Brighter Side.

Hello Lovelies,

After my post from the day before yesterday, I received a lot of positive feedback. I want to say thank you so much to the ladies who stepped up and ordered as a result. I'm almost to my goal! I still need about 5 more orders to be able to get the supplies needed to make more Metronome and Digital. Those are probably 2 of my FAVORITE colors and I'm almost out...I don't know if I will even have enough for all the samples I want to be able to make.

Once I order these next things, though, I should have enough supplies to last me a while. And that will be nice.

I don't have a whole lot to talk about today, other than I am also hoping to be able to start scheduling some shoot! Whoot!

Have a great day, ladies!

Hugs,
Tiffany

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Hello Lovelies...

So, almost immediately after posting my last blog, I was...well...for lack of better terms, bombarded with sweetness by some ladies who ran across my cosmetics. I cannot begin to put to words how much they made my night. <3

But then it started getting crazy...almost literally overnight....I started getting messages from several ladies who had come across my website. It was super awesome, because they were all so excited to try my products! But they were also ALL asking for free samples...

So I wanted to take this opportunity to say that I am NOT going to be giving out free products for review...yet. I am not saying that I will never do so. What I am saying is the there is going to be a lot more to it. Let me put it this way...

I started this business for many reasons. I see it as a way for me to be creative...to create beautiful colors that I can share with others. To make friends. To have fun. To empower me to be the best I can be. I do it to make others happy. What money I have made so far is going directing into buying MORE supplies, to make MORE amazing colors, so that MORE people can enjoy it.

Perhaps this is just part of the growing experience. Just something I needed to learn from. Whatever the reason, it happened. I have to pick myself up, brush it off, and just keep going.

The reason I am so upset is not because people wanted to try my products...trust me when I say that I am SO HAPPY that people are interested and want to try my colors. However...if someone can't afford the $10 (or less if you are a fan of the facebook page and know the coupon code that is currently up) to try ALL of the colors, then what does that say to me? That it's not about just trying them and doing reviews...it says that most people are in it for the free stuff. Which makes me extremely hesitant to want to send you anything...because who knows if you would even post a review?

I have literally JUST started this business...it's my baby. It is my world. My everything. It makes me so happy. It makes me look forward to starting the day. Seriously, I get up every morning and just check all the pages at least 4 times before I even get a shower.

So...in conclusion, I guess...I am asking that if you would like to receive samples for review, then consider it donating when you purchase. I have put so much into my little company, and all I want is the respect of others to at least buy a samples. My own FRIENDS have PURCHASED samples...why on earth would I send FREE ones to people that I DON'T EVEN KNOW?

I hope this didn't come across as mean, or angry or whatever...it is mostly just hurt that I am feeling at possibly being taken advantage of. Sigh. Like I said, this whole blogging adventure is to chronicle my journey into making my own cosmetics company. I see this as one of the negative aspects.

<3

Hugs,
Tiffany

Here is my heart for you all to see

Hello Lovelies,

I'm starting to get a little nervous. Things went amazing for the first few days I had the store open...then it just sort of stopped. I haven't received any more orders. I am hoping that things change in the next few weeks...I want to be able to start selling things and earning back the money I have invested. I want to be able to create more colors and more collections...and honestly more products! I'd love to be able to make an eye shadow primer and some flavored lip balms. Sigh.

But I'm not going to let it get me down. I will stick by my standards of what is important. Fast shipping time, quality product, and amazing customer service and communication. I'd love to be able to have a contest sometime too. I just want to create colors that will make people happy like I feel when I make them. I hope that people see this as not just a small business. I'm not really interested in making money unless it means I can get more creative with my colors and grow. I love it for the fun I have, not for the money I make. That is the very reason I started doing makeup artistry as well as modeling. For the love of it. I hope that people see that. I really do.

