What is a French Beauty Ritual?

If Americans have a skin care routine, the French have a beauty ritual. The French philosophy on beauty is simply to make looking great and aging well a part of their daily life. They do that by pampering their skin with the most beneficial ingredients Mother Nature has to offer. French women see their skin care as an investment in herself and will buy more skin care products then makeup. The philosophy is that skin care lasts a lifetime, while makeup lasts a day.

American women tend to see skin care from a clinical point of view, while French women often consider their time with their skin care as a pleasurable part of their day.

How to develop a French-style ritual so you to can baby your skin and look years younger:

1. Use cleansing milks instead of soap or other drying cleansers. French women love rich, creamy cleansers that are not harsh on their skin. If you are used to using soap or a foaming cleanser, cleansing milks will feel a little different but your face with thank you for being so gentle!
2. Don’t forget to tone. Toning is a step French women do not skip. Not only is it an important step in removing residual oil or dirt, but it brings your skin to its proper PH balance prepping it for the serums and crèmes that follow. If the PH balance of your skin is not in balance, your serums and crèmes will not work as effectively.
3. Treat your skin to moisturizing oils. French women love aromatic oils. They believe in the power of oils to nourish the skin and the aromatics add to the pleasure.
4. Add a serum to your regimen. Serums are as important as crèmes in a French women’s routine. Your serum is your power step repairing your skin from damage from your environment. Your serums also are a thinner consistency then your crèmes and therefore will penetrate the pores deeper. Serums are packed with the highest percentage of potent ingredients.
5. French women believe what you put in your body effects your skin just as much as what you put on your face. They drink lots of water and eat more fruits and vegetables then Americans do. Votre Vu developed SnapDragon to help you get the vitamins and anti-oxidants you need to keep your skin vibrant and healthy.

Until Votre Vu, French skin care was not very accessible in the USA nor very affordable.  You can now experience the French skin care difference without the high price tag. Contact me and let’s talk about which products are best suited for your specific skin care needs.

What’s Your Dream?

If someone asks you who was the famous Jersey boy band who sang “Sherry” you would say “The Four Seasons.”

I had the privilege of attending Jersey Boy at Bank of America Theatre in Chicago. I had no idea of the work and commitment that went in before they charted their first 1st number one song 1962.

Did you know that before they were the Four Seasons, they were the Four Lovers? In fact, they had over 18 stage names before bombing an addition at a bowling alley in New Jersey early in 1961. And you can guess what that name of that bowling alley was.

Any idea how long they were a group before they became the Four Seasons? If I did my math right, 8 years. Some of the musicians came and went, but Frankie Valley (yes, it started out with a “y”) and the Variatones started playing in performing in clubs and lounges in 1954.

After the success of “Sherry”, they went on to produce and record several million-selling hits, including “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (their second #1 hit), “Walk Like a Man” (their third #1), “Candy Girl”, “Ain’t That a Shame”, and several others and the rest, as they say, is history!

But what if they had quit the music business? Before all their years of hard work had a chance to pay off?

I find myself drawn to inspirational stories and this is just another great example of believing in a dream and never giving up.

4 guys under a New Jersey street lamp, finding their sound.

8 years. Of clubs and bars and bowling allies.

And then – pay dirt!

So what about your dreams, goals, aspirations? Do a few no’s or naysayers stop you from fulfilling your dream?

Is focus lost on the long term goals when obstacles get in the way?

Do you stop because it’s harder than you thought? Or your efforts and hard work bring you to yet another no?

For me, each setback provides a chance to reevaluate and redirect energy, to make changes and to continue moving forward.

I’ve learned lemonade become much easier to make with practice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Seasons_(band)

5 Networking Tips for 2010

My top 5 Networking Tips are:

1. Be a resource for people that you meet.  If you are asking questions and listening to their answers, you may have a connection with someone you know to help solve a problem or fill a need.   And what you give, you will get.

 2.  Always be sincere.  If you aren’t, people will know it because  people do business with people they know or trust.  While you are speaking with this person, give your undivided attention.   

3.  Rehearse your 30 second commercial about your company prior to the meeting.  Know what you want to say and say it with enthusiasm.

