, I love buying the pretty. And M has soooo much of it.
I spent hours on Monday trying to decide what to buy. Not only are there dozens of products - but they come in all sorts of configurations - this pack and that pack. It was all quite overwhelming. I gravitated towards the products that made it easier to choose colours. M has created a series of make-up kits called "MakeUp Made Easy Colour Collections" - hmm... sounded perfect. I chose the fair skinned option and I was on my way. I added the Skin Care Pack with Cleanser, Toner, and Moisturizer and I felt rather accomplished.
Then GreenDude leaned over and said, "By the way, make sure you check out the Cosmetics Value Pack - it might be cheaper than buying everything separately." Oh! That changed everything. I found the Value Pack and went to town. I chose all the options that made it as much like the Made Easy Collection as possible - the eye shadow shades, blush shades, and lip colour and then guessed on the foundation and powder. It ended up saving me around $100 over buying everything in dribs and drabs.
I'm sure it would be easier for someone who actually knows what their proper foundation colour is but I had to make an educated guess based on feedback I've received over the years that I am ghostly pale - my Mom used to call our skin colour 'transparent'. So, I chose the lightest foundation and powder. Having read the guarantee, I knew I could send them back if they were the wrong shade.
I got my order all together and then decided I had better sleep on it before making it official.
So, now I'm off to sleep.
Getting into our account on the website was easy - I went to the M website and just entered our customer information and, Boom!, a huge product store at my fingertips. I'll have one of everything, please.
Did I mention I love to shop?
First, there were the vitamins. I knew that the Value Pack had the 4-Pack of Vitamins but I didn't get what that was (and, to be honest, my attention was not on vitamins) so I ordered the V Multivitamin and Mineral supplement for women, which, in the 4-Pack of Vitamins comes with a Calcium supplement. Okay, that was a mouthful, but it sounded right so I added it to my list.
Serious stuff taken care of I moved directly on to the make-up. Ooooh! The prettiness. A high-end fashion designer has lent her name to M to create an eponymous line of skin care and makeup products.
Confession time: I love makeup and skin care but I rarely wear makeup and I do extremely little in the way of skin care. I tend to blame it on getting up at quarter to 5 in the morning. That early, I just don't care about looking pretty - functional is just great with me. Moving is an achievement. Putting my clothes on the right way is monumental. And my 6 a.m. clients just have to deal with it. And they do, very gracefully.
But, nevertheless, I love buying the pretty. And M has soooo much of it.
I spent hours on Monday trying to decide what to buy. Not only are there dozens of products - but they come in all sorts of configurations - this pack and that pack. It was all quite overwhelming. I gravitated towards the products that made it easier to choose colours. M has created a series of make-up kits called "MakeUp Made Easy Colour Collections" - hmm... sounded perfect. I chose the fair skinned option and I was on my way. I added the Skin Care Pack with Cleanser, Toner, and Moisturizer and I felt rather accomplished.
Then GreenDude leaned over and said, "By the way, make sure you check out the Cosmetics Value Pack - it might be cheaper than buying everything separately." Oh! That changed everything. I found the Value Pack and went to town. I chose all the options that made it as much like the Made Easy Collection as possible - the eye shadow shades, blush shades, and lip colour and then guessed on the foundation and powder. It ended up saving me around $100 over buying everything in dribs and drabs.
I'm sure it would be easier for someone who actually knows what their proper foundation colour is but I had to make an educated guess based on feedback I've received over the years that I am ghostly pale - my Mom used to call our skin colour 'transparent'. So, I chose the lightest foundation and powder. Having read the guarantee, I knew I could send them back if they were the wrong shade.
I got my order all together and then decided I had better sleep on it before making it official.
So, now I'm off to sleep.
Adventures in M - Day 1 - The Sign Up
GreenDude and I joined M on Monday. It was incredibly simple - GreenDude had a three-way conference call with his enroller, Doug, and Jim, who is apparently quite the M legend. They did it all over the phone.
When he came home for lunch he told me that he had purchased the Pacesetter Value Pack and it was around $500.
Holy crap!
I'd thought we were going to be doing the minimum order for a few months, just so that I could get used to the products and learn how the business worked.
I started to freak out a bit, but I managed to hold off while he explained what he had done. It started to make more sense now I am really glad we did it his way.
There are two parts to the Pacesetter Value Pack - the Pacesetter part and the Value Pack. I'll start with the Value Pack part - $200 worth of product at really steep discounts that enabled us to quickly switch the majority of our cleaning products over to M all at once. This is the best way to start developing 'product stories' - the positive results that we have had with M products by using them every day.
The Pacesetter part consists of 10 Business Kits that we will use with our first 10 Personally Enrolled Customers to help them get started on their business. Apparently there are all sorts of Bonuses to be earned if you are a 'Pacesetter'. I was assured this would be explained later.
Okay, that made sense.
The one snag was that the Value Pack comes with one set of vitamins and my baby ordered the Men's Pack.
Ahem!
I took that as justification to go shopping.
When he came home for lunch he told me that he had purchased the Pacesetter Value Pack and it was around $500.
Holy crap!
I'd thought we were going to be doing the minimum order for a few months, just so that I could get used to the products and learn how the business worked.
I started to freak out a bit, but I managed to hold off while he explained what he had done. It started to make more sense now I am really glad we did it his way.
There are two parts to the Pacesetter Value Pack - the Pacesetter part and the Value Pack. I'll start with the Value Pack part - $200 worth of product at really steep discounts that enabled us to quickly switch the majority of our cleaning products over to M all at once. This is the best way to start developing 'product stories' - the positive results that we have had with M products by using them every day.
The Pacesetter part consists of 10 Business Kits that we will use with our first 10 Personally Enrolled Customers to help them get started on their business. Apparently there are all sorts of Bonuses to be earned if you are a 'Pacesetter'. I was assured this would be explained later.
Okay, that made sense.
The one snag was that the Value Pack comes with one set of vitamins and my baby ordered the Men's Pack.
Ahem!
I took that as justification to go shopping.
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