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Why not earn some cash on the side by inviting some mates over to your house and hosting a product party? You can all try out products before you buy them and have some fun while you’re at it.  Alternatively, take the products to someone else’s house and start earning commission on what you sell.

There are lots of companies offering the chance to either become a hostess or a consultant. We’ve looked at the major ones for you – so if you’re interested in making money in your spare time take a look at this guide.

• Have a DIY product party
• Host a product party with friends
• Become a consultant

Have a DIY product party

If you don’t want to host a product party through a company, you can have your own party and sell products you’ve made yourself. Don’t panic – making your own beauty products is actually much easier than it sounds…

How to do it

1. Get some help.

There are lots of books and websites out there to help people wanting to make their own beauty products. Here are sites and books that we think are worth checking out:

• The Holistic Beauty Book by Star Khechara – This book is full to the brim with natural recipes for face, body and hair products. Star has been making her own natural products for 14 years and the instructions in her book are really easy to follow, with lots of helpful tips and a list of very useful websites. And, as a special treat Star kindly gave us a sneak preview of her recipes and top tips – just for you Moneymagpies.
• Naturalingredient.org – a good resource of information about natural ingredients
• MookyChick – an online magazine that often features alternative beauty tips and recipes.
• Aromantic – great for natural ingredients

2. Use quality products.

Try G Baldwin & Co for essential oils, dried herbs, dried flowers and other natural ingredients. There are also clever soap moulds that you can buy and soap flakes that you can personalise with added ingredients of your choice.

3. Add some bling!

Buy some decorative pots and jars to make your homemade goods look more attractive. We like the look of the jars and bottles ones sold at ColouredBottles.co.uk.

4. Market your goods cleverly.

Use hampers and baskets to turn your products into perfect gifts.

CandiGifts sells wicker baskets of various shapes and sizes, plus wrapping and packing accessories.

5. Try them out on your friends and family.

Get friends and family round to your house to try out your homemade products. Or, take the products to work for colleagues to try out.

Bulk discounts on beauty treatments

If you don’t fancy making your own beauty products, another great way to get beauty treatments for less is to gather friends and family together and hire a beautician to give you all various treatments in one evening.

Agree beforehand how big a discount you want. Expect to pay between 25-50% less than you would pay in a salon, because the beautician will be getting a lot of work in one evening and will take all the profits for him/herself rather than being paid through a salon.

Gumtree is a good place to look – check under the ‘Health and Beauty’ tab in the services section for beauticians wanting to treat people at their homes.

Host a product party with friends

How does it work?

All you have to worry about is arranging a venue and the guests – a consultant from your chosen company will bring the products to you.

It’s basically a great chance to do some shopping from the comfort of your own home and try out the products before you buy them with some friends.

You’ll probably get the chance to preview exclusive products and offers too.

The Body Shop: Go to the ‘Body Shop At Home’ section, follow the links to hosting a party then fill out your details.

A Body Shop consultant will be sent round to your house and give you a bunch of products to test out. Depending on what type of party you choose to host, you’ll be given expert tips on skincare, the best ways to wear make-up or the best fragrances for you.

Ann Summers: Again, just fill in your details here and an Ann Summers party consultant will be in touch with you. However, you must be over 18 to host one of their parties because of the adult nature of their products.

Vie at home: As with the Body Shop, you can choose what kind of party you have. They sell cosmetics, homeware and jewellery and you can choose whether to sell products from all three sections or just focus on one.

Simply visit their website here and type in your postcode to get the contact details of a consultant in your area who will help you.

Neal’s Yard Remedies: Simply visit the ‘Have a Party’ section of their website for details or to get in touch with them.

What do you need?

Nothing – except somewhere to hold the party. It’s helpful if you have a large group of friends and the ability to network. If you’re not a social diva, it’s not going to be as enjoyable for you. You need to enjoy having company in your home to make this a fun thing to do.

How much can you make?

By hosting a party, you can’t actually make any money but you’ll get some free products and discounts and there’ll be special offers on a regular basis.

Choose the company that sells the kind of products you would want to buy. There’s no point getting discounts and freebies if you’re not going to use them!

The Body Shop makes money by selling products to you and your guests at the end of the party. It’s a great way to try out all the products though, so you know exactly what you’re buying for a change. Depending on how much money you and your group spend, you’ll receive a certain amount of free shopping as the host.

You receive a free facial or makeover, £25 worth of free products of your choice plus 70% off on any other products you’d like to buy on the day (as long as your guests spend £230 or more). Get more info on host rewards here.

Ann Summers organisers have 10% of sales to spend on their products and free delivery.  Plus, hostesses generating over £135 of sales get one item at 30% off. Those who get over £180 of sales and two extra party bookings can get 75% off gift of the month.

VIE at home: As a hostess, you’ll earn commission and if sales from your party are more than £200 you’ll be able to take advantage of that month’s special offer.

They say an average VIE party makes about £250, so this should certainly be possible.

Neal’s Yard Remedies: As host, the amount you can expect to make is dependent on the amount your guests spend. For example, if members of your party buy £150 worth of goods, you will receive £25 worth of free shopping. For the full table showing you what rewards you can expect to earn, click here.

It’s worth knowing that as the host, you’ll also receive free facial scrub or body cream.

What will it cost?

Absolutely nothing – and there shouldn’t be any obligation to buy anything so avoid any company that asks you to pay any money to host one of their parties.

