Today we’d like to introduce you to Francesca Eales.
Hi Francesca, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I started making lip balm around 10 years ago when I was on the hunt for more natural products, and back then, there weren’t a lot of brands available. I made lip balm and mineral makeup for a couple of years and tried to start a business for the first time in 2012. But my dad passed away suddenly, and I took a long pause. Fast forward a few years later, I tried again, this time on Etsy. The lip balms I made then were gritty, and the color payout wasn’t what I had hoped. So I quit. I moved and started a new job. Then around 2018, I formed a business partnership, and we started a natural makeup company. The partnership ended up different from what I had initially hoped for. So after about a year, I left. It was heartbreaking. By this time, I had tried so many times I wondered if having this business was even for me. I felt like a complete failure. Then the pandemic happened, and we were all home.
I decided to start making lip balm again, but I took it back to the formula. I knew I wanted specific ingredients like mango and shea butter and that the color payout on the lip balms had to be amazing. I also knew I wanted to use sustainable containers. I couldn’t stand the thought of plastic lip balms floating around the ocean of products I once made. I spend most of the pandemic mixing formulas and getting the balms to the right consistency. It was important to me that the lip balms be smooth and buttery but not greasy and with an amazing color payout. It took so many tries, and I probably cried more than once, but I finally made a lip balm that I loved. Once I had the formula down, that was it.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It could have been a smoother road. I don’t have a background in business or entrepreneurship, so every step of the way has been a learning process. I’m also making all the products myself, so scaling and product production is always done in tiny steps. But even with all the trials and errors, one thing that has taken me back is how amazingly supportive the other small businesses in St. Louis have been. I have met the kindest, sweetest, most impressive, and most helpful people. They always give the best advice and want to see others succeed. I feel so lucky to be a part of the community and to watch everyone grow and thrive together.
As you know, we’re big fans of Hello Wink. For our readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Hello Wink is a zero-plastic lip balm company. We are a minor player in the makeup industry, but we are hoping to shake things up and help end makeup waste. The makeup industry produces 120 billion tons of plastic waste every year. Most makeup products never get recycled or reused, especially lip balm products. Lip balm tubes are usually too oily and too small to be recycled, so they almost always end up in landfills. If you think about your cosmetics and makeup at home, every single product you have ever used since your first lip balm is still sitting somewhere on the planet. It’s impossible to change out every cosmetic product we use for zero waste. But if we all made one small change, like ditching our plastic lip balm tubes for zero waste, together, we could see big things for our planet’s future.
What sets us apart is our commitment to zero waste. When you order or purchase from Hello Wink, your experience, everything from the tape on your package to the gloves I wear in the lab to pour out your lip balms, is plastic-free. Our lip balms are handmade with minimal natural ingredients that are good for your lips. We currently have four products. Our Tinted Lip Balm Pots colored lip balm for your lips is packaged in paperboard pots. All Over Color Sticks, multi-use color balm in a mini push-up container. All Over Color Sticks, these color balms are formulated to use on your lips, eyes, or anywhere on your face. And Our Pink Sugar Lip Scrubs. We also have colorless balms in our regular Lip Balm line made with essential oils. I am always in the lab working on other products, so expect to see more sustainable lip products soon!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
People would be surprised at how many times it took me to create the lip balm formula. Since 2012 I have tried hundreds of times to get the right consistency and color payout.
Pricing:
- Tinted Lip Balm Pot $20
- All Over Color Stick $13
- Lip Scrub $9
- Lip Balms (no pigment) $9
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hello-wink.com
- Instagram: hello.wink.balm
- Facebook: @hellowink
Image Credits
The photo of me in the black dress is taken by Maddie K Photography (in the personal category). Art Of Solly takes a photo of the lip scrub with a mirror. Karina Ramos provided the photo of the woman holding the lip balm to her lips.
