Nail Care Reinvented: The Sustainability Story of Loste Nails with Christy Llewellyn

Welcome to the Bring Your Product Idea to Life podcast. This is the podcast for you if you're getting started selling products or if you'd like to create your own product to sell.

I'm Vicki Weinberg, a product creation coach and Amazon expert. Every week I share friendly practical advice as well as inspirational stories from small businesses. Let's get started. Hi.

Today on the podcast, I'm speaking to Kristy Llewellyn from Loste Nails. Lost is here to change the way you do your nails.

Born from a frustration with flimsy press ons and overpriced salon appointments, Christie set out to create something better. Nails that look like gel, wear like gel, but don't chip, split or wreck your natural nails. And they're fully reusable. Lost is a brand new kind of press on nail. I had a brilliant conversation with Christie.

About how, when and why she launched Loste and created her nails. We spoke a lot about social media. And how that's changing, what's working, what isn't working, what used to work and doesn't work anymore.

We honestly cover such a lot in this episode. So I would love now to introduce you to Christy. So, hi, Kristy. Thank you so much for being here.

Hi, thanks for having me.

Oh, you're so welcome. Can we start with you? Please give an introduction to yourself, your business and what you sell.

Yes, for sure. So I'm Christy.

I have a background in fashion mainly, but also beauty, and I started my business Lost almost three years ago now and we make reusable press ons. So I can show you because I have some here, but they are reusable for snails that come in these small little kits.

And the idea is that they're an alternative to salon nails.

So rather than kind of single use nails, whether you're doing them at the salon or at home, they allow you to apply them up to 10 times, maybe even more. So they're really good for people that can't wear nails to work.

So if you're going to a wedding or something like this and you need to take them off for Monday, they're really, really useful. But also for like influen photo shoots, anything like this.

But also there's a massive sustainability aspect in the sense that salons use so much water and product and energy and even our beauty routines alone create so much waste. So it's just really nice to incorporate even just one thing that is reusable that you can use multiple times.

Yeah, that's really nice. And so your packs are ink. They have everything you need to put them on to take them off again to clean them so you can use them again.

Yeah. So, yeah, I can show you inside. This will. So, yeah, you.

We did when we started to have massive boxes, so we've made them smaller so they're a bit easier. But you get 30 nails inside. And the nails are made with five layers of gel.

So they're made essentially in a similar way to ones you would get in the salon. But they're super hard wearing, so you can remove them and reapply them multiple times. And they are chip resistant, they won't spill split, so they.

They'll last. You get an alcohol prep wipe. This dehydrates your nails, which basically just makes them stick on for a lot longer.

And then you can decide whether you want to wear them temporarily with sticky tabs. These last up to three days. Or you can apply them with glue. So this lasts more like two weeks plus.

So the glue is more of an alternative to, like, salon nails, if that makes sense. You get your nail file, your cuticle stick, and this is everything you need to, like, apply and remove.

And we have a million tutorials, video tutorials, vlog tutorials to help you do that.

Amazing. Thank you so much for showing us that. And actually, you haven't told everyone the name of your brand, so let's do that before we move on.

Sorry, that's so bad. It's Lost. It's Lost. Reusable for sales. Of course.

We'll have links in the show notes as well, so people find you. But I'd love to know, Christy, when, why, how did you launch Lost? I mean, you told us when, so you explained it was three years ago.

But tell us why and how.

So I always wore false nails. My grandma has always worn false nails and she was like the first person to buy me a set and get me into them. So it was something I was always using.

And then I went through a phase of kind of using, like going to the salon, getting acrylic nails. But my nails just went like mush, basically. They were like marshmallow underneath. The chemicals, I think, were just too strong.

Like, I naturally have quite sensitive nails. So I started using false nails again during COVID And I actually had a vintage clothing brand at the time.

So we were doing so many photo shoots, changing the nails all the time, and the only nails I could get were kind of like, boring. First of all, they weren't the nicest. And also I would take them off and they would be wrecked.

So I was just constantly buying these Nails for shoots.

Doing my nails myself and I was like, I just want to try and make a set that's a bit cooler or a bit more like the sets I see on Instagram, on Pinterest and that also I can re wear for multiple shoots so I don't have to keep buying them. So I started looking at suppliers and the minimum order was like a thousand or something like this.

And I was like, why don't I just buy like a thousand and just see like let's just see if it works, see if people are interested. And it was kind of a bit insane, but I think it was just that like post Covid time where it was like, let's just try something.

And then initially like I started selling quite quickly and I felt like there was really something in the false nail market. I mean now it's grown so much and there's so many brands doing it.

But yeah, it sort of started from there and then when I realized that people were interested, I just kept going. But initially my nails were from multiple different suppliers and then this year I relaunched in the summer with stronger nails.

So that's when we bought in the new technology and we've upgraded the product a lot more than back then in the beginning.

That makes sense though, I think. Thank you for explaining that first of all. But I think it makes sense to start off with doing it, just doing it and then refining as you go.

Because I'm assuming that it's quite expensive to invest in better technology and better quality nails. And you mentioned you upgraded the packaging. I don't think you can do all of that at once. I think the way you did it makes total sense.

It's so true because I actually watched a video this week.

It's this blogger called Estee Lalonde that's starting a brand, a product based brand and she was saying that she got some advice that was like you need a minimum of like 2 million to start a product based brand or something like this. So it's really, really hard when you don't have money behind you and you're sort of just like a soul founder, like bootstrapping.

You have to start somewhere and it's, it is frustrating because you know you want to start with the best. But I think yeah, it's just one of those things.

You have to start small and just like sl slowly build and get better over time as I guess you make more sales and more people hear about you.

Yeah, definitely. And initially were the nails that you were using initially, was the technology available already?

Because I think I'm right in saying that at the time, there wasn't anyone else selling reusable fake nails, or were they?

I think potentially in Japan and in China, they are so much further ahead than us. So potentially the technology was there, but I hadn't found a supplier doing it yet. So when I first started, I thought I was getting great nails.

And then obviously, over the course of having the business, you get to know more suppliers, you get to know better technology. So within maybe like the second year of my business, I started to learn about this new way of making false nails.

And I was like, okay, even though it's more expensive, you can really see the difference. So I think potentially the technology was there, but no one was really selling it to me in the beginning. So I only heard it.

I heard about this, like, new kind of way of making nails.

But I think now that nails are becoming more and more popular, like false nails becoming more popular, I think the technology is going to get even better.

I think the technology will maybe start looking more at the glue and the application method and coming up with ways that we can apply nails without using uv, because UV is. It's not the best thing to be using on your. On your skin regularly. And I think especially your hands age so much quicker than everything else.

So why would we want to put UV on our hands when they're already aging so much quicker? So hopefully that's somewhere where the technology will start really working and we'll have some better alternatives.

That's so exciting to have a product like yours where you know that it will constantly be evolving and evolving for the better. That was really exciting.

I hope so. Let's see.

So what were some of the challenges in developing your products and your brand in the early days? So when you first launched, I would.

Say, I mean, I don't come from a background like a nail background. My background is mainly in fashion, worked a little bit in beauty and in product.

So I had experience working with factories in China and developing products, but not nail products. So I had no contacts, I had no factories.

So that was the first really tricky thing, was just doing all the research and finding people that could actually make it. In the beginning, I actually got the nails from one place, the box from another place, the glue from another place, the files from another.

It was like completely insane way to run a business, but it was very much just like bootstrapping my first few sets to get them out there. Whereas now I've obviously found better suppliers where I can. They can source everything for me, everything comes ready made in the box.

Whereas, yeah, when I first started, I was assembling every single box. So those first thousand boxes, it was me and my friends literally putting all the nails and everything in.

So that was definitely not ideal, but, like a learning curve. I think obviously at the beginning, putting in money is scary and it's risky.

Especially at an age where everyone is, like, buying their first house and la, la, la. And you're like, I'm just gonna buy a thousand nails, like, see if this works. Like, it's a bit insane and obviously risky, and that is hard.

