Beauty influencer, Teni Panosian, sat with us at Bello to discuss her journey founding Monday Born. Self-care is a crucial routine that many of us forget to do! Whether it be because we are running around with the kids or overwhelmed at work, whatever it is…you can take a break and take care of yourself! Teni launched her brand in March 2020 and what a journey it has been! Bringing to you natural products that help rejuvenate your skin, take a moment to read on and get to know how Teni Panosian is!
Growing up, what was your favorite form of “self-care” moment? How has it evolved over the years?
Growing up, we didn’t realize all of these little activities we did were for self care, but when I think back we actually did a lot of it! My friends and I would gather at someone’s house and put on clay masks, every Sunday one of my girlfriends and I would go get pedicures and lunch, and even a trip to the drugstore to get body care products was a self care moment for us. It was always a group activity. Now, my girlfriends and I set aside time for spa days; we’re essentially doing the same thing on a more adult level!
When did you realize you wanted to launch your own brand of beauty products?
For years I’ve known I want to do it, it was just a matter of deciding on the right time. With Monday Born, it was a feeling of serendipity that brought me to a March 2020 launch… Just as the pandemic was beginning! Looking back, odd as it may sound, there was no better time to launch.
Describe to us your journey from recording tutorials to launching your brand.
The trajectory from creating beauty content to creating beauty products was one of finding where my passion and purpose were. Which category could I make the biggest impact where I know I can be excited and passionate about it every single day? These were the types of questions I would ask myself. And my content always naturally went in the minimalist direction, always focusing on skin, so creating skincare products only made sense. And after years of testing and trying different products for my tutorials and reviews, I found myself confident enough to bring that experience into the product space.
Looking back, what advice would you have given yourself? What kind of constructive criticism would you give yourself?
I think the best constructive criticism I could give myself seeing the journey so far is “stop being so quiet about your achievements!” I’ve always kept my head down and worked, and the work always spoke for itself. But I would have liked to tell myself to get comfortable celebrating myself and my accomplishments a little more.
Which product is your favorite? Why?
It has to be Rebirth. It was my first baby, I had no idea how people would receive this product. Would they love it? Would they hate it? I couldn’t have even dreamed of the reception Rebirth got. Of course, we put a lot of work into making it a stellar product, but I would have never imagined people would be calling it ‘magic in a bottle,’ It’s wild!
How do you take on a new launch/campaign? What is the process like?
It always starts with conceptualizing and executing the ingredients and formula. We go through multiple rounds of sampling with our lab in Korea. Next we move to packaging because that takes a bit of time to complete after we’ve chosen the packaging and I’ve completed the drawings that will go on the bottle/jar and the box. Next, we begin crafting a message around why this product fits into everyone’s life. Every product we launch has a very particular purpose within a person’s routine, so once we have the messaging down, we can move on to imagery— photos, videos, etc. The last part is my favorite; my heart will always be in content creation so I take the lead in most of our campaign visuals.
Any tips for future entrepreneurs?
The other day I saw a quote from Elon Musk that said “if you need words of encouragement, don’t become an entrepreneur.” That really spoke to me. No matter how much anyone prepares you for it, becoming an entrepreneur for the first time is uncharted territory. Only your passion and conviction can carry you through the difficult times, because there will be plenty of difficulties!
What is the best beauty tip you have ever gotten? Ever given?
Best beauty tip I’ve gotten is to sleep on silk pillow cases. It really makes a difference for hair and skin. And the best tip I’ve given is to simplify your skincare routine. It’s made the biggest difference for me and people have reported back that it’s done the same for them.
Describe your products in one color and explain why you picked that one.
Well, I’m going to pick amber and coincidentally that’s also our brand color. I chose it because amber represents releasing fear and building confidence… Couldn’t think of a better power.
Any plans for 2021?
In 2021 we’ll be expanding our product selection so it’s going to be a busy but very exciting year!
@BELLOmag
Teni: @tenipanosian
Monday Born: @mondaybornbeauty
Interview: Alexandra Bonnet @alexbonnetwrites
