One Year Later: Becoming a Beautycounter Consultant

Wow, that went by fast! I officially joined Beautycounter as a brand consultant one year ago this month, August 18 to be exact. It was also, I guess, my unofficial start to a cleaner beauty lifestyle. Now, let’s get this straight… I am a firm believer in progress over perfection in this whole ‘clean living’ world. I am not 100% clean and I don’t judge others who are, or aren’t using clean products. But I’ve made a conscious decision to be mindful of it for a full year now, and I want to share what I’ve learned, what I love, what I don’t love and answer any questions about becoming a Beautycounter consultant.

What is Beautycounter?

Beautycounter is a personal care company that provides high performing, cleaner/safer makeup, skincare, body care and sun care for the whole family. They also advocate for stricter legislation for the entire beauty industry by lobbying on the Hill and meeting with legislators and congresspeople every year. Gregg Renfrew founded Beautycounter in 2013 and has been a certified B Corporation since day one with a mission to change the world.

Most recently, Renfrew was the first personal care company CEO to testify in front of congress in December 2019 regarding personal care laws, and Beautycounter was featured in Women’s Wear Daily as Top Performing Beauty Brand (small cap), and named Number #1 in Fast Company’s Most Innovative Beauty Brands.

The products are retailed at Beautycounter.com, at select retail stores in New York City, Denver, (currently) Venice, and Nantucket, at Pop Up locations with other retailers like Sephora (now through October), Target, J Crew and Veronica Beard.

However, many would probably say they’re most familiar with Beautycounter being sold through the network of independent brand consultants.

The sales method of utilizing consultants was done extremely intentionally – Renfrew wanted to ensure that the story of Beautycounter and clean beauty is told person to person – something that just cannot be done by being retailed on a store shelf, alone.

Beautycounter is not just another beauty brand. It is a COUNTER offer for what is currently available on the market right now. Not to be confused with a countertop where you put your products 😉

What is clean beauty and why is clean beauty important?

Clean beauty originated from green beauty. Green beauty was known as natural beauty. Natural makeup and skincare that used only organic matter – plants, herbs, oils, etc.

Clean beauty evolved from learning that some specially screened synthetic ingredients can also be safer and when combined with the naturally derived products… you’ll get a MUCH higher performing product.

I define clean beauty as products that do not use harmful or questionable chemicals or ingredients for human consumption.

Clean beauty is important because a major federal law has not been passed regulated the personal care industry since 1938.

Since then, over 80,000 new chemical compounds have been added to our products for various reasons and only around 20% of those chemical compounds/ingredients have been tested for human safety.

Many of these ingredients are known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, hormone mimickers and highly irritating allergens.

In the United States, we currently only ban 30 ingredients in our products. In Canada, 600. In the E.U., 1400+.

Beautycounter intentionally bans over 1800 ingredients in all of the products.

MLMs are for losers. Is this an MLM?

I would not define it as an MLM. I would define Beautycounter as a _direct retail company_.

Yes, we do have consultants that represent the brand and sell products.

Yes, some consultants want to lead teams and help others run a successful side hustle while having significant social impact.

Yes, as your team grows (if you WANT to grow a team), you’ll get paid more. But if your team is growing, I promise you’re working really hard at making sure they’re being successful and you should be getting compensated for that.

HOWEVER… we also allow individuals to purchase products without a consultant directly on the website or at our retail locations.

AND WE HAVE RETAIL LOCATIONS! There are currently four standalone stores across the country, and additionally, we’re popping up at Sephora nationwide and in Canada through October.

Let me tell you… for years and years and years of my life… I never said I would join a direct sales company.

It’s not because I don’t support MLMs or think that products from MLMs are not good.

I have purchased from pretty much any friend or family member I know that has sold direct sales products… you name it, I’ve supported them and tried it – Herbalife, Avon, LipSense, Rodan and Fields, ThirtyOne, LuLaRoe, Usborne Books, Beachbody… and probably some I can’t remember.

I support my friends if they believe a product is good enough that they want to partner with them.

I personally just never felt so inspired to partner with a brand that I liked their products enough.

