Inspiring Conversations with Tracey Lucke and Carmella Fondriest of MelMarie Skincare

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracey Lucke and Carmella Fondriest. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I, Tracey, started this business in 2013. It started off as Simply Homespun and we made more of the home items (Wax Melts, Room Sprays, etc.). As the business grew and we started getting into making more products, I realized skincare was where my passion was at. I originally started making skincare products when my daughter, Carmella, was having trouble with acne. The products I made for her worked really well so I decided I wanted to share them with everyone else. 

The business continued to grow and flourish, but in 2019 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Because of treatments and the sickness that comes along with it, Carmella stepped up and was running the business on her own many days. Of course, I was still there to help with certain things, but she really stepped up to the challenge of running a business while also navigating high school and maintaining a social life. Since then, I am now in remission, and Carmella and I are running this business together as partners. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The skincare world is everchanging, so we have to constantly be on the lookout for the trends, new ingredients, and be paying attention to what the people want. This environment can be tricky to navigate sometimes, but we do our best to research and bring to the table exactly what our customers want. 

Also, the last few years of COVID-19 have brought their own set of challenges. At the beginning, we were no longer able to open up for people to come smell and try things in person. This meant we both had to get good at using social media and rely on a complete online income stream. Learning the ins and outs of Facebook and Instagram, learning how to make trendy Tik Tok’s, and becoming comfortable going live on social media are all things we had to learn to continue to grow our business through the pandemic. 

We’ve been impressed with MelMarie Skincare, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At MelMarie, we are all about enhancing your natural beauty instead of covering it up. We specialize in clean face care, makeup, and body products for everyone. We try to keep everything, as we like to call it, “nearly natural”. This means that we keep the products as natural as they can be. We truly care about our customers and making them love their skin more. Our customers rave about our ability to listen to what they want/need and what’s important to them in their skincare routine. 

Contact Info:

• Website: melmarieskincare.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/melmarieskincare
• Facebook: facebook.com/melmarieskincare
• Other: tiktok.com/melmarieskincare

Image Credits
Kristen Schnipke