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beautystorebusiness.com | June 2017 15 A LABOR OF LOVE Prior to creating Mini Mani Moo, neither Andreina nor Mark worked in the beauty industry. She worked as a model, and he in the entertainment business, in music, television and radio. "I've been building brands for a long time—just not beauty brands," Mark, the company's CEO, says. One day, Andreina woke up and told Mark that she had a "million-dollar idea." Using her chemistry background, she went to work conceptualizing a one- of-a-kind product sourced from cruelty- free materials. After experimenting with various combinations for two weeks, Andreina was satisfied with the result. That's how the company's hero product, a liquid tape and peel-off base coat for nails called Mess No More! was born. "That's how we started our company, filling bottles on our coffee table by hand," Mark says. Founded out of their home in 2014, Mini Mani Moo now boasts two manufacturing facilities in New York and Los Angeles. KITCHEN CREATIONS Andreina, Mini Mani Moo's president, used her own experience as a consumer to formulate a product that not only she needed, but one she knew everyone who paints their nails could benefit from. "I was always having issues," she says. "I'm not a nail technician, but I like to do my own nails." Andreina would watch tutorials online and then try to replicate nail art looks, but quickly grew frustrated because she would mess up, grab ace- tone to remove the paint and then have to start all over again. She also tried using masking tape to section off the nail; yet the polish would still get on her fingers. After reading online that Elmer's glue would do the trick better than tape, she still ended up waiting 25 minutes for the glue to dry—and the whole process became a hassle. "That's when I thought, 'I want to cre- ate something to help my fingers not be that messy; something that will protect my skin and is waterproof,'" she says. Andreina bought ingredients that were suitable for skin, and with "a lot of trial and error" began formulating Mess No More! She didn't want the latex- based product to smell bad, but "latex smells terrible," she says. Eventually, after mixing enough combinations, she got it right. Once the formula was set, the duo patented the design and trademarked the brand. And after creating one prod- uct they were proud of, Andreina felt motivated to keep going. "She keeps developing new products. She does this in our kitchen. She comes up with an idea, she works on it and then once she says, 'I think this is it,' we take it to the chemist. She's always working on stuff—all the time," Mark says. To date, the company has 84 SKUs, and their brand includes everything from scented top coats, stencils and brushes to a portable USB LED light, chrome powders, stamping plates and more. SOCIAL MEDIA MOGULS While their lack of experience in the industry presented its challenges when they started out, Mark and Andreina also used it to their advantage. "As I always say, not coming from the beauty industry has been both a blessing and curse, because I didn't know anything about it," Andreina says. "Some of the things that are extremely important to us are that we're made in the U.S. and are cruelty-free. We love our animals— and that's a very big thing for us." –Mark Landis NAIL ART ESSENTIALS Whether you're a licensed pro or a casual painter, grab these two products to make nail art a breeze. Moo Gel: Gel nail polishes are all the rage, but that shouldn't mean that consumers should have to buy all new versions of their favorite hues. With the Moo Gel base coat, any nail polish can turn into a gel that lasts up to 10 days. SRP: $17 Mess No More!: Getting perfect nails every time is as easy as staying inside the lines with this must-have liquid tape. Apply around fingernails and let it dry; paint nails and then peel off the tape. Your customers can even use it as a base coat so that their polish peels right off when they're ready for a fresh color. Available in a .35-oz. size for consumers or 2-oz. size for pros. SRP: $13.50 and $40 (respectively)