With Beautycounter, I believe so strongly in this mission of getting safer products into the hands of everyone, while also not sacrificing performance for safety. 

What have I seen in my own skin this year?

This is where things get cool.

If you’ve read my blog for years, you know I always say I have super sensitive skin. Everything breaks me out.

Over the last year, in testing out so many Beautycounter products so I can share with my clients, I’ve found my skin has calmed down a LOT.

There’s something about using cleaner beauty that my skin is super down with… and I don’t have insane breakouts/reactions to these products nearly as often as I used to.

Even with Beautycounter products, there’s some that other consultants do terribly with and they can’t use… yet ME – MS SUPER SENSITIVE – have done fine with!

I’ve also noticed that the overall tone of my skin has dramatically improved.

I wish I took a before/after, but this is how I know it’s changed for the better:

• Everyone knows I love a good medium/full coverage foundation because of my acne scarring. In the last four months or so, I am reaching for a Tinted Moisturizer daily (Dew Skin SPF20, Medium/3)! WHAT?! Who am I!? Apparently I feel confident enough to simply get away with a tinted moisturizer and some brows, mascara, and blush. Who knew?
• I’m REALLY critical of my dark under eyes. Yes, these have always been an issue for me, but I always just popped on my Tarte Shape Tape and called it a day. I think now that the rest of my face has improved so much, I’m focusing more on my under eyes as something that bothers me even though it previously wasn’t my #1 issue.

Why did I join?

There are a few reasons I decided to join Beautycounter.

1. Once I learned about the lack of regulation in the beauty industry, I was pretty frustrated as a beauty lover.
2. When I researched my favorite, top-recommended products and learned that they had extremely high levels of harmful chemicals that could have had a negative impact on my body (infertility, auto-immune disease to name a couple I have), I was actually PISSED OFF.
3. I genuinely enjoy the products and feel they are no different than the other brands I used to use from Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, etc.
4. The business opportunity as a blogger is extremely appealing. When bloggers use affiliate links on their blogs, we make an abysmal commission (averaging 2-10%). That’s if people are purchasing products online only! When you go to a store and buy the product in person, your favorite blogger is making $0 for helping you find your new favorite lipstick. Bloggers biggest income sources are sponsored posts. Yet readers hate them. Also, bloggers are only ‘worth’ what their Google Analytics (aka blog stats) tell brands. So if you aren’t constantly posting high quality content, brands won’t give you sponsored posts or send you PR. But readers also want more content. Content isn’t free. Blogs aren’t free. Hosting and domains cost money. DSLR cameras cost money. Editing software costs money. PRODUCTS themselves cost money. Photographers cost money. It gets very expensive to be a good blogger. So when I learned that I can make 25-35% commission adding Beautycounter to my revenue streams, it was a no brainer. What is the difference to my readers if I recommend a $45 foundation at Ulta or a $45 foundation from Beautycounter if I believe it’s just as good… AND SAFER FOR HER? NOTHING.

Do I get a discount?

You probably find it funny I didn’t join Beautycounter for the discount, haha. I think that’s probably a big reason most people do.

For me, I’m used to spending stupid amounts of money on makeup… so the discount is awesome, but it wasn’t my main driving force.

But yes, we get a discount 🙂 25% on everything, and around 40-45% off for new product launches. It’s definitely a huge perk of the gig.

How much time does it take up?

For me, at the time I am writing this (August 2020), I am a Director with Beautycounter. So I would say it is taking about 7-10 hours a week.

As you rise in the ranks at Beautycounter, you’ll spend more time on the business as you’ll probably have more clients and be leading a team.

• Managers – ~2-4 hours a week
• Senior Manager – ~4-7 hours a week
• Directors – ~7-10 hours a week
• Senior Directors – ~10-15 hours a week
• Executive Directors – ~15-20 hours a week
• Managing Directors (top) – ~20-25 hours a week

How much money can you make? How do you get paid?

We get paid in a multitude of ways. Some people want it all direct deposit to their checking accounts. Some deposit into savings. Some get it on a prepaid credit card. There’s a few ways to get paid, but we all get paid by the 10th of the month whether your paycheck was $50 or $50,000.