I guess that is all I can say tonight, ladies. I hope you see me as a person, and not as a company or anything. I am real and I care and I hope you love my products and that they make you feel good about yourselves and empowered. Actually, that sums it up best. I hope you feel empowered to show the world the how beautifully amazing you all are. Because that is how I see the woman who uses my products. Beautifully amazing. Strong and empowered to say "Hey world, this is me and I am here." That is how I like to envision myself, and making cosmetics makes me feel like I can say that sentence with confidence. So thank you to all the ladies that have already purchased, and thank you to the ladies that will purchase in the future. You are helping me achieve my dreams and goals and empowering me to be myself and love myself. Because I have struggled with that for a long time. It's easy for me to be my own worst enemy sometimes...help me be stronger, ladies.

I love you all, truly. I hope you all have an amazing night.

Hugs,
Tiffany

Shoots, Shoots, Shoots!!! (sung to the tune of "Shots")

Hello lovelies!

As the title suggests, I had some photo shoots yesterday. And let me just say, things were great!!

The first shoot was for the Tick:Tock Cosmetics Store promotional pictures. Today's color was Alarm Clock! The usual suspects were present as MUA & Photog team, Tick:Tock MUA and High Voltage Photography. It started as Leeb and I met up at about 9 am for some morning coffee. From there, we were off to find a bed spread at walmart, batteries for her camera, and of course, some cookies for Desmond. :-)

We headed out to our usual photography place...it's an empty room at the Conservatory of Music at SMWC. We took a bed from the basement and rolled it up to the first floor, set it up by a window, put up the curtains and made them cute, made the bed, and we were pretty much done with our set. So we went to meet our model at Coffee Grounds! Here's a sneek peak photo!

Here's a link to her Model Mayhem account!

It was definitely a very fun time! We got some adorable shots, and I think she had a great time as well! And then...there was the second shoot of the day.

Originally, it was supposed to be a MUA and Model coaching session for me. However, when the model backed out, I was asked to step in. And I am SO happy that I did! You can see a sneak peek here! And there are SO many that turned out SOOOO well! I'm so excited to see the rest. The makeup was such a fun way to switch it up. Not exactly Easter spirit, but you can bet I have Halloween profile pictures for this year now! Lol. The photographer's name is Josh Carr, and we met up at Mogger's Brewery and Pub in Terre Haute. When I first heard that was where the shoot was, I wasn't sure what to expect because I had never been there myself. But surprisingly, it's such a unique location! And it's indoors! Score! 

So, the shoots all went great today, and I left feeling extremely pleased with the day. I am so happy that I have the opportunities to do things like this. It's so much fun!

Have a great day, ladies!

Hugs,

Tiffany

Things are looking up...

Hello my dears!

So I got some very awesome news today when I went to work. [Sidenote: I work part-time as a beauty consultant at the Clinique counter at my local Macy's] I was a bit worried after talking to some ladies that I work with that because I was starting my own business in cosmetics, I wouldn't be able to do both. But I found out today that it is not going to be a problem. This makes me EXTREMELY happy, because I truly love Clinique's brand and what they do in the field of skin care.

My skin before I started working there was HORRID. Like I'm not even exaggerating. I used to get really bad acne in the sames spots on my forehead...so bad that they started to leave scars. UGH. It made me super self conscious and it was just awful because it felt so terrible. But now, I use the Clinique 3-step system as well as the Turnover concentrate and the All About Eyes cream and my skin is AMAZING. I get compliments all the time at work for how lovely my skin is, and it's so nice to get them because I struggled for so long with my skin.

I also really enjoy the people I work with as well. I've got several girls who are super awesome [Leah, Celine, Kate, Nicole, Blair, Nikki, Samantha...just to name a few] and some of the ladies who are a bit older than us [Rita, Sharron, Gina just to name some more...] and I really enjoy working with everyone. Plus I have a really awesome Cosmetics Department manager named Jayne which makes things really nice too. I'm lucky to work in the field that I love with people that I enjoy being around as well.

I will say the negative part is the actually business part...and I don't mean interacting with customers. I feel like sales goals that are unrealistic are just discouraging and that keeping track of so many numbers is kind of annoying as well. But that is just part of it. And I can't really complain otherwise.

