Spa Noir Beauty Cocktails is a woman owned company founded by a single mom in Florida back in 2006. We hand craft our products in small batches with no preservatives or chemicals of any kind. We use minimal packaging, have a really sweet recycling program, give back to the universe and make every woman feel completely nourished and adored!
The back story from Terri's own words: The story is actually so unbelievable it's a joke and I always have to giggle about how I literally failed forward! It's easier to remember and retell it in a blog than having to recount how I got started and why I ended up here. For some founders, they began with a very clear mission to do this or that. For me- it was a broken heart, let me explain. I suffered a pretty sad breakup with yet another boyfriend that failed exactly as I predicted (I had an issue with self sabotage at the time). As with all the other failed relationships I did the usual free falling into a deep depression in a dark space- blah, blah, blah. But this time, this breakup was very different, and it all started with a manicure.
The night before I cried myself to sleep listening to Mariah Carey's "fly like a bird" and praying " God don't let the world break me tonight." I kept repeating that line over and over again in my head. This is the part where I just sob, so excuse me while I grab a tissue- I'll be right back....
10 minutes later...ok girls, I'm back and very composed because the rest of the story gets pretty interesting.
So the next morning I dragged myself out of bed and decided I wanted a simple little manicure. It was a Saturday and at the time, I barely had $15 to scrape together, just enough for the manicure and a tip- no pedicure. I went to a local nail shop and when I entered the door there were rows and rows of tables, dirty floors, and the place reeked of chemicals. I noticed in particular that the chairs were filthy, stained and tattered. I glanced around desperately looking for paper towels to cover the chair so that I could sit down but couldn't find any, I didn't even bother to venture into the bathroom in the rear. The place was hot and toxic and I still couldn't find any paper towels. In desperation I reached for a magazine to sit on, it was a Nail Pro magazine. I became intrigued.
Now, this part is absolutely bizarre. There is no rhyme or reason why I asked this question, I just blurted it out--"how much does it cost to open up a nail shop?" The shop owner barely even looked up from the cash register and replied "about $35,000". I exclaimed "I don't have that kind of money, I can open one for about $9,000!" He glanced at me looking just as dumbfounded as I was. I asked him could I take one of the order card inserts from the magazine for a subscription and told me help yourself--and so I did sans the manicure!
I walked out of there a brand new woman, feeling intrigued, empowered and completely distracted from my heartbreak. I felt so liberated, so free- plus I saved $20, I couldn't afford the manicure anyway. I waited by the mailbox for 3 weeks for that magazine and never cried about or over a man ever again.
Now I had no idea how to open a nail salon, absolutely no business savvy, not even a nail license- but that didn't stop me. I immediately enrolled in a nail technology course at the same time I was finishing up my Masters Degree in education. I failed every step of the way from eviction notices, power disconnections to personnel issues and more drama than a Spanish Novella but I toughed it out with God's help.
Since I was on a tight budget I opted for natural manicures and pedicures made from fresh ingredients each morning like silky coconut milk, Dead Sea Salts and rich avocado oil. I grew my customers from zero to about a hundred or so and made surprisingly $35,000 in my first year part-time! One thing I kept hearing from my clients was "Terri, your personality makes up for your lack of experience because you can't paint worth squat and can't even file a nail straight but we love how you make us feel, the products you use on our skin feels great! This place is the best kept secret in Miramar." And that became my tagline.
Everyone loved my mani/pedi duets with freshly prepared mango butters, African shea, floral waters, and exotic ingredients sourced from all over the globe. I made small batches as I still do today and sold them in tiny jars for my clients to use in between their next appointment (yes, they actually re-booked with me, hilarious).
Pretty soon I had people calling or texting me to create custom create cuticle oils, bath soaks and body balms for their dry skin. One client in particular encouraged me to retail it in the front lobby of the salon and I agreed but I didn't have a name for the labels or my product line. She said call it "just call it Spa Noir". Wow, I loved that name, it was so pretty. I added "Beauty Cocktails" later on and had a graphic designer create a logo for me.
That was over 10 years ago and here you are today on the product line created with love from a broken heart.
The best breakup of my life, muah, thanks darling!
My very first Farmers Market event at the annual Chocolate Festival in Cutler Ridge, FL (that's me on the left). I created many lifelong friendships, made valuable connections and sold a ton of body butters!