You could say one of the first big life lessons for Shaira Frias 鈥�13 came when she was a toddler helping out in her grandmother鈥檚 healing store in St. Croix.
鈥淲hat stuck with me since I was young was that my grandmother was a hustler,鈥� says the former journalism major who now lives in Los Angeles. 鈥淪he taught me you could make something out of nothing.鈥�
After completing her degree鈥攖he campus was a serene reprieve from hectic city life where she 鈥渘estled in the melting pot of students鈥濃�攁nd practicing journalism for several years with media outlets such as NY1, Fox News Latino, and Mundo Hisp谩nico, Frias had another revelation: Journalism wasn鈥檛 for her.
She ended up at beauty school. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been an 鈥業 like to get pretty鈥� kinda girl,鈥� she says.
The move led to a next big takeaway moment when Frias honed in on something one of her teachers pointed out: Most makeup companies sourced materials from the same five factories. The major difference between the brands is marketing. Selling your story. She tucked that in her back pocket.
Frias, a Dominican-American woman, says she never really pictured herself behind a makeup counter per se. 鈥淚 left that school with the intention of opening up a type of Sephora, but with Latin vibes, in Washington Heights,鈥� she says.
But before she could make that happen, love pulled her to Colorado, 鈥渨here no one wears makeup,鈥� she laughs. Still, her big sister Mabel was nearby in California and also at a pivotal point in her career as a digital strategist for global fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands like Macy鈥檚 and Nordstrom.
鈥淲e realized there was such a wide space left open because the major brands were not targeting our community,鈥� says Frias. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e the ones who are buying all these products.鈥�
The idea for a makeup and lifestyle brand representing their Afro-Latina heritage, , was born. The sisters spent more than a year and a half sourcing products and developing a line that included eyelashes, eyeshadow, and lipstick in vibrant hues, lush textures, and products that represent their heritage with names like Salud, Dinero, and Amor.
After launching on Instagram in 2018, 鈥淲e heard crickets for six months,鈥� says Frias. 鈥淲e had no marketing plan. We thought, OK, we take pretty photos, we have a great product, it will sell.鈥�
They changed course when a friend with a Walmart connection helped facilitate a serendipitous meeting they thought was a casual meet and greet. The timing was right, says Frias. The multinational retailer was looking for authentic ethnic brands that would help refresh its business.
鈥淎t the end of the call, the retailer asked us to be in their stores and we said, 鈥楽ure, why not,鈥欌�� says Frias. 鈥淲e closed the laptop and screamed.鈥�
Around the same time, they connected with the monthly makeup subscription retailer BoxyCharm and other retailers. 鈥淓very time we sat down to try to sell, we鈥檇 get: 鈥榃hat about you guys? Where are you from?鈥� It was this constant curiosity about us. We leaned into it and sold our story. And we understand now that not only do we have to create beautiful makeup, but it鈥檚 our story that connects us with our customers.鈥�
The new marketing strategy grew the business exponentially but left the pair suddenly scrambling to fill orders. Which is how they ended up on Season 12 of A可乐视频鈥檚 Shark Tank, the reality show competition, where the Frias sisters entered the tank holding hands, explained that 鈥渂eing a Latina is not a seasonal thing,鈥� and asked business titans Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Kevin O鈥橪eary, and guest shark Alex Rodriguez for $200,000.
While they ultimately did not go with the deal they were offered, the episode aired so many times that it became 鈥渢he commercial that keeps on giving for Luna Magic,鈥� says Frias. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a real conversation starter and solidified our business with other retailers.鈥�
Today, Luna Magic is sold at Target, CVS, and Walmart, and the sisters have been featured in business and beauty magazines from Forbes to Allure, CNN Business, and Cosmopolitan.
鈥淏usiness is great,鈥� says Frias, who credits 可乐视频 with giving her a taste of the real world. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 grateful for the journey because it鈥檚 all a part of my story.鈥�
