Blushington Founder’s Secrets For Starting A Business & The Best Lettuce Wraps

It seems that nowadays there is a blow-dry bar, boutique manicure salon, or traditional spa on every corner. Sisters Stephi & Nicki Maron, Founder & CMO, respectively, of Blushington noticed this trend & immediately thought, “But what about makeup?” After a family gathering in Brentwood, California with tons of out-of-town guests asking “Well where can I get my hair & makeup done?” they immediately realized this massive gap in the marketplace. They referred those out-of-towners to the blowout salon Drybar, but had no place to refer them for makeup. Taking note of this, they began chatting with their immediate family to see what they could collectively do to close this gap. Alas, Blushington was born — your one-stop shop to get your makeup done in the shop or help teach you how to do it yourself at home. Since opening its first store in West Hollywood seven years ago, Blushington recently came full circle in opening their eighth store in Brentwood where it all began.

“I think what we did so well in the beginning was build the brand,” Stephi notes. “We built the collateral & the experience, & then from there our customers became very loyal.” Setting themselves apart from other boutique makeup centers wasn’t the difficult part, it was communicating to consumers the difference between getting your makeup done at Blushington rather than at the mall or a hair salon. What truly set them apart, aside from their super chic & on brand locations, was their drive to always have the most innovative, effective, & clean products to share with their clients. Having started the company at 21, Stephi remembers the sacrifices she had to make to get to where she is today. Giving up friendships & a social life was just part of the equation in building her own company. She credits her family as her support system, & advises anyone looking, that having a mentor is a must. After having studied abroad in London, Stephi realized she wanted to incorporate some memory from that time into the name of the company. Having combined Kensington, the name of her favorite town in England, with a type of makeup, she settled on the name Blushington. “Everyone hated the name except me,” Stephi remembers with a laugh. “At the time, it [the logo] was purple with a crown.” Having outsiders’ perspectives & her father’s past work experience allowed her to see just how important getting the branding right would play in the success of the company. They ditched the purple for a more appropriate blush shade, & dropped the crown entirely. “From there,” Stephi says, “it was understanding our mission statement, our purpose, & who we want to go after. Then it was just overall customer experience.” Nicki adds, “I think those are the three main points along with building a community that you talk to, you react to, you collaborate with.”

Constantly being on-the-go & learning to juggle business with their personal lives is just part of the struggle in starting your own business, but it’s a struggle both Stephi & Nicki are happy to endure for the sake of their dream. They typically start their day at home with a breakfast of either eggs, toast, & avocado, or a smoothie. From there, it’s a drive to the office or to one of their storefronts to tackle whatever the day brings them—new hires, marketing & social media updates, working on store openings—the list goes on & on. Having the stability of an at-home breakfast along with a guaranteed healthy yet delicious lunch from somewhere like Sweetgreen gives Stephi & Nicki the energy & sense of routine they need to be as productive as possible in their work days. For dinner, it’s usually a meal like the lettuce wraps they shared with us while at home with family. Aware, but not afraid, of the old adage not to mix business & family, Stephi & Nicki have managed to maintain the right balance between the two & have even found ways to make it work to their advantage. Their closeness has allowed them to build a collective vision, one that stemmed from the question of an out-of-towner at a family gathering, & when they realized no answer existed, they created one.

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*Images via Samantha Klose for Public Lives, Secret Recipes.

**Editing by Rob Lee.