Monica Abramov and Stacey Boguslavskaya have been entrepreneurs their whole lives. Monica is a serial Entrepreneur and Digital Marketing professional with over 13 years’ experience in various industries (telco, retail, e-commerce, CPG, media and pre-media, recruitment, tech and beauty) with both B2B and B2C focuses.

Stacey has been an entrepreneur since she was a child. The ambition to build something extraordinary has always been top of mind and the dream to build a business surrounded by a creative and inspired team. Her background in public relations, marketing and social media has fine-tuned the skills needed to strengthen the online presence of any company. She has taken her skills and developed Lunata Beauty with her partner Monica Abramov. Together they have taken on the hair tool industry and become a world leader in cordless beauty technology.

Lunata Inc. specializes in wireless and portable styling products, including hair straighteners and curling wands. A disrupter in the hair and styling industry, Lunata’s wireless products gives women gorgeous hair by combining traditional beauty techniques with effortless modern tech. Lunata products are sold at Best Buy, Target, Costco, Ulta Beauty, Indigo Books, Urban Outfitters, Kohl’s, QVC, and many more. In November 2018, Lunata Beauty announced their new partnership with Joe Mimran, founder of Joe Fresh, Club Monaco, and Alfred Sung.

Can you tell us a bit about yourselves, and what inspired you to start Lunata Beauty?
We traveled a lot for work and kept facing the same issues – We’d have to bring adapters and converters because none of our hair tools were dual voltage, and struggled to find a plug near a mirror in many cases. One particular time, while Stacey and I traveled to Ireland for a conference, we brought only one super expensive $300 GHD flat iron to save space. When we plugged it in with the adapter and converter, it short circuited and almost burned down the AirBnB we were staying at. So we started looking for cordless hair tools as consumers and never found anything aside from the butane powered ones that haven’t changed in 30 years. Also, having kids, we're always on the go (pre-covid, anyway) and sometimes need to do our hair on the road. Cords also pose a safety risk when the littles are running around. After searching for months on Amazon to see if someone had come out with cordless hair tools, we decided to take matters into our own hands. We ordered samples from overseas to see what was available, just thinking if anything, it would be a side hustle. Fast forward three years and we’re a multi-million dollar business.

What do your typical days look like?
They’ve definitely changed quite a bit with the pandemic. Now, there’s less running around, less commuting, and more time spent actually working on growing the business. A typical day for Monica would be getting the kids up and ready for school (making breakfasts, lunches, etc), dropping them off and then starting my workday. Stacey become a mother in July, so a typical day is waking up with the baby (no alarm clock needed). Our days usually consists of back to back zoom calls, but we try to spend as much family time as possible. And then it’s back to work in the evenings once our overseas partners wake up and then it’s a lot of back and forth with our factories, suppliers and engineers. When we’re developing new products, that’s when evenings are the busiest. We don’t end work till we go to sleep, but even during the night if we have ideas or thoughts, Monica and I are always texting each other. As soon as the day starts, it’s never the same and we are constantly on our toes.

What was the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Monica: A few years ago, an investor told me that I would never be able to run a business as a woman with a husband, two kids and two dogs (lol, he had to mention the dogs too!). I said watch me.

Stacey: I’ve often received advice on how I would not be able to manage my personal life and business life. That I had to choose one or the other. I remember someone once telling me that I had two choices. One to focus more time and effort on my appearance, attract a successful man and have kids or to spend more time on building a business and not starting a family. I proved them wrong. 

What does success mean to you?
Monica: To me, success is waking up every morning excited about what we’re building. And to be as excited, motivated and as passionate on day 1190 as I was on day 1.

Stacey: To me, success means freedom. The freedom to do what you love, work with people you are inspired by, work from anywhere you feel like working from… Freedom is success to me.

In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
We always say entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster – there are so many ups and downs (many times, in the same day!) and that you really need to let the negatives, the failures and the rejections kind of roll off your back and not take them personally. We used to take every rejection or negative feedback SO personally. But now, we brush it off, work on a solution if warranted, and understand that sometimes, a no is a (slower) pathway to a yes.

Do you have any morning routines or evening rituals to help you stay balanced?
Monica: I really try to find time to meditate, even for 10 minutes, before the workday begins. I also try to fit in workouts where I can, as I really find they help with mental clarity and my overall mood and productivity. I think also making time to unplug and disconnect, especially in the evenings, is super important.

Stacey: It’s been a bit of a life change having a baby. She’s only 5 months old and I never went on mat leave or had days off so all of my pre baby rituals are gone. I do wake up early with the baby and try and have an hour or two just the two of us before I get started on my day. Hopefully after the holidays I will get back to having some more me time and getting back into Yoga and mediation. But for now, all of my time is dedicated to my 3 babies. Business, Bella, and Ben, my husband.

Aside from your own Lunata styling tools (of course), what are your top beauty-care essentials that you absolutely cannot travel or leave the house without?
Monica: I love Thayers Witch Hazel Toner with Lavender – I use it in the morning and night. Also can’t live without my brow pencil (Precisely Brow by Benefit), Stila liquid liner, and Nars blush.

Stacey: I’ve tried every cream and serum under the sun and found that the GOOPGENES products are amazing. All of the Goop products have been great for my skin. I also swear by the Hatch Mama Belly Oil. It saved my body from stretch marks and I still use it 'till this day. Better Than Sex Mascara is amazing; I keep cheating on it and buying others only to regret it and go back.

Where can we find you?
Business - Instagram (and TikTok): @lunatabeauty
Personal - Instagram (and TikTok): @monicaabramov & @mrs.stass 

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