"Where in the hell has Ferocia been!?" you are probably wondering. No, I didn't have a mental breakdown and get locked away in a psych ward nor did I commit any heinous crimes and spend a week at Rikers.
I've been in the beauty closet....trapped between crates of shampoos, conditioners, cosmetics and hair dye.
It was time for our annual beauty sale at the magazine and guess who got to coordinate everything? Me! (of course).
This was no easy task. Especially considering that the last time we had a beauty sale was probably about a year ago. You get so wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks here that you don't notice how much product you've accumulated in there until you go in to find a specific shampoo for an editor and things start to fall on your head or just on the floor, break and spill.
So, when this happens you have two options: sue the company (hello Workers Comp!) or hold a beauty sale. In which case I chose the latter.
And that's how I ended up in the beauty closet attempting to organize every single product for the masses here at our magazine to purchase. This year, instead of the usual 'everyone show up and shop till your hearts content' format, I decided to create something new. I sent out a mass e-mail to the office and everyone had to sign up for a time slot. This makes for a more personal shopping experience in that you get to actually SEE what you're getting instead of the usual shoving and yelling that would ensue when five or more hands all reach for the same thing.
I buckled down and sorted through every single bag, shelf and drawer in that closet to make sure that everything was sold. This was probably the hardest part of the task considering that I'm a beauty junkie and was enthralled by all of the sparkly Dior lipglosses and Benefit cheek/lipstains. But, I'm proud to say that I made it through without taking anything! (Ok, I lie. I did take swipe one of those OPI nail strengtheners since I was almost out as well as a moisturizing hair mask from Phyto, a Shu Uemura eyelash curler, some Bobbi Brown tinted moisturizer in Medium Tint and a Paul Mitchell brush great for when I blow out my hair.)
I'm proud to say that all of my hard work paid off in that everything was sold and we even raised over $2,000 to donate to a charity of our choice! And most of the staffers sent me nice e-mails saying how much they enjoyed how organized the sale was this year and thanking me for putting it together, which was nice.
So now the beauty closet is bare and ready for the next onslaught of face, hair and body products.
And now I can finally start on those damned expenses.....
xoxo
Ferocia
10.04.2008
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2 comments:
Hey girls, love the blog! I'm a recent grad/aspiring magazine editor and your blog reminds me why I won't give up on finding a job! I'm actually going in for an interview for a beauty assistant position and could use your advice Ferocia. Did they ask you a lot of specific questions about the beauty industry? Did you have beauty related experience/internships? I have a lot of fashion experience but not specifically beauty. I could use any advice you may have. Hope to hear from you!
Hi! Thanks for showing some love for our blog...glad that you enjoy it.
I actually did complete internships in beauty before aquiring my current position, so of course I learned alot about the industry as I went along.
As for your upcoming job interview, I advise the below:
1. Do your research. This includes making sure that you're familiar with names of all of the staff there at the magazine and being able to pinpoint some of your favorite articles from the mags that you've read.
2. Come up with some beauty story ideas and present them to the beauty director. (Or whoever you're interviewing with. I interviewed with the beauty director first.) Keep in mind that most mags are currently working on Spring 09 issues, so be sure that your story ideas reflect some of these trends.
3. Fashion is much like beauty in that you have to stay on top of (and predict) trends. Be able to discuss some of the current fall trends (Allure magazine is a great resource!).
4. And smile! Not freakishly (ie don't sit there like a clown with a smile plastered on your face!). This showcases that you're pleasant and amenable to work with. (Which is a big deal in the publishing industry considering that we all have to work together so closely all of the time). Just because you have the smarts doesn't mean you're going to be easy to work with and directors usually want to make sure that they're hiring a team player.
Hope this helps and best of luck to you.
xxo
Ferocia
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