Monave's Mineral Makeup and Marketing Class Review (Natural Cosmetics Class)

I just came back from Monave's mineral makeup and marketing class (I mentioned it in my last crafting notes entry).

I had a lot of fun, but I am very tired right now (from blood sugar fatigue and brain fog, meals/snacks at odd times, and driving to Baltimore and back). Overall I thought the seminar was very informative and I learned a lot! This year's class was focused more on marketing and business strategies than mmu crafting, though we did craft a little bit :) Topics included protecting intellectual property (things like copyright and trademarks), maximizing profit/buying in bulk, tips for selling, setting up the workspace, and also crafting.
Crafting (of course) was the most fun (we made a sample foundation, and the most beautiful shade of blush :) ) but I am glad that I went because I really need to learn as much as I can about the business side of things! I took a lot of notes and we got a lot of useful handouts too, and I can't wait for the transcripts to be available (see below).


I was excited since I got to meet Deb (owner of Monave), Kelley (Monave's wholesale executive and also an esthetician with her own business), Sharen (Monave's skincare and makeup artist), and Kim (owner of Geografx Cosmetics), as well as all the attendees! But I didn't get to talk to anyone as much as I'd like since I arrived only minutes before the first class was supposed to start, and sometimes when my blood sugar gets low I tend to be a bit quiet since I had brain fog on and off throughout the day :( . But the people I did briefly talk to were very nice and seemed very passionate and knowledgeable about their chosen fields (some had businesses already, some were starting from scratch, there was at least one other skin care crafter, and some were skin care estheticians or makeup artists getting into the mmu business). Deb and her staff were also extremely nice, and so was Kim of Geografx (I haven't used Geografx Cosmetics before but I must comment she had great looking skin!). It was amazing seeing so many mmu addicts and (present/future) business women in one room :) (The class was at Kim Ease Salon on Fleet Street, who lent Deb the space for the day).

After all the classes were over, we got to visit Monave's warehouse/office. It was really cool seeing where one of my favorite MMU lines is made/packaged/sent. I got a few free powders (including a very generous amount of a couple of unblended minerals--thank you very much Deb!), and I also bought one of the crafting booklets that I didn't have (which are usually sold with the kits but since I already have two kits, and I have most of the minerals/pigments, I only needed the matte mmu booklet), and also bought a few mini-lippie vegan glazes (Deb was so sweet and gave us all big discounts on the minis).

For those that missed it, in a couple months, videos of the more hands on lectures will be online and transcripts will also be available online to buy (the transcripts will be free to those who attended though). Also next year's MMU class will be focused more on the crafting rather than the business side, and (according to the retail forum), Deb will also be offering classes in CA sometime in the future.

Overall a good but tiring day :)