Englewood Sisters Launch Careers in the Big Apple

Two remarkable and talented Englewood sisters have used their college degrees to launch a career in the Big Apple with a cosmetic company that is exploding in growth with sales around the world, Winky Lux. More about that later. First let’s meet these two homegrown Englewood ladies.

Morgan and Hannah Guzik are the daughters of Dennis and Jennifer Guzik. Dennis has a prospering auto repair shop, A-1 Auto Repair and Jennifer is a successful realtor with Michael Saunders & Company. The sisters were both born in Englewood and attended Vineland, L.A. Ainger and graduated from Lemon Bay High School before both heading off to colleges out of state at age 18 (scary & exciting.)

Morgan loves music and started playing clarinet in the fifth grade and continued through high school where she was selected as drum major in her senior year. She also participated in the winter indoor color guard and the Lemon Bay Guard (aka Lemon Drops) won first place with their group piece in Gatlinburg in 2014. Wanting to pursue her love of music, she graduated with a BA in Music Industry from Drexel University in Philadelphia in 2018. Her concentration was in business management so she could work in the business side of the music industry. Morgan would like to do this in the future. With the business concentration, she worked in the record labels for managing musicians, working with the tracks and aiding in promotion. Along the way, she did an internship with the mental health awareness foundation known as Hope for the Day in Chicago where she created and organized mental health and suicide awareness events at schools and other venues to let people know there is help out there for someone suffering emotionally. To tie her passion for mental health awareness in with the music industry, her senior project was mental health and suicide prevention for the high stress and demanding obligations of a touring band.

Hannah followed her older sister through the Englewood schools, but the love and passion of her life was dance. She jokes that she started dancing in the womb and would watch Morgan dance at Englewood Dance Academy where she herself started dancing at age three, then continuing her dance education at “Florida Dance Workshop.” She choreographed for the LBHS theatre department in high school and was captain and dance soloist with the LBHS Color Guard, earning a superior in competition in 2016. Hannah then studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City and earned her degree just this past spring. Hannah continued to dance and attended the Rockettes Summer Intensive for two summers in NYC and her ultimate dream is to become a member of that esteemed dance ensemble. She was invited back each summer and continues to keep that dream alive. Her love of makeup started back in the fourth grade when she had the opportunity to stay up late during sleepovers, watching YouTube make-up instructionals.

With her experience and schooling in the fashion and business curriculum at FIT, Hannah learned of a new start-up makeup and skincare company which was based in NYC, Winky Lux. She loves the fact that Winky Lux’s products are cruelty free and healthier for you and the environment. Winky Lux was founded in 2015 with a JOYFUL mission statement including that the spirit of beauty is rooted in play and that products can be tools for self-care, creative expression and even a way to spark new friendships. The back half of the store is an interactive playground where you can have fun exploring the product theme displays. Within a week of Hannah starting, Morgan interviewed and was also hired. Hannah works as a Retail Analyst/Wholesale Coordinator who assesses sales trends and exploring new products while working with a range of wholesale brands like Ulta & Macys. She also works as a virtual beauty consultant to assist customers in selecting the products they need. A perfect fit for a fashion institute graduate and she loves her position and the company’s ethics of no animal testing, environmentally conscious products and that product manufacturers treat their employees in a fair manner. Morgan uses the business concentration of her degree, too, in her role as Logistics Manager, coordinating the shipping of manufactured products to distributors around the world, navigating the maze of customs requirements and arrival of supply when needed.

Hannah and Morgan love living the New York City experience. They enjoy meeting and experiencing all the different people and cultures you encounter in a big city. Surprisingly, they have found that New Yorkers watch each other’s back and are quick to assist in an emergency. All the ethnic food, music, concerts, walks in Central Park and wonderful friendships made came to a halt when NYC was struck by the pandemic. Their life became restricted and they stayed in their apartment, ordering in groceries and watching as the streets became a ghost town. When Winky Lux closed its stores and office, they were given the opportunity to work remotely and returned to Englewood at the end of March. They expect to be working remotely until 2021 and say they miss their fellow coworkers and of course, big city living.

When asked what their dreams are for the future, Hannah would like to open and operate her own companies in cosmetics, athletic wear and a candle company, all with a tie to “buttons.” When asked why “buttons,” she said that her last name “Guzik” means “button” in Polish. Morgan would like to use her love of music and business acumen to handle tour arrangements for a band. What is her dream band to work with? – BTS, the Korean K-pop band sensation that has taken over the world.

The sisters’ inspiration in life is their grandmother Anna Mae Ballard who was well-known for her selflessness and kindness. They have adopted her motto to “lead with kindness as you never know what the other person is going through.” Their own advice to others is “don’t be afraid to branch out and dream. Find out what makes you happy and do it!”

Winky Lux continues to expand its markets and is now available in Target, Macys and Ulta if you would like to check out their product line locally. Online sales and virtual consultations can be found at www.WinkyLux.com.