And I think also the other thing about E commerce and product especially is that the market and the way people sell changes all the time. Like, I'm currently trying to learn TikTok shop.

I did Flash sale last night, and I'm still learning so much about how that platform works and the best way to make sales. And I think that's another thing that's tricky, is that you constantly have to keep learning all the time.

Especially when bigger brands have people, like teams of people that are learning these things. And their job is to learn these things and keep them at the forefront of what's happening.

But you have to do that at the same time as running your business and getting the product and posting the orders and making content and all of these other things. So I think that's something else that's, like, really, really tricky.

Yeah, that is really, really hard because as you say, it is just you. And how did you find sort of marketing and talking about your product in the early days? Because as you said, you are the.

You were the first that I'm aware of, reusable false nails. Was that. How easy was it to get that message across to people?

Because obviously you're offering something that didn't exist in the exact form that you're offering it.

Yeah, I think in the beginning, I really tried to focus on it being more of a luxury offering in that space. So my original box was very different to this. It was really heavy cardboard with like a metallic snap and it had a ribbon inside.

And I think I really wanted to push this more luxurious aspect to try and market it in a way that was like, these aren't the false nails that are at the bottom of the shelf in Morrisons when you get your food shop. Like, these are something more premium. And that was something I really tried to push.

And then I think as the grand grew and I got more advice, I realized that pushing the reusable aspect more so than the luxury aspect was maybe more important because in the beginning I didn't realize how much of a selling point that was, which sounds really stupid, but I think at the start I just wanted to show that it was this, like, luxury, beautiful brand. But yeah, the messaging has changed a lot since then. But one of the things that did really well for me was this nail emergency campaign.

So I did this campaign where I stuck up a poster in Borough Market and people were like ripping the nails off a poster and the poster said, like, are you having a nail emergency? And it was basically to show how quick and easy it was to get these great nails that did so well.

It almost had like 3 million views across all my socials. So it was amazing. So in the beginning that kind of content was doing a bit better.

The sort of, like street content where you were doing more like activations and fun things. I think this year it feels like marketing has changed slightly.

It's more of this, like, storytelling, deeper storytelling aspect or like very, very, like short, punchy videos. So at the moment I'm finding it hard to find, like a sweet spot, spot of what to post.

I go to so many, like, events and talks and things like this, and I feel like everyone doesn't really know what the answer is. In some ways.

I think you're right. It's really, really hard and it has changed as well. So when you mentioned you had that vi, was that.

And it was weird because it was actually a really quiet time after Christmas. Like it. Yeah, there wasn't much happening on socials. I wasn't doing TikTok lives or anything at this stage.

And then I just had this idea for this video posted. It got a few sales, was like amazing. Like, it did its job, went to bed, woke up. Like just absolute chaos. Like, website was sold out.

Like there's no stock left. Like, it was just insane. So, yeah, it was kind of a fluke thing. And I think that's sort of the joy.

And the also annoying thing about TikTok is that you just don't know when something is gonna do well or not. Sometimes you spend hours on a video and you get two views and then you just film quickly and you post it and don't think about it.

It's got like hundreds of thousands of views. So yeah, TikTok is annoying and amazing at the same time.

I know what you mean. It's really hard to predict what will do.

Well, you actually answered the question I had, which I was interested to know whether all of those views equated to sales. It sounds like they did, which is really good because I think that's the other thing with social media.

You can post something and you can have loads of likes and you can get more followers, but it doesn't always equate to actually getting sales.

So. True. I think that's one of the reasons why I avoid most of the trend content or a lot of the trend content that has nothing to do with my brand.

Because I think you really want to get likes and views because even followers, because it's nice to show, it's sort of. It does validate your brand in some way.

But yeah, I think it's so important to stay focused on sharing the benefits of your product, why people should buy your product rather than like jumping on those trends. Because yeah, followers that don't buy anything, it's like it's. It's just pointless, isn't it?

So, yeah, it's just like a vanity metric, isn't it? It's like, oh, look how many followers I've got. But actually if you're not seeing the sales, then it's. I mean, it's great.

Like you say it's great to have them, but ultimately you want them to. To buy from you as well. While we're on social media, what has worked for you? Whether that's channels, whether that's types of posts.

