Super Capacity Smiles
If you’re like me, losing different tubes of lip balm and lip gloss becomes a weekly ritual, and at the end of each month, you find yourself with five or six open flavors of lip relievers at the bottom of your bag. Sometimes, each tube is in there for different reasons: to replace a missing one, add shine, relieve cracked/dryness or strictly for the smell – and in some cases – taste. For the many individuals that are like me, fret no more. Local entrepreneur, Leila Larsen, has put an end to all of our lip troubles! Developing a fantastic brand of lip balm right here in Orlando called Silly Lips, Leila’s journey to creating lip perfection was not done overnight. Decreasing my lip balm blues and introducing me to a superb way of luscious lip-living, Leila comes to the rescue and informs BRINK on just why Silly Lips isn’t such a silly idea after all. By Kesi P. Photography by Garrett Frandsen When did Silly lips launch? Silly lips officially launched in April, but it has been in the makings for six years. It began in my kitchen back then, and in 2008, I finally had enough money saved up to start the company. What was the reason for it taking so long for the product to launch? I’m a perfectionist. Everything had to be perfect. I changed the packaging a few times too and made sure that it was a good quality lip balm. That was the hardest part. How many flavors of Silly Lips lip balm do you have? Right now there are three flavors to choose from that are all named after and inspired by my three best friends. There’s Kinky Katie – a vanilla mint flavor, Bangin’ Bekah – the strawberry flavor, and Tasty Tracy – the coconut peach flavor. We went off of what each of them liked to create the flavors. Each of the scents are amazing and do not include sweetener. When sweetener is added, it takes away the benefit of the lip
balm by making you lick your lips. Our motto is, “No sweetener added so you don’t lick away the benefit!” Each lip balm comes in a sleek tin that goes along with the vintage theme. It’s a lot easier to put in your pocket or clutch and more appealing for show than the typical lip balm applicator.
Is Silly Lips being used in any capacity outside of retail sales? Silly Lips lip balm has been used in national commercial shoots by make-up artists who love the product. We’re hoping to build that type of usage up in the near future! Where do you see the direction of Silly Lips headed? Ultimately, I can see Silly Lips on the shelves of Sephora. It fits in with that type of ‘boutique balm’ and would be perfect for the use of make-up artists. Our goal is to show a presence in the market and be known as a brand that is a good and fun product for all. Find Silly Lips at www.sillylips.com
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