Cold, hard  

college cash

 . If there's one thing every college student wishes they had more of, that's it. Check in with two students who turned their love of cosmetics into a convenient way to boost their college finances. Beautiful!

On the "Mark" With Her Earnings
Kristina Bradley, a senior at Newberry College (Newberry, SC), has been selling cosmetics for mark., the young, trendy division of Avon, since her sophomore year. "I've always been kind of in and out of retail and sales," she says. "I just had never thought about opening my own business."

Although she's on a full scholarship, this 2005 mark. Goal Model says her cosmetics sales have helped finance her education in other ways. "It pays about 25 percent of my book costs each semester, and it pays for my sorority dues, too." Not to mention funding one of her favorite hobbies -- shopping -- both for herself and others.

And for Kristina, balancing studies and sales isn't a problem. "It hasn't been that hard. I focus on the business during the summer, on the weekends, and in the evenings," she says. "You can put as much or as little into it as you want."

Using Mom's Makeup Plan
As soon as she turned 18, Jordan Helou decided to follow in her mother's footsteps by joining the Mary Kay cosmetics sales force. Growing up in what she calls a "Mary Kay household," Jordan dreamed of working for the skin care and cosmetics company since she was a little girl. "When we would have career day at school, I'd dress up as a Mary Kay sales director," she says. This is no surprise, considering that her mother is the senior national sales director for the corporation.

Now, as a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in religious studies and romance languages with a concentration in Spanish, Jordan has worked her way up the Mary Kay corporate ladder to become an independent sales director. Responsible for keeping up with her studies and overseeing the needs and affairs of 84 women nationwide, she knows a thing or two about managing her time. "I'm a very visual person, so I keep my goals in front of my face," she says. "It's a balancing act, for sure, but I feel like school is my primary responsibility until I graduate." The flexibility of selling cosmetics doesn't hurt, she adds. "Being able to create my own schedule around my studying makes it manageable."

And the rewards in terms of college finances are huge. Jordan is focusing most of her earnings (approximately $1,500 a month) on post-college expenses, such as moving out on her own. "My college has been totally paid for by my mom's success, which is a huge blessing," she admits. "But there are girls on my team who are using the money they earn to help pay for their books and tuition bills."

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