 4.  Do not talk too long – nobody likes a bore!  You’ve all heard that’s why we have two ears and one mouth.

 5.  Remember that it is not how many people that you meet at an event that counts.  Rather, it’s  will the people that you have met remember you when the event is over.

Hint:  Don’t you find it easier to remember people who have helped you or were interested in you versus the person who just wanted to tell you what they do, gave you their card, asked for yours and then walked away?  Can anyone say circular file?

Not Everyone Likes Cheesecake

On those days when you are feeling frustrated that no one wants what you have to offer, just remember: Not everyone likes cheesecake.

What I mean is if you go, let’s say, to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner, you might go because you love their meatloaf (I know – it’s a stretch but work with me here) and you have no desire to order one of their 32 or more variety of cheesecakes.

What does your waitress do?

Most likely, she says “Are you sure, that’s what we are famous for” and gives you a few suggestions.

You still say no.

Now what does she do? Most likely, she smiles, says thank you and goes to another table where someone just might want to order some of their famous cheesecake.

What she doesn’t do is equally important.

She doesn’t stop trying to offer it because no one at that table wanted the dessert, she doesn’t think no one likes her because they turned her down, and she doesn’t take off her apron and throw it on the table and quit!

I think you get the point. So when you are out promoting your business, if someone says no, just remember………………………….not everyone likes cheesecake!

Our job is to find the ones that do.

To our success!

There’s Nothing Quite Like This Sound

 For as long as I have been selling products, from floor covering out of college to faux painted walls to skin care, there is nothing quite like the sound of a happy customer!

Of course I love the products (why else would I choose to rep the line) but when you hear it from someone else, you can’t help but have the corners of your mouth lift into a smile

” I just wanted to let you know I received the Votre Vu samples today  and I just tried them!! You should see my skin! It looks so smooth and healthy and feels wonderful! The scent of the products is very  fresh and herbal, very French!! I LOVE the scent of the tonic the most! The delicate white flower scent is so pretty! I can’t wait to try all of the Votre Vu products.   Thank you so much for the samples!!”

My motto for the this season is Unwrap Beautiful Skin. And isn’t that’s the best present of all – one that makes someone else happy? 

No Cosmetic Cream Could Have Treated This!

So I finally make an appointment to see the Dr. for this patch of strange skin on the end of my nose.  As typically happens, the morning I’m suppose to go, it’s all cleared up.

A quick history – I had a break out there 7 or 8 weeks ago (and isn’t that one of God’s funnier jokes, wrinkles and zits….at the same time?)  I used my drying lotion and things cleared up.  Or not. Because about two weeks later, another break out in the same place.

Again, cleared it up and this time the skin looks a bit scaly and flakey.  So I use another one of my creams and that helps. For awhile.

About this time I’m beginning to think that this is more than just a normal skin issue and I go ahead and call the Derm.

So now I am trying to decide if I keep the appointment or not since my nose looks great.  I can’t even see anything but my gut is telling me to go anyway.

I sit in the exam chair, apologizing for wasting Dr. Laura’s time, and she takes out a tool to measure something. My stomach jumps a bit.   She says to the assistant “5 mm by 5 mm.” 

Then she says “Do you feel that bump under the skin?”  “No.” Of course I didn’t – who rubs their nose to feel for bumps!

As you can guess I’m a little shelled shocked and she continues with “I think you have a staff infection.  Here’s a prescription for a topical antibiotic and here’s one for an oral antibiotic.  I don’t think its skin cancer but if it’s not gone in three weeks, we’ll do a little punch biopsy, put in a stitch, and see what’s going on.”

OK, now I’m really shell shocked.

The moral of this story – even the best creams in the world can’t treat an infection and when you think something may be wrong, you are probably right.

By the way, that ointment is really sticky.

Les Sorbet!