It sounds really cliche and dumb, but truly, the sky is the limit with the amount you can make because there is no restrictions or time limits on your growth.

I went from a Consultant to a Director in eight months.

I plan to hit Senior Director this upcoming year.

I decide my hours and I decide how much I want to make. Directors average a bit over $2,000 a month. I’ll tell you I’ve been consistently above that so far. Managing Directors are making over $24,000 a month.

Beautycounter is extremely transparent about income. You can check the Income Disclosure Statement here.

How do you run your business?

Being successful in Beautycounter does not come without doing the work.

I am consistent and strategic in my goals, so each month, I outline what I want to achieve and how I’m going to get there.

How can I educate more people… how can I convince my friends that they will love Beautycounter (or another clean brand) just as much as the other stuff they’re using… how can I inspire my team to continue to do this important work but have fun… who else do I think would love doing this and enjoy it…

So I put in the work… I talk to my friends, family, network and educate them about cleaner beauty.

I send them samples customized to their needs and ask how their skin feels.

I work with their budgets.

I do workshops on Facebook and on Zoom or on Instagram.

I showcase the products online and in person so people can see they can still get those glam looks or soft glowy skin without using yucky ingredients.

I follow up with them to make sure they’re totally happy with their purchases and help them outside of Beautycounter with other product recommendations they may like.

I send them little treats throughout the year to show my appreciation. I REALLY appreciate those that trust me with their skin. It is important they know that I take a lot of pride in this business. I want them to be happy.

My clients’ being happy with their skin and seeing marked improvements has been the most rewarding part of this ‘job.’

I also currently have a team of approximately 20 people. We chat every single day in a group chat, and have monthly team calls to connect, brainstorm and win fun prizes!

I don’t have a blog… I won’t be successful.

Oh I hear this too many times and it makes me super sad because those people who think that are missing out on such an amazing opportunity!

Listen, for MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS no one from my blog bought Beautycounter from me.

It was and remains majority my real life friends and family and acquaintances.

I am always shocked when I get a random name/order come in and find out she follows me on Instagram or on YouTube!

It’s super cool… but it’s definitely not the norm, so I want anyone reading this that doesn’t have a blog to know I lead a team of amazing women and NONE OF THEM HAVE BLOGS lol.

They’re all making a nice little side hustle out of Beautycounter – no blog required.

 

I *DO* have a blog… Can this be the same as using my affiliate links for other brands?

YES! This is another hugely missed opportunity for my blogger babe friends.

Just because you ‘join’ Beautycounter, doesn’t mean you have to be a Managing Director.

If you have a blog, and love beauty, I do not know why you have not joined Beautycounter so you can take advantage of the 25-35% commission instead of that B.S. commission you get from RewardStyle/LikeToKnowIt!

If you’re a blogger, reach out to me and let’s talk about how you can add this as an option on your blog! You’ll get to try/purchase products for cheaper, and then earn a higher commission on any sales generated.

I am not as outgoing as you… I don’t think I’ll be successful.

Another silly, silly mistake.

I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. That’s ok.

You may be someone’s perfect cup!

In March, I went to Minneapolis for a leadership training with Beautycounter and met around 30 other women. All of us were so very different, some outgoing, some very quiet, some that love a full face of makeup, some that don’t wear any, some that love skincare, some that are lucky they wash their faces at night… all of us leaders in the organization.

You don’t need to be outgoing and appear super confident.

You do have to be passionate about this mission and love the products so you can share that passion with those you are close to and care about. In a way that feels comfortable and natural to you.

Are there requirements?

One. One requirement to maintain consultant status.

$1200 sales minimum over a six month period. This includes your own personal purchases.

There are no monthly sales goals. You can hit that $1200 in one month and just coast the next five… or spread it out over the six-month timeframe.

$1200 sounds scary. It sounded scary to me, too. But I hit it in my first six weeks.

If you don’t hit it, though, nothing bad happens. You get bumped down to a Band of Beauty member – which is still awesome! You get free shipping on your orders of $100+, earn 10% back in store credit every time you order, and earn other exclusive perks.