And I know this is, and I know it's changing all of the time, so it's quite a tricky question, but what are some of the things where you can say actually, yes, that I.

Would say the number one thing is video. I think video is just something you have to utilize regardless of what your product is. I think video always does better than anything else.

I'd say the second thing is informative carousel posts where you maybe do a deep dive in like how to use.

So for us it's like how to apply the nails, how to like how to make your nails last longer, whatever it might be, but just really informative, useful posts that sell like the benefits of the products, they're the content that tends to get us more sales.

Something I will say though is I've noticed if a piece of content as well, people will go on the website and sign up to the newsletter, which is really amazing for a small brand because then you can retarget them with your newsletter email thread.

So we have a welcome chain, which means if they enter the newsletter, they get this nice chain of emails about the brand, how to apply your nails, nail trends, like all these nice bits of content so we can keep them engaged. And I think sometimes just getting them to sign up to that newsletter is so much more beneficial than just following us on socials.

But yeah, we've managed to luckily get a lot of people to sign up. Even we've noticed now doing the TikTok lives, people will go on the website and sign up from the TikTok lives, which is quite strange.

But, yeah, that's something that's working. TikTok Live is something that's getting us a lot of followers and a lot more interest.

But so far it hasn't really boosted our sales in a really massive way. But maybe that's just because I'm not maybe using it in the right way yet, because I think there's massive potential there.

But Something tricky about TikTok is it's a slightly cheaper demographic. Like you see a lot of products on TikTok and they cost nothing.

They're really cheap, kind of like single use, like gadgets and things that, you know what, you pick it up for five pounds, you don't really think about paying for it. But obviously because my nails are slightly more expensive, they're £17.95. So there's a lot of really cheap nails on TikTok for £1,2.

But they're obviously not the same quality. However, we're competing with that. So it is tricky and some ways.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Because there will always.

There'll be people who will be looking for sustainability and quality, but then you're right, there will always be people who are just looking for the best price as well.

Yeah, so that's tricky. But yeah, I think I would say video carousels and then email are the, the best pieces of content to focus on.

That's brilliant. Thank you. I did notice actually, when I was looking at your Instagram, you have got a lot of really useful, useful posts.

And I think that was really nice because I think anything that explains to people how to use your product answers questions they have about your product, maybe even questions they didn't know that they had, I think is really, really useful. Because it's just, I think when the purchase is a bit more considered, you want as much information as possible.

So you really know that you're not going to regret it.

Yeah, that's so true. I think as well, it's answering a lot of the questions before they have a time to ask the questions.

So you just give them all the information up front. We try and do this a lot with the website.

Every page has the tutorials and it has all our USPs and it's like it's giving them less of a reason to not want to buy, I think. And that's really important, definitely.

Because I think the key thing, when I was looking on your website, the key thing I saw is you have lots of videos how to remove the nails. Because I think for me that would be the sticking point. It would be, okay, it's fine to get them and apply them.

But then because we've all been in that situation, I think with nails where you're like, how do I get these off?

So I think things like that are really useful because it just gives reassurance that, okay, you thought of everything and all the information is there.

Yeah, definitely. I think as well, it's really good.

Like, if you get questions coming in to make content out of it, like, this was like you said, it's something everyone is interested in. Like, how do you remove? So even from the beginning I was like, okay, we have to make sure this content is on our socials, on our website.

We have a link we can send to people if they ask this question. So I think it's something, I think listening to your customers, obviously, but then not everyone actually does that.

It's like genuinely being like, okay, what do they need to know about the product?

Yeah, that makes sense. Speaking of your customers, obviously you're in a really competitive space.

What's been your approach to building brand loyalty and getting customers to keep coming back to you when they've got so many brands they could choose from?

I think obviously I'm a lot smaller. So in terms of like, loyalty reward schemes and things like this, it's tricky for us to offer something on par with like a huge brand.

But I think the reason people keep coming back to me is a. Because they really like the product, it really works. It's really good quality.

And I think customers that have been with me from the beginning can see how much effort I've put in in improving the products. And I think people really respect that.

