We had the good fortune of connecting with Renae Franz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Renae, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The concept, matching nipple color to lips is a secret Hollywood make up artists have known for years. I learned about it from my daughter. We tested it on ourselves and about 20 other women in our yoga class and found it was true! It sounds simple to do however in reality it takes hours to figure it out and is costly. It took us a trip to Walgreens where we purchased $100 purchase of lipstick, came home and colored all over ourselves in the bathroom mirror trying to find our perfect match. We loved the results however quickly realized that the time and cost are probably the reasons it never appealed to the masses. I have a medical technology development background so that’s where I thought, “why can’t we apply tech to beauty?” Problem solved! You can download our App, it’s free in the Apple Store and on Google Play and within seconds match to your top three shades.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a tech beauty company that helps you find your perfect nude lip color by using technology (our App) and nature’s cues (your nipples). There is no other company doing the exact same thing.

It has not been easy. We launched in 2019 and by January 2020 were starting to get traction. The Los Angeles Times and many other publications featured us. We had new boutiques popping up and selling our products all over the west. Then, the pandemic hit hard in April 2020. All of the boutiques closed, most never re-opened. Everyone was wearing masks and for the first time ever the “lipstick effect” didn’t happen. e.g. when there is an economic downturn lipsticks sales increase. It is an inexpensive pick me up. People stopped by lipsticks. Originally called NipLips the USPTO granted us the registered trademark in June however 90 days later some guy out of New York said he wanted to fight us for it. We had no sales and I didn’t have the money to fight it. By the end of 2020, we closed the business.

In April 2022 our patent attorney called to tell me the USPTO was granting our patent with no Office Actions. That is very unusual. I took it as a sign that we needed to relaunch. We rebranded to flirté beauty, “your perfect lip color is our flirty little secret”, started social media, purchased product and officially came back to the market December 2022.

Lesson learned. If you really believe in yourself and what you have created, never give up. Surround yourself with experts and people who believe in you and what your are doing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When I am in Atlanta and craving pizza I like to head to Grana or for pasta Storico Fresco. It’s always fun to have a cocktail at one of the Ecco locations and share some wonderful small plates. I am a huge wing fan so always have to stop by The Local!

As far as things to do, thrift shopping in Little Five Points is always fun. In the spring, I love the Porchfest music festival.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh so many people have contributed their talents, support, mentorship and love! Not sure where to begin. First, my daughter. She brought the concept to my attention. Then it was my yoga class, 20 women of all different ethnic backgrounds, that were willing to take the time to match their nipples to a lipstick color. Really without that voice of the customer I wouldn’t have known if it really worked. Our technology development partner Roger Vogel who cracked the code on figuring out how to discreetly match color without saving images and how to program an electronic device to see color the same way your eye captures it. Our patent attorney who helped us get a utility patent that covers anyone who wants to use technology to capture nipple color and match to lips, we own it! Tierra Owens our first and still dedicated brand ambassador who has tirelessly worked along side me and the team promoting the technology, our clean beauty sustainable products. Our publicist and formulator who worked with us thru some financially painful times during the pandemic and continue to support us. And all of our incredible customers. A huge Shoutout and thank you!! Hopefully I didn’t forget anyone…..

Website: www.flirte-beauty.com

Instagram: @flirtebeauty.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renae-moomjian/

Image Credits
Jacqueline Sterna

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