Top three best things about joining?

It’s hard for me to name three things. There’s a few things about joining Beautycounter that I am so thankful I have in my life now:

1. A consistent income that is allowing me to provide for my family in a meaningful way while having a social impact in an industry I love (BEAUTY)! We have gotten so much around the house taken care of with my Beautycounter paycheck that kept getting pushed off – renovating our bathroom, new windows, professional power washing and resurfacing of our paver patio, paying for my student loans (thanks, Master’s Degree), paying for my daughter’s preschool… the list goes on and on.
2. Connecting with a close knit community of like-minded women and men that care about your success – personally and professionally. NOT all Beautycounter teams are created equal. Some people may have mentors that aren’t active or a larger team that provides no support. I got so lucky and am a part of a hugely successful team within Beautycounter. We are connected every single day and provided endless resources – for our businesses and even just for life things. It’s been particularly nice as a new mom (and during this pandemic) to have this professional and social circle to give me a purpose.
3. Leading a team of others to find their voice and build an income on their own terms. I knew if I joined Beautycounter, I was going to do it big. That meant I wanted to build a team of strong individuals who bring a variety of life experiences to the table but are all passionate about the Beautycounter mission. Some of these people on my team are longtime friends and some I have never met in person! But we communicate daily and check in on one another. I also love watching them gain confidence and be proud of their success.

Top three worst things about being a consultant

1. PAYING FOR SHIPPING! Ok this is SO annoying lol. Everyone is always shocked to hear I have to pay shipping even as a consultant.
2. PIVOTING. A LOT. Beautycounter is a new company in the grand scheme of things. It was founded in 2013. So there have been a lot of growing pains and shifts in the company (for the better!) but it has oftentimes made things a bit crazy as a consultant. Products may go out of stock earlier than expected, technology may fail because the website gets slammed, surprise promotions get emailed to you the day before… it can be a little nuts, but in business and life, it’s important to master the art of pivoting, so I tell myself I need to learn to roll with it 😉
3. WHEN PEOPLE IGNORE YOU. Luckily, this honestly doesn’t happen very often because I don’t send “hey girl” messages 😉 BUT let’s discuss it. Whether I’m reaching out to see if they’d be up to try free samples, or telling them I think they’d be great at this consultant thing with me… people get awkward. They don’t know what to say, so they say nothing? They assume I’m mass messaging people. I don’t know. BUT I do know it sucks. It especially sucks when they ignore your Beautycounter related question, but then answer something else on your social media the next day. I know you read my message and obvi don’t have the balls to just tell me how you feel. But, you learn _subtle art of not giving a f* ck_. Just know if I’ve sent you a message about Beautycounter, it is meant specifically for YOU. I don’t mass message and I DEFINITELY don’t “Hey Girl” message. Yuck.

MORE: BEAUTYCOUNTER POSTS

Do you have a product you miss that is NOT clean but you gave up using when switching to cleaner?

Oh this is a great question! When I got into clean beauty last year, I ‘detoxed’ my entire massive makeup collection and got rid of everything that scored more than a 4-5 on EWG “Skin Deep” or ThinkDirty.com.

I replaced products with cleaner options not just from Beautycounter… but from brands like Clove and Hallow, KOSAS, RMS Beauty, Ilia, etc.

Honestly, as a blogger, it has been REALLY fun to dive into this cleaner niche! I don’t get 34342 boxes of PR overwhelming me anymore and I can actually buy and review the products I’m personally genuinely interested in instead of feeling the pressure to perform like a monkey for brands that send me products.

To answer the question though – no. I don’t.

The reason I don’t is because I don’t look at clean beauty as a ALL OR NOTHING approach.

I’m still a beauty blogger and I still need to keep up with trends and be able to compare Beautycounter’s offerings to other brands/products.

So, if there’s something that gets released that is NOT “clean” but I am really intrigued by it and it’s something I won’t have to be applying to my skin every single day, I’ll buy it and try it out.

It’s kind of like a food diet. I ‘eat clean’ 90% of the time, but sometimes I get a ‘cheat meal’ and it’s good for the moment but I shouldn’t eat like that 24/7 haha.

