I found the article “Delayed Gratification” by James Surowiecki an interesting read. Thanks to the little bit of history within this article I learned Layaway was actually started in the nineteen-twenties during the Great Depression. I also found it interesting that during that time items such as refrigerators, washing machines, and furniture, had been purchased on installments. I also agreed with some of the points that were listed in this article. I found the analysis from a financial perspective to be a bit peculiar.  They believe if a credit card holder pays off the remaining balance in full they can avoid service fees that are applied while setting up a layaway plan. Just like James brought to mind, most credit card users do not adapt to this mindset as a result of the enforced credit card company’s guidelines. Most Credit card companies thrive over making the consumer irresponsible. Whether you pay off the small monthly payments or cause delay on payments, they will make money-Especially when it comes to interest rates. When you look at society, there are a vast amount of individuals who are in debt as a result of poor credit card usage. This has been a growing factor also due to high unemployment rates. I strongly agree with economist Richard Thaler ‘s mental accounting theory because I can stand as an advocate for it. Whenever I receive money I always categorize its purpose. I always break it up into the following sub categories: Travel, Food, and Bills. I also find this a common practice amongst money managers. I also believe in Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir money spending concept to an extent. According to the article they state “Layaway is a popular way of making big purchases (like washing machines), because, if you don’t have a lot of money, the presence of a sizable sum in the house or even in the bank means that you’ll be constantly tempted to dip into it.” Even though I believe in Layway usage over making a purchase while using a credit card. I do not believe having a small stash in your house will tempt you to spend. I believe having no self-control will. When I was younger, and unemployed, I used to save a lot of money within my household and never was tempted to use it. This is why I agree with Barton Lipman and Wolfgang Pesendorfer’s concept, which states “People have a profound distaste for temptation, and are willing to go to great lengths to avoid it.” I do however believe Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir’s point of view can be used to back up a scenario involving individuals who have no self-control when it comes to spending. Just like the article states Consumers choices are shaped by social and economical norms. It can be a very tedious scenario trying to save money in a world where spending is idolized. Especially since consumer purchases can be used as a passage for social satisfaction and gratification. It is immensely sad that we live in a capitalist society but we can be a bit wiser when it comes to our spending habits. Even though society can make this extremely hard on us.

Christmas is right around the corner! I am so excited but what does this mean? More promo work! For the previous Christmas Holiday The Lip Bar released a limited edition Lipstick line called The Mistletoe Trio. This line consisted of three colors; Holly Jolly, Naughty, and Gifted. Holly jolly is a pine green, naughty is a deep red with gold shimmer and Gifted is a shimmery gold. This year Melissa wasn’t sure if she wanted to bring back the trio or just one particular color from this collection. After a poll via Instagram, Facebook, and a suggestion from both interns, she decided to bring Holly Jolly back to represent Christmas. As a result I had to design a web banner for the shade. I was really happy with the outcome. It really pops on the web page. Something amazing also occurred as well! As a result it kicked off some sales! Lauren also known as the Queenofblending posted a video wearing one of the Lip bars lipstick products. The color she featured on the video was Dark and Stormy. She featured it as part of her neutral eye makeup tutorial. In case you have no idea why this is such great news let me explain. Lauren is one of the many popular makeup gurus on Youtube.” She has over 295,226 subscribers and over 49,506,848 views on her Youtube page. This is an extremely huge deal because due to her large amount of followers, her video, along with a couple of lip swatches for Femme fatale, purple rain, and the Cocktails on the rock’s Amaretto Sour, generated some sales and also exposure for the lip bar. So as a result I was given another assignment to work on a web banner and a social media graphic to post on Instagram. Melissa didn’t really like the first banner I did so I remade a more simplified version, which she liked better.

I was still recovering from my last internship encounter. I still can’t believe how much work went into developing all of the past orders. That experience just opened my eyes to the amount of hard work start up business have to go through when they are in the process of establishing a solid brand. This week Melissa had more orders to pack due to not only the re release of the Night Owl Lipstick but also the 15 percent off Black Friday sale. As a result of this I was able to meet their second Intern who I learned is currently studying Cosmetic Chemistry. I just found this so amazing and also interesting. While I thought I was going to pack some more orders, she was actually in charge of this. I had to work on an assignment I was given earlier in the week. The assignment consisted of making more Instagram graphics for The Lip Bars Instagram page. All work was focused on two popular lines the Lip Bar has; The Virgin Cocktails and Cocktails on the rocks. The Virgin Cocktails is a all nude lipstick line while Cocktails on the rocks are the most moisturizing of all lipstick lines. In consist of Amaretto Sour, Purple Rain, and Cosmo. Amaretto Sour is a serene yellow, Cosmo is a energetic red, and as mentioned in the name, Purple rain is a vibrant purple color. Purple Rain is also the most sought after lipstick shade in this collection. I was able to finish 2 graphics. It was also my birthday that day. I was later on surprised with some cupcakes and a song and dance from the Melissa and Rosco, the creative director.