Pass The Pen: The Mani Club
Hello, Happy Place! I’m Christiana Hooks from The Mani Club. For those who don’t know me, I’ll give you a quick intro. I’m a Los Angeles native who is deeply obsessed with my nails. I used to go to the salon at least once a week, sometimes even twice because by midweek I was ready for a polish change. When I realized how silly it was to spend that much time and money in the salon, I started to pay extra attention to the process in order to teach myself. I began giving myself those midweek manicures at home. I must say, I got pretty good! When the pandemic hit and all the nail salons were closed, I channeled my inner nail tech and got to work. When everything else felt chaotic and out of my control, I made it my mission to perfect my manicure.
Even though my nail game remained on point, I still really missed the social aspect of going to the salon on a Saturday with my besties, then heading to brunch after. So, I decided to host some of my girls on zoom, with mimosas of course, and teach them how to do their own nails. We would catch up, connect and paint together each week. I called it The Mani Club. It was like book club but for your nails!
After a few weeks of our little club, I started an Instagram page to show off my DIY nail journey, as well as highlight the achievements of my friends as they learned. As all IG pages do, it started out small. One of the early followers sent me a DM to ask if she could join the club one Saturday. At that point it was just our friend group, so it could feel uncomfortable for a stranger to come in. But I asked the girls opinion, and they were all okay with it. They were more than welcoming, in fact. And that was the beginning. So many people asked to join after that. It was clear that there was a craving for community while we were all in quarantine. So, I opened it up. Now we have over 15k mani lovers in The Mani Club!
So now that you know a little bit about me and The Mani Club, I’ll be joining you here at The Happy Place from time to time to chat about all things nails. And today we’re going to dive into Spring mani inspiration! Spring is the perfect time for a fresh start. It’s a time known for cleaning out the old and making room for the new. The days are longer, the sun is shining more and flowers are blooming. It’s all very light and rejuvenating, and our manicures should reflect that. People usually gravitate towards pastels this time of year, and that’s fantastic. I mean, who doesn’t love a classic baby pink or lavender mani? However, let’s talk about some of the other stand out options.
JELLY
You may be hearing people talk about Jelly polishes lately. You may also be wondering what the heck that means. I get that question a lot in my comments. So, let’s break it down. Jelly polish is a thinner formula, imagine taking a regular polish and mixing it with a clear polish. It dilutes it and almost creates a sheer, see through version of a color, right? Well, Jelly polish is juicier than a sheer. It has a wet, liquid quality to the polish, making it extra shiny. Jelly polish can come in any color, even black. You’ll find two examples below. One is a more neutral version called “Rose Jelly” by Cirque Colors and the other is a hot pink called “Strawberries Are In Season Right Now” by Olive & June. Jelly nails are great for Spring because they really lean into the lightness of the season after wearing Winter darks through February.
LIP GLOSS
If you’re at all into nail trends, you’ve certainly heard of the “Glazed Donut” mani that Hailey Bieber made famous last Summer. Well, this Spring’s nail craze is called the “Lip Gloss” mani. While the “Glazed Donut” layers an iridescent or chrome over a sheer or jelly polish, the “Lip Gloss” mani sandwiches a metallic or shimmer with two coats of a sheer. Here’s how it works. You paint one coat of your favorite sheer, followed by your favorite metallic or shimmer, then add one more coat of the sheer. The idea is that the mani glows from within. The combinations to get to the perfect Lip Gloss mani are endless. In this example I’ve used some of my go-to polishes by Olive & June. My first coat is Strawberry Scone. My middle layer is Sundance Shimmer, a bronze colored metallic. Then the top layer is CCT. This mani is stunning in the sun but it’s been rainy and grey here in Los Angeles. So, please forgive the haze in this picture. Just imagine how this glows with the perfect light!
UNEXPECTED BRIGHTS
Most people save their bright polish for the Summer. I like to use Spring as a warmup period. While I don’t go for my loudest colors just yet, I do break out the vibrant blues, happy face yellows and buzzing coral pinks. This season I’m trying something new with a chartreuse called “Not Kale” by Olive & June. This is not a color I would normally pick for myself, but I tried it on and I was immediately in! Not to mention, chartreuse must be the official color of Spring because it is EVERYWHERE! The other colors in this section are as follows: The coral pink is called Carrot Juice, the bright blue is called Can’t Lose and the yellow is called Pineapple Slushie. They are all by Olive & June.
ALWAYS BET ON RED
Anyone who knows me, knows that red is my signature color. It’s my neutral. I wear variations of it all year round. It’s timeless and works with everything. In the Spring I like to wear bright reds that either have a hint of pink or a hint of orange in them. But the brighter, the better. This one is called “Kiss Cam” by Olive & June.
FUNKY FRENCH
Since the 90’s are coming back with a vengeance, we obviously need to discuss the French manicure. It was all the rage when I was in high school. We felt so sophisticated with those white tips. Well, just like baggy jeans and Adidas Sambas, this mani has returned. You can obviously opt for the classic version but I also like to mix it up for two reasons. One because I like to go the unexpected route and two, because if you’re painting at home, this diagonal version tends to be easier to create. The colors used here CCT and HD by…you guessed it, Olive & June.
Thanks for letting me share my Spring favorites with you. More mani fun to come! If you have any questions or would like to join our zoom painting parties, please follow along at @themaniclub on Instagram for updates and inspiration!