How do you feel now looking back at your initial hesitations joining?

Oh this is funny. I really debated this in my mind for a couple months.

I was really torn about what people would think and if it would be received well.

I thought people would think it’s stupid or not ‘get it’ (clean beauty).

MY GOODNESS it’s anything but.

I will never forget those first couple months when I signed up … I had SO MANY DMs from old acquaintances or friends I didn’t even KNOW liked cleaner beauty/cleaner living asking about Beautycounter because they trusted my opinion and had been looking at the brand for awhile but didn’t know if it was any good.

They’re still some of my most loyal clients.

I couldn’t believe how many people were so glad I did this. My story resonates with them. They understand why I believe in cleaner products because of my health issues and they trust my no BS judgement on beauty goods.

Looking back, I wish I just joined sooner. I wish I didn’t overthink it. I wish I could have shared this opportunity with others SOONER.

How do I join? What are the fees?

Oftentimes there are promotions going on to join for less or get something extra for free, but the general requirements to join when there’s no promotion going on is: $98 to join, which gets you a get started kit, access to all the virtual trainings, two free full sized products, and MOST IMPORTANTLY… your consultant 25% discount! YAY!

You’ll also get a huge, super cute Beautycounter tote bag and makeup bag, and the option to purchase products for up to 40%+ off! That’s a huge deal but it’s only available at enrollment.

I’m so glad I took advantage of those enrollment deals when I signed up because it allowed me to try a bunch of stuff I hadn’t yet so I could make great recommendations.

There is also a $50 digital enrollment option that has been added temporarily* to help those looking for a side hustle to start for a more affordable price – this digital option does not include the get started kit, two full sized products, tote bag, or makeup bag. But it does include immediate access to our training and your consultant discount!

If you’re thinking about joining, don’t forget to select me as your mentor at checkout! STEFFANIE ENTRALGO! I’d be really honored and so excited to help you achieve your goals – big or small.

Top 5 favorite products at the moment!

Thank goodness this is just ‘at the moment’ because I could go on for hours and it changes every few months, depending on the season haha. For right now:

• Dew Skin SPF20 Tinted Moisturizer – this is such a quick multi-purposed product. Moisture, slight coverage, a healthy non greasy glow and SPF20 in a sensitive-skin friendly mineral formula.
• All Bright C Serum – I love vitamin c for anti aging and to help fade my acne scarring. this one has done wonders on my skin tone and I think it’s the reason why i’ve loved using just a tinted moisturizer instead of a foundation.
• Charcoal Mask – It’s August when I write this, and with heat and humidity, my skin can get just a bit congested. I love this for keeping my pores clear, texture smoothed with some light salicylic acid and breakouts heal quicker.
• Sorbet Blush – I’ve been OBSESSED with Nectar and Melon blush all year, but last month, I bought Sorbet as a deeper option and LOVE IT. It goes great with a tan and I’m excited to see how it wears in the fall since it’s a pretty deep rose shade.
• Countermatch Body Lotion – Never been a body lotion person until this formula. I even use it on my almost-2-year-old daughter, too. This lightweight but deeply healing lotion gives my skin a healthy look – no scaly legs and it has even helped with the little KP bumps I get on the back of my arms (in conjunction with using the charcoal bar in the shower). For my daughter, it’s been the only formula to keep her skin hydrated throughout the day. We used to have to apply lotion 2-3x/day. And yes, I promise we’ve tried everything from Aquaphor, Eucerin, Cetaphil, Tubby Todd (actually the all over ointment works too but we save that for really extreme dryness), Babo Botanicals, Honest Co., and more I can’t remember… my husband and I agree, her skin feels best when we use this.

 

I hope this helps clarify ANY questions or misconceptions you have about Beautycounter!

It has been the most rewarding decision I’ve made for my personal and financial benefit and I’m so lucky to have this opportunity in my life.

If this sounds like something you’re curious about or interested in learning a bit more, don’t hesitate _TRULY_ to email me at steffanie AT brighterdarling DOT COM or send me a DM on Instagram @brighterdarling.

 

 

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-Steffanie