Well, that's really all I have to talk about for now. Just wanted to get an entry in before I went to bed! I probably won't write anything tomorrrow. I gotta have at least one day off for Easter! I definitely have so much I am blessed with, I give credit to God for putting it all together so perfectly. I am so thankful for everything going on right now with my business and with my job. <3

Have a great Easter, everyone!

Hugs,
Tiffany

Shipping Day! WHOOT!

Good evening, ladies!

Just got home from work and thought I'd write a little bit about the day. We shipped 6 packages out today, one actually going to Australia! My first international order! Whoot! Very excited about that! I was also very excited about the fact that I had 6 orders! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks of the products. I'm nervous at the same time, though. I'm really hoping to hear nothing but good things. :-)

Elizabeth and I have been talking about coming up with our own eye shadow primer. I've been doing a bit of research into it and it seems like a very plausible option. It's going to take some playing around with formulas this summer, but I am hoping to have it ready in time for the official "Grand Opening" this summer.

I'm also hoping to have an idea of ours happen around "Grand Opening" time as well. Fortune Cookie Collection! It's going to be super cute! I'll hopefully post some fun pictures in the next month or so when we get a chance to formulate the colors for it. We're also hoping to have it come in cute little "Chinese Take-Out" boxes! How cute is that?! Pretty freaking cute, if you ask me.

Well, that's all for tonight, ladies! Thanks for ready! Be sure to check out our Storenvy page for our sweet deal going on where you get 14 samples for $10 and FREE SHIPPING!! Whoot, whoot! Thanks again!

<3 Tiffany

New Store, Samples, and MORE!

Hello Lovelies!

I've pretty much spent the whole day being super excited about the Tick:Tock Cosmetics Storenvy page being up and running for about 3 days now. And the average is basically 1 order per day. I'm so excited to see my friends wanting to order my products! I can't wait to get to see what people think of them. Things are so awesome!

The samples set we made today has also been a big success in my opinion so far. Although, just one order is a success to me lol. I'm like a little kid who just learned how to ride a bicycle...like I'm just excited to be moving forward at all, even though I still have training wheels. Hopefully that makes sense. I'm also looking forward to getting some products into the hands of customers so they can start doing fun creative looks with them and posting to the Tick:Tock Cosmetics Facebook page! I want to be able to use my products at a way to empower women to be strong in who they are and to encourage them to do what makes them happy. Being creative with makeup makes me happy, and I know there are LOTS of ladies who feel the same!

Also...I'm not going to go into much detail about it yet, but I am very excited about something that is going to be happening with the company in July/August...I'm hoping to be able to chronicle the process of the adventure and make a post when the time comes for it.

That's all I can think to write about now. I hope to have more to talk about tomorrow! <3

Hugs,
Tiffany Rusin
Tick:Tock Cosmetics

A HUGE WELCOME!

Hello ladies!

I wanted to say thanks so much for first of all, coming to the page!! I'm going to use it as a way of keeping everyone up to date with what is new and happening!! But first...a little bit about Tick:Tock Cosmetics itself.

Tick:Tock Cosmetics is run by me, Tiffany Rusin , and my friend, Elizabeth Christjansen. We started unofficially in December 2010, when the idea first started solidifying in our brains. By January 2011, we had purchased some of the ingredients to start experimenting with colors and since that time, we've developed 14 official colors for our company.

We are a vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free company! What does that mean?

1. Our products contain no animal products, are all natural and are 100% vegan.
2. Our products are not tested on animals.
3. Our products contain no parabens, which is know to cause allergic reactions in some people and has been linked to possibly cause breast cancer.
4. In addition, our products are also COMPLETELY FILLED WITH AWESOME!!!! Just so you are aware. :-)

We are currently up and running and you can find us here on Storenvy.com where you can buy our products! You can also find us on Facebook where we post lots of pictures and fun stuff like that! Also, if you are a customer and would like a place to post some pictures of you wearing Tick:Tock Cosmetics, it is an excellent place to post!!

That's all I can think of for the moment! Stay tuned for more excitement!