Check this out!  What a great deal from Votre Vu. Our award winning serum is your’s free if you join either as a wholesale shopper (someone who just wants to get the best pricing for your products) or a business builder (someone who wants to earn extra money selling products and building a team of salespeople.Les Sorbet contains marine collegan and our partner lab is one of three or four in the WORLD that can cultivate, harvest and extract brown algae from the sea. The brown algae is excellent for encapsulating our own collagen, breaking it down, thus stimulating a faster cell turnover…like when our skin was younger.   It’s working for me! Don’t delay – this deal ends at 12 midnight CST December 20th. Traci Bonjour, We have the best opportunity in the nation…we have the best skin and body care products from France…we have the best team that works night and day to help you build a business…and for a limited time, we have an incredible FREE BONUS for you when you become a Votre Vu Brand Ambassador! When you sign up to be a Brand Ambassador between Nov 23rd and midnight CST on Dec 20th and place your activation order, you will receive our award-winning frozen Les Sorbet for FREE!* With a retail value of $165, Les Sorbet is delicious icing on an already sweet startMEup Pak…

Honored with Shecky’s prestigious Beauty at its Best award for 2009, this innovative frozen wand is full of wonderful anti-aging superstars: marine elastin and collagen, organic muscle-relaxing vegetable peptides, hydrolyzed collagen to moisturize and protect, and a complex vegetable broth that soothes, revitalizes, regenerates, smoothes and stimulates. Apply Les Sorbet to the face, neck and décolletage for outstanding treatment of the skin. Once you have experienced this premier frozen serum, you too will realize why the beauty pros think it is so très cool!

Les Sorbet @ $165 value + startMEup Pak @ $250 value = $415 VALUE for ONLY $99**

Discover more about this great opportunity to “Spread the Buzz”!   LEARN MORE*An activation order is a personal order of at least 50 BV. BV is a point value assigned to each product. If you place your activation order at the time of sign up, you will receive an extra discount on your products. ** The startMEup Pak is only $99 if you enroll for AutoShip; otherwise $125. See startMEup Pak flyer for all the details.

A Word on Endorsements

I was watching the TV the other night and I saw this commercial from Burger King on Endorsements.  So I looked it up on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un4QhHRCk2Y so I could watch it again. It starts with the following:

 

“What can you learn from the Tony Stewart School of Endorsement?

 

You’ve got to sell stuff you love.

 

People have to trust you.

 

You are what you endorse.”

 

 

You can read more about the campaign here: http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3ia3f2289d03ed221641ad4930977fc8fb

 

 

That’s exactly what we do as Vu Brand Ambassadors!

 

To quote our tag line “Use it. Love it. Spread the Buzz. Get paid.” 

 

Have a great week promoting Vu!

Holiday Selling Ideas

As we gear up for the upcoming Holiday season, here are some suggestions to support your business.

 

1.  Corporate gift giving.  Give the gift of beautiful skin this holiday season.  Pampering products never go out of style and we’ve got some great holiday packages at great pricing. (see attached flyer)

 

2.  Have your working friends host a catalog show.  Set it up so if they take a catalog to work and if they can get X amount in orders, they can shop at your discount.  Include some of the hand cream      samples so people can get a feel for our quality.

 

3.  Encourage your “consumer consultants”  – those that become consultants to get the discount, not necessarily to build a business – to share their account with their friends and family.  Remind them that the best way to order our products is in groups of 3 -  25% off the first two items and 50% off the third most expensive.  And best of all, they have their samples from their startMeup pack for sampling.

 

4.  Target the men you know.  Stop them from gifting small appliances!

 

5.  Shop at your own store for your holiday gift giving.  Why wait for a sale at the mall when you have one 24/7?  Regardless of who’s been naughty or nice, everyone deserves soft hands!

Votre Vu Unveils Top French Accessory At Nolcha’s HotSpots

As Chicago becomes runway ready for this month’s Fashion Focus, local boutiques aim to elevate the city’s couture status during Nolcha Fashion Business Network’s corresponding Independent Retail Week.

Amongst the week’s sure-to-be highlighted trends of cuff bracelets, statement rings, and above-the-knee socks will be an accessory each fashionista needn’t buy and already possesses – her skin. Specifically, the epidermal trend will echo that of fashion front-runner France – revealing skin that radiates health and ages well naturally …with Votre Vu.

The latest in luxury French skin care, Votre Vu launched this year with a botanically powered product line featuring such French beauty traditions as restorative neck crème, frozen sérum, bust balm, and a beauty benefit beverage. Award-winning, hand-crafted formulas that for decades were only offered in upscale European spas are finally available in the U.S., exclusively through Votre Vu.

www.nolcha.com

To learn more about how to build a succesful business with Votre Vu,  please contact me at tbkuhn@wideopenwest.com