And I think also they follow the journey of the brand because even though I'm not posting myself every day, I've shared a lot of the behind the scenes. I Share a lot of content with myself in it. So we kind of build this connection that way.

And I think as well, through being really responsive on messages, through, through maybe sending recommendations or making sure I bring in nails that people have requested.

So say if someone's like, I want a lavender like almond nail, I'll write that down and I'll genuinely try and bring it in for the next collection so I can message them and be like, hey, like I actually made it like it's in this new collection. So it's more for me like on a personal level making those connections. And that's how I've built the community around my brand.

But I think another way for me that's really worked as going to events, meeting people, whether that's pop up shops, beauty events, anything like that.

I think real life events have become so much more important and people remember you so much more if they've met you in real life than just going on your socials. So I think you really have to include that in your strategy and your brand is that it's not just online.

You're going out and meeting people in real life. In some ways that makes a lot of sense.

Thank you.

And I think that while as you say, you can't offer the, you know, the big discounts and things that a large brand would, they can't do what you do, which is that personal touch because as you said, I'm sure that if someone, you know, sends a question in or they have a concern, it's you they're speaking to.

And I think there's something to be said for like knowing who the face is behind the brand or even if you don't know what they look like, just knowing there's a person there I think makes a huge, huge difference because you don't tend to get that with a bigger company.

It's so true. I even like. So I hand write all the notes in the orders which a lot of people have said to me is like, that's actually insane.

And it does take so much time, so it's not very productive. But I feel like it makes such a difference.

And there's so many people that have actually said like in videos when they unbox or they've messaged me and said like, I can't believe I got a handwritten note. And it's even just small things like that that you're like, it's special because it's so rare now.

Like you, you get your package and it has your like printed thing in the thing and your slip and there's no real like personal touch. So I think even really small things like that make a difference.

I think so.

Because that's the sort of thing people remember because as you said, because it is so rare people will remember that you did that because it's not, it's not common. I mean, I can't remember the last time I got a handwritten note in anything I ordered. And when you do, it makes you feel really special.

Like they've really took the time.

It's nice. It's like a. Yeah, just more of an extra effort. I think that you're like, oh, nice. It's. Yeah, it feels, feels like a gift rather than a purchase.

Yeah, definitely. So looking back, what's one decision you made sort of early on with loss that you think has really helped with the growth of the brand?

What's something you think? I'm so glad I did that.

I would say for me it's like just not being afraid to post.

Like, I think so many people hold off posting content or they're really, you know, they want their feed to be perfect or they want their content to be perfect. This is like a conversation I have so many times with when I meet other people that have started product based businesses.

Is that like, oh, everything has to be perfect from the get go. And I feel like from day one I just kept posting. I tried to make the best content I could, but I just kept consistently posting all the time.

And I think that's the one thing that's really helped. And also, I mean it costs me time and a little bit of money, but essentially it's free.

And I think, I think we hear so many times people say like, oh, I can't post myself on stories or I can't talk about my product or whatever, but I'm like, actually it's the cheapest, easiest way to get your brand out there, to get your story out there. It costs you nothing. Like, just do it.

And I think I'm glad, like I, I didn't let nerves or like worries about what other people would think about it get to me. I was just like, no, let's just keep posting, posting, posting.

And then obviously when we had like campaigns that did really well, videos that did really well, you're like, yeah, it's worth it. Like just even if you don't feel your content is quite ready, just get it out there as much as possible.

That's really good advice. Thank you. Because you're right.

It can be so easy to think, oh, I won't do this or I'll do it when I'm more established or I'll do it when I've got a social media manager. I'll do it when I've got new branding, whatever it is. There's always so many excuses not to, so I think that's brilliant.

I would also love to ask you. So running a business is really full on. Obviously you've got lots of ambition, you've already done so much in three years.

How do you balance that with looking after yourself? Because I think it can be quite a juggle.

Yeah, it is. I think I'm probably not the best person to answer this question because I don't think I'm very good at it.

But I think you, like, learn, you learn to get better. I think, yeah, it's hard because I've had other things, like I've been had other jobs at the same time as doing this, other projects.

