Author Spotlight
Caroline Wood
When I’m bored of Netflix originals and turn to cable channels in search of entertainment, I often wind up on ABC’s “Shark Tank” to see a few entrepreneurs either snag an investment deal or get ripped apart by the iconic “Sharks.” While watching hours of product pitches, I start to wonder how many of these investments were actually successful. In a world with a competitive beauty market, I figured I should take it upon myself to try some of the most successful beauty products that have gone through the Sharks.
One of the common struggles among teenagers is taking care of their skin. In 2005, teenager Lani Lazarri dealt with sensitive skin and eczema. After many failed attempts to clear her skin, she finally decided to make her own concoction — and it worked — so she turned it into a business that she calls Simple Sugars.
Lazarri pitched her product on Shark Tank in 2012 and took an offer from Mark Cuban of $100,000 for 33% stake in her company. Simple Sugars exploded once the episode aired, and has now made more than $10 million in sales.
Simple Sugars makes body, facial and foot scrubs, and has even developed a men’s line called “Smooth for Men.” All of the products are handmade with all-natural ingredients and can be used daily. The scrubs exfoliate and moisturize the skin without the need for lotion — they call this going “No-Lo.”
According to their website, Simple Sugars has also helped people with specific skin issues such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, acne, severely dry skin and skin problems from chemotherapy.
Although I don’t have any severe skin conditions, my skin does get really dry, especially come wintertime. I ordered the eucalyptus body scrub, which comes in a wide variety of scents — pumpkin, green apple, lavender and many more. My scrub came in a cute brown box with a pink ribbon tied around it.
To use the scrub, I first had to stir together the oils and sugars in the jar with a little spoon that came in the package. It may sound like a bit of a hassle to do every time, but the process actually made me feel like an amateur skincare scientist. After showering, I put the product on my wet skin and scrubbed it in until the sugar melted, then rinsed off and towel dried.
As soon as the sugar started to dissolve, my skin instantly maintained that desirable silky-to-the-touch feeling. Most of the time, companies tend to exaggerate the effects of their products, but the Simple Sugars scrub accomplished exactly what it claimed to — my skin felt soft and smooth. It’s perfect for teenagers looking for a simple way to get clear, nourished skin.
Melissa Butler was upset with the excessive amount of chemicals and lack of diversity in make-up products on the market, so she took to her kitchen to create her own cosmetic company called The Lip Bar. While Butler was rejected on Shark Tank, she continued to build her business, which now has its own storefront and is available in Target stores across the nation.
The company’s goals are to make cosmetics that are easy to use, vegan and cruelty-free while maintaining an inclusive ideology. The media defines beauty standards for society, and Butler strives to change that because she believes everyone determines what beauty means to them.
Although the Sharks didn’t jump at this opportunity, Butler’s product and message were still very appealing to me.
They have four types of lip cosmetics — lipstick, lip gloss, liquid matte and lip liner — along with a wide variety of colors that have fun, unique names based on personality types like “City Girl,” “Bawse Lady” and “Night Owl.”
I was immediately drawn to the liquid matte titled “As If” due to my love for the classic 1995 rom-com “Clueless.” But The Lip Bar isn’t just limited to lip cosmetics, as they also have products for the eyes, brows and skin.
Although I was worried the product would bother me, it was very comfortable and left me forgetting I even had it on. Some of the colors are very vibrant, but not wanting to make such a statement, I leaned more towards the more natural, simpler shade of pink. Overall, I think it’s good to have the option for a fun pop of color to brighten your day.
I’ve always dreamt of having gorgeous bouncy curls in my hair — but alas, my hair is as straight as a pencil and as thin as a spider’s web. After trying everything from curling irons to sponge rollers with zero results, I was sure my hair would be stick-straight for the rest of my life. But when I saw the Sleep Styler product on Shark Tank, my hopes were revived.
Ophthalmologist Tara Brown is the founder of the product Sleep Styler — heat-free memory foam rollers that curl your hair when you’re asleep so you don’t have to spend time styling it in the morning. Shark Lori Greiner invested in Brown’s product, giving her $75,000 for 25% stake.
The awe-factor of the curlers were that they’re simple to use and comfortable enough that you can easily sleep in them and wake up to perfectly-styled curls — a far cry from my experience.
Getting the curlers into my hair was an excruciatingly frustrating process — there were conflicting instructions on how to put them in, the velcro stuck to my hair and the second I pulled my hands away after attaching the strap, my hair came toppling out. When I was finally able to secure all of the product’s blue tubes to my head, my arms were numb from holding them up for so long.
As I got into bed looking like an old-time granny, I gently placed my head onto the pillow in fear of knocking out the strenuously placed curlers. Although I was able to eventually fall asleep with the memory foam curlers that “ensures a comfortable night’s sleep,” the only position where the foam tubes didn’t press into my skull was lying flat on my back like a corpse.
Come morning, I was hopeful that all of these irritations would be worthwhile when I had my perfect curls. But after unstrapping the tubes and pulling my hair off the roller, my hair didn’t have the beach waves I was hoping for — more of a still lake. It also had a strange crease near the top of my head, making it look like I slept in a baseball cap.
I tried the Sleep Styler again several times using more of the rollers, positioning them in different ways and applying styling products, but every morning I still had awkwardly straight-ish hair.
If your hair is anything like mine — straight and thin — the odds aren’t in your favor. In the end, the Sleep Styler got added to my long list of failed hair curling attempts.
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