DOWNLOAD & PRINT: 3D Printers to Replace Retail Experience

By Marriam Mossalli

3D printing is going to take over our lives… Soon the idea of going to stores or waiting 1-3 business days for our e-commerce purchases will be a thing of the past. Instead, it’ll be “downloading your purchase” then “push print to receive your item(s)” and voila! Designers will be replaced by engineers and programmers and luxury will be measured by the 3D printer you have at home (the bigger the better– Mercedes Benz? Why yes, please: PRINT!)

Mink is already here and will soon be replacing our trips to Faces and Sephora… No more pushy Syrian men trying to touch our faces? Thank God! [ps. that wasn''t racist... if you live in Saudi, you'll understand, they're like the cosmetic salesmen MOB!] MAC Cosmetics visits won’t be so painful as we’ll avoid them altogether. Youtube tutorials will have links of product printer codes, which you can then just click and print… how fabulous would that be?!

I’m waiting with bated breath and ready with my “I told you so’s”…

Question: A lot of hardware companies have failed at manufacturing. How do you plan to succeed?

Answer: I have failed a lot of times before. This isn’t my first rodeo. I’m a serial inventor and have been through the manufacturing ring before. I know all the pitfalls. We might fail at some things, but we just need to make sure we don’t fail where it counts.

I plan on going to the big guys in printing like Epson to cut a deal, and that should make the process much easier.

Q: You talked about how the convenience of mass retailers limits the selection. Is the Mink makeup going to be even less expensive than mass?

A: Well, you don’t have to spend any money or resources on actually getting the makeup, and the price per unit is going to be around the same as mass retailers, but with the most color options of any brand in the world.

Q:If I understand correctly, you’re planning to sell this to 13 to 21 year old girls, but I might suggest selling it to influencers who will create more of an ecosystem or community around it.

A: I absolutely plan on spending time talking to beauty bloggers and influencers, and getting them excited about the product. Once that happens, marketing shouldn’t be difficult. The web itself has so many networks built in already.

Q: Can this printer print any kind of makeup?

A: The inkjet handles the pigment, and the same raw material substrates can create any type of makeup, from powders to cream to lipstick. Implementing this ability on the Mink is not hard to do, it’s actually more of a business decision.

What we’re doing is taking out the bull shit. Big makeup companies take the pigment and the substrates and mix them together and then jack the price. We do the same thing and let you get the makeup right in your own house.

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