A quick note on the times;

I first started this writing this in January and fully intended to post then, but alas, things happened and I forgot. Now, not being able to work at the studio due to Berlins’ partial lockdown (thanks COVID-19), it’s a good time to finish what I started!….

It’s a month ago since I could visit my own studio. Since the lockdown began, I have decided to sit out of the posts on Instagram and spend time doing the things one does in isolation during a global pandemic. Think about life, what my values are, where we collectively are in the world, stare at the ceiling a bit, marvel at how mother earth finds a way, clean my house I’m grateful to be in, cook meals I’m grateful to be able to eat, you know.

Today is the first day I have found any energy to come close to doing anything to do with nails and running my business. (I still can’t put into words about how I feel) I thought finishing this post about looking back on some memorable times around my studio, was a good place to start. Here’s to 2019’s studio highlights!

Next Level Nail Products

In Jan/Feb 2019 I introduced the hard wearing but soak-off, colour gel that is The GelBottle Inc to my studio! A vegan, animal cruelty free gel manicure that lasts and has SO MANY EXCELLENT colours, my collection very quickly grew from 5 to 35+ in no time. This gel is fantastic for assisting natural nails to grow longer without the need for tips. All you need is a little patience (nails grow around 1mm per week on average) and an appointment very 3ish weeks to keep them in check. Read more about The GelBottle Inc manicure here.

Photoshoot with label YCCIJ & Photographer Conrad Bauer

Independent Online Booking System

This might seem like a boring one but this was the absolute game changer for me last year. MY OWN ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM! I can not tell you the relief and joy that this, to this very day, makes me feel. I can manage my own diary and connect with my clients, minus the middle man, stress free. For any therapists, tattooists, hair dressers, fellow nail techs, or anyone that works by appointments, then here’s my personal link to start your OWN online booking system. Say goodbye to “No-shows”! Good luck :) Effy Nails Acuity Affiliate Link CLICK HERE <3

Becoming a Dog Mum

One of the bigger achievements in 2019 was to train this furry fella into an even good-er boy while chilling in the studio with me. He’s very sweet. If you’ve met him then you’ll know he’s a top snoozer and very good at shredding cardboard. Some would say the best in Berlin.

Timberland, Nature Needs Heroes

Unlike many of the shoots I’ve worked on before, Timberland had a full cast of activists and green fingered avengers rather than classic models or A-Z listers for their 2019 Nature Needs Heroes global campaign. Being “the nail girl” on set, I usually get one to one time with people and can have my own miniature interview/chat with them. I particularly enjoyed speaking to Summer Rayne Oakes @homesteadbrooklyn about house plants, Alice Aedy @aliceaedy about being a documentary film maker and activist, and Kevin from @epicgardening with ways people could become “greener” and how grow veggies at home.

I left feeling inspired and continued on a more activist vibe for the rest of the year…

Raising money for Ocean Cleanup Project with the long sleeved ILY design tee ( €235 in total <3 )

and organised a Winter Swap Shop…

Myself, Aequa and The Workshop on Forster collaborated together to bring to life a clothes swap evening! It grew in size pretty rapidly so with everyone donating an “armful of their best pre-loved items” we filled the entire space with tables and rails and had a separate room for books, accessories and other media or nik -nak bits that people kindly donated or swapped. A success!

All clothes that were not swapped or donate to us were then donated to Eva’s Haltestelle, a local women’s shelter.

We also held a raffle and sold raffle tickets for €2 each, raising a total of €147 for Trans Feminism International’s “Get Home Safe” fund.

The raffle prizes were kindly donated to us by each of these generous beings….

🎁 Manicure and pedicure by Effy Nails

🎁2x signed copies of the book "Margins & Murmurations" by Otter Lieffe

🎁 Sound Healing by Crystal Bowls www.instagram.com/crystalbowlsberlin/

🎁Tiny Tattoo by Philip Retzer Tattoer

🎁3x passes to group vinyasa class by Koko Yoga

🎁Gift certificate for tickets to MONOM

🎁30 minutes massage voucher for Method Massage Berlin

🎁Vinyl releases by Johanna Knutsson

🎁Gift box by Buttery Bodycare https://butterybodycare.com/

🎁Coaching session with Maria Mouk

🎁Large graphics print by Studio Skulptur
https://www.instagram.com/studioskulptur/

Planet Effy Calendar 2020

As Selina from LoveProjectLove once said, “Calendars are like your magic wand!”

I make calendars because they are like magic wands. Write stuff on it and it happens. I keep my inner child happy by creating artwork, sharing it and hopefully it’s useful. Along with life stuff and training a puppy for most of the year, I almost didn’t make one for a fourth year in a row. It wasn’t until I had a few requests that I got my sketchbooks out and started piecing one together. I’m so pleased I did, thank you for the nudge!