Happy International Women's Day Bronzers!
We sat down with our co-founders, Maddy and Rhi, to have a super inspirational down-to-earth chat about all things life, business, self-love and motherhood!
We love you Lunaverse and hope you value this chat as much as we do 💜
What was the motivation to start Luna Bronze?
It all started way back in 2015, after Maddy had a scary brush with skin cancer. After that, we wanted to change our sun baking ways and find a sunless tanning product that made skin-loving ingredients a priority. When our search turned up empty, we knew we had to step up and create it ourselves!
What were some of the challenges you faced when creating the brand?
- Changing consumers' opinions on self tanning and educating them on switching to sunless tanning products that were good for their skin.
- Find sustainable packaging options.
- Getting our voices heard in a male dominated industry. (Did you know the majority of all leading brands in this space are founded and owned by men?!)
- Getting the business up and running efficiently as we were both living in two different states.
Why is self-love such a core value of Luna Bronze and why is it so important?
Life can be A LOT at times, and with our busy schedules, mum life, business life, it can be really hard to take the timeout and make yourself a priority.
You can never underestimate what the small self-care moments can do for your mental health. These precious moments we have to ourselves can help to full our cups after the exhausting daily grind of running about parenting & running a small biz!
For us, we know that a self tan isn't a necessity. We are all beautiful and unique in our own ways and we need to embrace everything that we are. But for us, nothing beats the confidence you feel after applying a fresh sunless tan (an LB tan obvi)!
Why is it so important to you both to be an inclusive brand?
From day dot it was important for us to be an inclusive tanning brand. When we started LB in 2015, the sunless tanning industry was focused on blonde babes laying on a beach in their bikini and it was intimidating for consumers (and us) who felt that sunless tanning brands were for those who had a certain look. A flawless glow is the ultimate confidence booster, and we reckon that confidence should be enjoyed by EVERYONE. Creating an inclusive Lunaverse for all different bodies, genders, sexualities and skin tones is a key core in our brand values and we hope all our bronzers out there feel their best and confident selves whenever they use our products.
How do you balance motherhood and running a business?
We have a lot on our plate (just like everyone else) - juggling motherhood and running a business is HARD! It's quite amazing how well you can operate once your body gets used to the lack of sleep! It can feel like an upward battle at times but the fulfilment we get from both areas in our lives is so rewarding.
We have started to learn not to put so much pressure on ourselves and to set realistic expectations and timeframes. We can't do it all and we now know how to prioritise and when to say no.
Who are some of the inspirational women in your life and who do you look up to?
Joanna Griffiths (Knix founder) is a huge inspiration for me. She raised millions of dollars in capital whilst pregnant with her twin daughters. She is now running one of the biggest intimate apparel brands in Northern America with three children under 3.
Advice for any aspiring women out there who want to start their own business?
Go for it and without sounding corny, back yourself; because no one else will! You will face challenges that are associated with being a woman in business, especially when dealing with the lads, and it might take you to your brink but doing something for yourself that you are passionate about will give you a sense of satisfaction and achievement that you didn't know existed.
Our top advice is (and ladies, this one's for you because we're all guilty) to stop using the word 'just' in emails or when talking to people because you're not just doing this, you are doing it! There is no need to minimise or weaken your position by using the word "just" all the time!
Get to know us with 6 quick questions:
- Coffee order ☕️
- Binge watching 📺
- Any person, dead or alive, you'd have dinner with? 💁🏽♀️
- 2022 Travel destination 🏝
- Fave LB Product ✨
- Currently reading 📚
Maddy
Oat Flat White, Inventing Anna, Paul Rudd or Jennifer Lawrence, Anywhere! LOL but first stop Bali, GG Tanning Moisturiser, Kids books - no time for books RN with an 18 month old 😅
Rhi
Soy Latte, Pam and Tommy, My husband (we currently have a one year old who doesn't allow for this lol), Whistler, Canada, GG Tanning Moisturiser - the dream for time poor peeps & The Entrepreneur's Guide To Getting Your Shit Together - Volume 2