Should you go for it?

You could make it a regular occurrence and save a bundle on skin care, make-up, hair care, fragrance and Christmas presents for all your family and friends.

Not only this, if your parties bring in reasonable sales then you’ll be getting a host of free products. It’s also a great excuse for a party and a chance to spend some quality time with old friends and maybe even make some new ones.

If you’ve got a big date coming up then you can take advantage of the free makeovers and doll yourself up for nothing!

Be the best!

If you do decide to go for it, make sure it’s a great evening. Invite more people than you need in case anyone drops out – it’s better to have too many than too few.

Remember to tell people to bring a friend and invite work colleagues if you’re struggling to find people. Once you’ve got a date set, send people a reminder a few days before and try to get them to RSVP so you’ve got an idea of numbers.

For anyone that can’t make it ask them if they want you to order anything so that you can up your party sales.

Try to create a relaxing, informal atmosphere – simple refreshments will be completely fine so don’t waste your time and money with fancy canapes and posh drinks – it’s supposed to be a bit of fun!

Become a consultant

The role of a consultant is to book and organise parties to demonstrate products to the host and their guests.

Being a consultant is a great way to earn money flexibly, because you can choose how many parties to book, whenever you like.

You can do it part time or full time. Many mums do it in the evenings for some extra pocket money. You’ll be working for yourself so you can be your own boss and have a giggle to boot.

How does it work?

All consultants are assigned a mentor and receive training on all the products and/or beauty treatments, and also get free advice on how to maximise their bookings and business.

As with hosting a party you just need to fill in your details on the websites and someone will be in touch to get you started.

Your training will be specific to the company. For example, as a Body Shop At Home consultant you’ll be taught all the ethics that The Body Shop products endorse such as fair trading, protecting the planet and anti-animal testing.

Similarly, with Ann Summers party games are taught so you’ll be able to tailor the event to your customers.

At the Body Shop your area manager organises training. You must purchase your Starter Kit and book a minimum of four parties over a four-week period.  After that you get to decide how many parties you do per week. Find out more here.

You can apply to be a VIE at home consultant here or fill in this application form to be a party organiser for Ann Summers. To become a consultant for beauty company Neal’s Yard Remedies, click here.

What do you need?

Nothing at all – but some places will only take on women so do check. A party organiser position is best suited to someone of a talkative, confident and organised nature and if you don’t have a strong social network you may find it difficult to get the initial party bookings.

How much can you make?

The Body Shop: The amount of products that are sold at your demonstrations will determine your wage per party. The Body Shop says that the average party makes £200. Consultants get 25% commission on certain products so you can expect to earn roughly £50 a party.

There are great incentives to join in March 2012:

• Join between 9-19 March 2012 and you’ll pay just £20 for your starter kit, saving £20.

• Join between 19-30 March 2012 and you’ll pay just £30 for your starter kit, saving £10.

VIE at home: Consultants earn commission from party sales, plus additional financial bonuses if they reach certain sales and recruitment targets – and can also qualify for five-star luxury holidays around the world.

On average, each party sale is around £250 which means the consultant takes home £62.50 per party. Hold three parties a week, in your own time and you could be taking home around £750 plus a month as an income.

Neal’s Yard Remedies: Again, consultants get commission. However, there are often additional bonuses to be had if you sell a lot of goods within a short space of time. Check with the company for the latest incentives.

What will it cost?

The Body Shop at Home: To start up as a consultant, it will cost you £40. This pays for your starter kit which contains products and catalogues.

Ann Summers: Instead of paying a lump sum for the kit (which is worth £500), Ann Summers organisers rent it for £3.50 a week for 32 weeks or until they reach sales of £1,200.

VIE at home: There are three starter kits to choose from, costing either £10 (taster), £49.50 (getting started) or £99 (complete).

Neal’s Yard Remedies: Their starter kit costs £95, which includes training and ongoing support from another consultant.

Should you go for it?

It’s a great way to take control of your earnings and start your own business. Even if you don’t plan to stick with it a long time, it will help you to learn basic business sense.

There’s a load of incentives and rewards for when you do well and it’s an ideal job if you’re a mum, because you can plan it around the kids’ needs.

It’s also a brilliant way to boost your social life – you’ll get to have normal conversation with regular people (a life saver if the most intelligent discussions you have are those between yourself and a three year old).

BUT it’s important to remember that you aren’t guaranteed to be able to cover your costs – you might make a tenner one night and £100 the next – it’s all dependent on the host and their guests’ passion for shopping.

Also if you’re strapped for cash as it is, the start-up costs might not be affordable to you.

Consultant Profile: Celia Stewart, Neal’s Yard Remedies Beauty Company

“You don’t need any expert knowledge to be a consultant – but it helps if you actually enjoy the products you’re selling.

“I’ve found it to be a really flexible way to get extra income, shopping discounts and free goods. Product parties can take place anytime – in the evening or during the day. I’ve done parties at everything from coffee mornings to baby showers.

“You can do as little or as many as you like. They can be fun, especially if they’re with friends or people you know.

“I’d say the main things you need to be a consultant is an interest in the products you’re selling and a friendly manner. Although I’ve definitely found it useful having access to a PC!”

Click here to find out how to become a Consultant with Neal’s Yard Remedies.

Useful links

• VIE at home
• Ann Summers
• The Body Shop
• Neal’s Yard Remedies
• Just Trade
• Shoes Galore
• I Am Natural