You know, I have a partner and a family and friends and I still want to live a life. So it's, it is tricky, but it's also like a balance.

Like there's sometimes I'm working till like 2 o' clock in the morning and there's other days where I'm like, just have a holiday, take a break. So it's hard.

But I think as well, I find, like, sometimes I have more energy to put into it and there's other days where I'm like, I have such brain fog and I can't focus on anything. I'm not really achieving that much.

So I'm like, maybe just take a break and then come back and you'll produce something better than what you're doing right now. So it's hard and I think, like, as you get older, you learn to get better at it.

But yeah, it is tricky because you want your brand to do well and at the end of the day it takes hard work, but I definitely find it hard to switch off sometimes. I've had to put my phone at the other side of the bedroom, so when I go to sleep, like, it's gone and I'm like, don't go on the phone.

So I think maybe just small things like that help working out, not taking your phone with you, like making sure you catch up with friends and again, like, not just, yeah, as little time for like with your phone as possible, but it's definitely hard. You probably have to like, plan in when you're going to take a break and things like this. If it's. Yeah, for me, like something that's A struggle.

Thank you for being so honest about that.

And I think as you were talking, I was, I was thinking, actually, I think for lots of us, myself included, phones are like the things that make it the hardest.

Because I think if you had just a laptop or a desktop where you did your work and then you walked away from that, you went in another room, it would be so much easier. But I think the fact we get our customer messages and our social media and everything on our phones makes it so hard to switch off.

Like, you can go on a holiday but all of your work is still with you if you take your phone.

Yeah, that is so true. And I find I'll always be like, oh, I'm just gonna reply. And then an hour later you're like, I've literally just worked for an hour now.

But it's just because it's there. But yeah, that's so true because it's constantly in front of us.

We just constantly feel like, oh, well, I'll just reply, I'll just post something or I'll just share this and then. And yeah, makes it very hard to switch off.

It does. And I really don't know what the answer is because, yeah, yeah, I don't know. Because our phones aren't going anywhere, are they? So who knows?

We maybe need better boundaries or something, but I think that's easier said than done.

There is like a. I can't remember, I think it's called Block or something like this and it's like this little pod and you stick it on your phone and you set a time and then it basically blocks all these apps from like a certain time. I think it's called Block. I'll try and find it for you. But yeah, maybe that's an alternative. I don't know. But yeah, I like the idea of that.

I think especially things like holidays or in the evening when you should just be relaxing. I think it can be so too easy to get pulled into your inbox or your social media messages or whatever it is.

Yeah, the phone needs to go on holiday mode. It just has like call, text, that's it.

Yes. Or you need to bring like a brick phone or something when you go. Something like that. Oh, thank you so much for all of you share.

Krissy, I absolutely love speaking with you and I'm going to put a link to your website and all of your socials in the show notes.

I've got one final question before we finish, if that's okay and that's what would your number one piece of advice be for other product big businesses.

Number one piece of advice I would say know your story and just keep repeating it.

Like stay really true to what your brand is and what your story is about your product and try not to get too influenced by what other people are doing or what's trending because I think that's how you kind of lose your vision and people get a bit confused about what your brand is about.

So yeah, I think my best piece of advice advice is just stick to your story, your reason why you started and keep repeating that story so that it's really ingrained in your customers mind and they really know like what your brand is about.

That's brilliant advice. Thank you. Because I think we can sometimes feel like oh we're being so boring and we're just repeating ourselves.

But I think we just have to because I have to tell myself this as a lot as well. People don't see they see such a small percentage of what you say and what you pay.

So true. They probably like even if you posted a thousand videos, people have probably seen like 10 seconds. So yeah, it's definitely true.

Well that's a brilliant reminder. Thank you so so much Christy.

Thank you for having me.

Thank you so much for listening right to the end of this episode.

Do remember that you can get the full back catalog and lots of free resources on my website, vickyweinberg.com Please do remember to rate and review this episode if you've enjoyed it and also share it with a friend who you think might find it useful. Thank you again and see you next week.