For the Record: In Defense of Mary Kay Products
Yesterday we suggested that Tom Malin, a candidate for the Texas state legislature, has a bigger problem than his history as a gay prostitute. And what might that problem be? His sordid past as a top seller of Mary Kay cosmetics, which one Wonkette reader dismissed as "not highbrow."
Well, disparaging Mary Kay cosmetics may be the most controversial thing we've done all week. After the jump, check out our extended correspondence on this tremendously important topic. (Money-back guarantee: it's more fun to read about than the Dubai ports deal.)
So after our earlier post about Mary Kay cosmetics, we received this irate reader mail:
In regards to your Tom Malin write-up: Uh... you may want to consider the fact that Mary Kay Cosmetics is the best-selling brand of facial skin care & color cosmetics in America for the last 13 years. (As in "More Mary Kay is sold than ANY other brand on the market"....)
I suggest before claiming MK to be 'low-end' you may want to do your homework. (they have a very 'high-end' website you may want to check out at www.marykay.com )
One more reason we can NEVER believe what we read due to 'editors' like YOU!
We responded as follows:
I think that what the tipster who emailed us was suggesting was that Mary Kay cosmetics, despite selling very well, are not regarded as luxury or premium cosmetics. Would you disagree with that characterization?
By way of analogy, the sales of Walmart are orders of magnitude higher by volume than the sales of Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue. But everyone would agree that Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue are "high-end" compared to Walmart, in terms of price point, quality of merchandise sold, etc.
And here's the Mary Kay rep's response:
Yes, I disagree with that characterization, because after selling this fabulous product for over 13 years, I have seen hundreds, if not thousands of customers that have used a department store brand switch over to Mary Kay, recognizing that the quality is the same, if not better, than their 'high-end' brand, and the cost is less. We can do this since we do not pay the high overhead of a department store: offer a high end quality product, for less money.
I understand your analogy, however I encourage you to check out Mary Kay. It is featured in Oprah Magazine, among many others, getting rave reviews from magazine editors and others in the cosmetic industry. We ARE the cutting edge. Our new TimeWise Firming Eye Cream is exclusive to the industry right now. Our Microdermabrasion is unbelievable, and offers a replenish serum, the formula exclusive to the industry.
I could go on & on, because I know my facts and I know my products. Funny how the perception of MK, just because it's not sold in Neimen Marcus, is low-end. Period. Why is not possible that a high end product could be sold by independent consultants world-wide?
Well, that pretty much does it for us; consider us persuaded! We reiterate our earlier endorsement of Tom Malin as a candidate, but with this additional reason to vote for him: he once sold Mary Kay make-up -- and Mary Kay make-up is fabulous!