Life with Dylan

Category: Shel Cosmetics

  • Is the American Dream Still Alive?

    What is the American Dream? Many would say it is the promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. I would tend to agree with that.

    Being your own boss. Working from home. Owning your own business. This is another version of the American Dream. Many people have this and many more make the attempt to achieve this.

    I spent 11 years as a Makeup Artist specializing in Bridal makeup. I helped brides look and feel beautiful on their special day. In 2008, I branded my own line of cosmetics and ran Shel Cosmetics for almost 4 years. This was my American Dream.

    While I worked full time, I spent my off hours trying to get Shel Cosmetics off the ground. I managed to keep the business going while I worked full time and went to school full time. I am by no means trying to justify anything. Well, at least not to you – maybe a little to myself.

    The past few months have been difficult and I have had some tough decisions to make. The weight I have felt looming over me is not good for me or my family. Not all businesses survive in this economy and I am wise enough to read the writing on the financial statements before it’s too late.

    Today I announced that Shel Cosmetics will be going out of business. This was a very difficult decision to make and one that comes with a heavy heart, yet at the same time I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I am proud of the businesses I have owned.

    I will always be a Makeup Artist because I can create masterpieces with a little makeup and a makeup brush. I do not have to have a business card to tell me this.

    There is no way to know unless you try … I tried … therefore, I did not fail. I succeeded.

  • Tough Decisions

    Sometimes in life we come to a fork in the road. We may only have to choose to go right or left, but sometimes we have another option – to continue going straight ahead. The hard part is deciding which way to go.

    (C) by http://www.martin-liebermann.de

    I have come to yet another fork in the road and something is telling me to go right instead of continuing on the path I have been going. The path that I have known. The path that is straight in front of me. This path is comfortable, I know it … but I’m not getting what I want or need.

    Letting things go that we love can be difficult. Sometimes downright painful. Letting go of something that I have put so much time and energy into is not an easy decision to make. However, other paths have presented themselves to me and I want to see what lies beyond the bend in the road. I want to see the forest through the trees and all the beauty it has to offer. For so long I have only seen the trees.

    I have not failed, because to fail at something means that I didn’t try. Didn’t try to do my best. My focus needs to change now and that scares me, but as with everything I have done in my life, I have no regrets.

    I believe I will take the path to the right and free up some space. Remove some of the trees that are keeping me from seeing the forest.

  • Even a Child Can Make a Difference

    After watching the news with me this morning and seeing footage of the East Coast, Dylan said I wish we could help those people Mom. I told him that it’s hard to help people when a natural disaster occurs because we really have no control over it. I told him that unlike earthquakes, Hurricane Irene gives a warning. We can track the progress and estimate where the hurricane will hit. This gives people some time to evacuate and get to safer ground.

    What came out of his mouth next practically put me in tears. He asked what would happen to all of their food and clothes that they couldn’t take with them … what about their new backpacks for school?

    Remember, Dylan is only 8 years old.

    (more…)

  • Big Changes + momAgenda = Happiness

    So you may have noticed that the web address has changed. We can now be found at LifewithDylan.com and that’s just the first step. There are some exciting things in the works, but we can’t say just yet.

    Besides taking this mom blog to a whole new level, I am up to my eyeballs with Shel Cosmetics. Don’t get me wrong, I love staying busy and the business is doing great. Busy Mom means the company is successful! Needless to say, I am spending more time on the computer than I did when I was in school.

    So along with scheduling appointments, vacations, shipping out orders, getting Dylan to and from summer day camps, and preparing for the Fall marketing campaigns I am glad that there is one thing that can keep me sane.

    My beloved momAgenda

    I have always used the Personal Portfolio with a spiral refill and love the soft leather with pockets and snap closure to make sure all my papers stay inside, but I might change things up this year. The new Faux Crocodile momAgenda Desktop in Teal Blue seems to be calling my name every time I see it.

    image from momAgenda.com

    For those of you who are not familiar with momAgenda, this amazing product was created by a mom … for moms! Every detail and every event you can possibly imagine is part of this organizational system. Vacations, gift guides, favorite places, holidays, mom-friendly web address listings, just about anything is here at your fingertips! And they makes it so simple for you …

    image from momAgenda.com

    Thank you momAgenda for making my crazy, chaotic life a happy one!

  • The Family Business

    Aside from Cub Scouts and all of Dylan’s other activities, we have a family business to run! Shel Cosmetics will be celebrating our 3 year anniversary in April and this mom-owned business could not be happier. Using my education and over a decade of experience as a licensed Esthetician and Makeup Artist, I branded my own line of cosmetics in April 2008. Whether or not Shel Cosmetics would take off was yet to be determined, but together Dylan and I made a go of it.

    Believe it or not, Dylan has a role in this family business. He helps choose colors, take inventory, and best of all he likes to help package and ship out the orders. Dylan is the best advertising ever, telling his friends that their mom should buy our makeup because it’s the best, Naturally. Still working on the company slogan “Bring Out The Most Beautiful You, Naturally” but he gets the point across.

    As for me, I stay busy with the Blog, Facebook page, Twitter, monthly newsletters, and special sales. That is just the marketing side. I also handpick each and every color for the core line and twice a year (Spring and Fall) introduce Limited Edition products.
    To find out more about our family business visit the website. shelcosmetics.com