Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Gachkar and Ashleigh Pogue.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Ashleigh and I have been friends for a while now, and we have always had a passion for beauty, fashion, etc. Our husbands have had success in life, Ashleigh’s being a very successful construction business owner and Lauren’s being a former NFL and Dallas Cowboy player. We felt like it was time to make a name for ourselves, and give the world something we truly loved and felt great about.
We initially realized the self-tanning world proved to be an area of need and wasn’t over-saturated. Us already having an affinity for clean products, we really felt like the industry was missing this. We set things in motion and began the process of formulating our own. Another caveat that we explored was the world of CBD, since there has been such a boom around products with it. After doing lots of research on the benefits associated with CBD, we felt like it was a no brainer!
We quickly realized, if we got our Self Tanning Mousse with CBD to the market, it would be the first in the world. So that’s what we set out to do, something that would set us apart from the competition. We decided to position our brand a little above the market because the ingredients and packaging that we are giving the consumer truly warrant a higher price. This is something you won’t see out there; a tanning company meets a skincare company! Skincare is a passion of ours, and the more knowledge the customer gets in this area, the more likely they are to start heading in the direction of brands like ours!
Our official soft launch was September 27th, 2019, and we launched at Lincoln Experience Center at The Star. Inviting influencers and Cowboys to create an initial buzz was our goal. We wanted the word to start spreading. As of November 5th, the products became fully available and the website was no longer on Pre Order basis.
Our initial goal with the company was to start on E-commerce and grow our Digital footprint through influencers and ambassadors organically. We want to give an authentic feeling to the customer. Since we started online, we have seen such great response and are now looking into many avenues of direction to take the brand come 2020.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Yes and No. This is our first time in this industry, so literally, everything we do is a learning curve. We tried to surround ourselves with people in every facet of the business, in order to give us a jump start on the hurdles that we will face. Still, there were things that could never have been predicted and you just have to take your lumps and move on.
For the most part, brand creation and product formulation were the main trials to start. Lots and lots of going back and forth to make everything just right; and then when you reach what you thought was right, well you no longer want that.
Thankfully though, we ended up exactly where we are supposed to be and striving forward!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ópalens Beauty – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Ópalens Beauty is a Tanning meets Skincare company. This is something truly different then what the market has to offer. Our products are made with truly fantastic ingredients that are far better than what you will get in the competition’s products. That alone sets it apart, but the CBD added in makes them a really special product. The Self Tanning Mousse alone with the CBD is the only one in the market right now that you can buy. That coupled with the clean ingredients and excellent results of application; makes it a truly unique beauty product.
We are extremely proud that we can offer the consumers something that we honestly love and use. We have high standards when it comes to what we use on our skin, and we are very proud of every product in our line. The brand “Ópalens Beauty”, is also something we feel strongly about. It took us a long time to get the packaging and beautiful art on the bottles that you see. Our initial intention was to make something luxurious and yet not out of reach for your daily consumer. And we feel we’ve done that!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Since we launched Digitally, we have the fortune of still planning things out. There are many doors that have started opening to us since the launch. The website its self, www.OpalensBeauty.com, built by DigitalRetailPartners; has had a huge response from not just consumers but potential partners.
We really do want to grow our brand organically to start, capture the Dallas base, because we are local girls and then go from there. Having our products in Nordstrom and Neimans are of course important, but we are in no rush to get there. Without giving away to much detail on the channels; because we are currently talking to potential partners, etc., we can say that we are just really excited about 2020 and so on.
Pricing:
- The Tanning Mousse Original – $55
- The Tanning Mousse Dark – $55
- The Face Serum – $65
- The Body Filter – $45
- The Tanning Mitt – $10
Contact Info:
- Address: 5000 Eldorado Pkwy
Ste 150-188
Frisco, Tx 75033 - Website: www.OpalensBeauty.com
- Email: info@opalensbeauty.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opalensbeauty/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/opalensbeauty/
Image Credit:
Jake Schell
Laurel Black
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