In May of this year, New York Times reporter Sarah Maslin Nir published a deep-dive investigation into exploitation, unfair labor practices and health hazards at New York City nail salons. Since the series was published, nail technicians tell the Columbia Journalism Review, life is changing gradually but definitely…
Those of us with the dexterity of an inebriated giraffe are prone to rejoice at innovations that make at-home manicures less of a catastrophe. The Nailbot, a new machine from San Francisco-based company Preemadonna, is one such invention — it enables you to apply nail art simply by using your smart phone. But CEO and…
At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 6, a large crowd of nail salon owners and workers gathered outside the Manhattan offices of the New York Times. They came demanding apology and retribution for a two-part exposé by Sarah Maslin Nir, which, they say, has caused “grievous harm to our reputations and to our small shops.”
You know how it is: one day you’re following Amber Rose on Instagram because she is perfect and your kids are the same age and you live near each other so *fingers crossed* you’ll be ready when you bump into her at Whole Foods. Ready for what? Ready to hit the heart button in real life! Anyway, so there you are…
The New York Review of Books ran a rebuttal this weekend to the much-talked about New York Times series “Unvarnished,” Sarah Maslin Nir’s yearlong investigation into the horrendous labor practices at many New York nail salons. The rebuttal, written by former reporter and current nail salon owner Richard Bernstein,…
The New York Times exposé series about labor conditions in New York nail salons continues to produce swift state action: Governor Cuomo ordered emergency measures for the investigation and regulation of salons in the state, there’s been an active local campaign to partner with community groups and city agencies on…
On Thursday, a group of New York City agencies and volunteers are mobilizing to educate nail salon workers, owners and patrons about the rights being denied to industry workers, the legal avenues to enforce these rights, and the actions available to consumers who are interested in reducing the rampant,…
The recent New York Times nail salon exposé and subsequent, appropriate government reaction has come accompanied by a lot of entry-level and highly limiting personal quibbling from manicure-loving women, who are here to remind us of the power of the internet’s dominant heuristic—which is to read something that does…
Ever since Sarah Maslin Nir’s investigative pieces on the poor working conditions and human rights violations at nail salons, manicure fans might be wondering what the most responsible nail route is going forward. While it’s great news that Governor Andrew Cuomo quickly stepped in, ordering investigations to be…
After the New York Times “Unvarnished” series made an entire city of women rightfully ashamed about all the times they’ve ever gotten their nails done, Governor Andrew Cuomo has come in big with an order for emergency measures to regulate and improve the appalling working conditions that have become standard for many…
The New York Times has spent the better part of a year conducting a fairly groundbreaking investigation of labor conditions for nail salon workers, and the first installment in their “Unvarnished” series is clear, chilling, and heartbreaking to the last word. Reporter Sarah Maslin Nir starts with a scene of young…
During a recent trip to Houston, I got a manicure and pedicure because it was spring in the south but the dead of winter in New York City and my toes were not ready for public consumption. As a woman who affords herself few mani-pedi’s, I’m never sure what to tip so I texted two girlfriends and asked. But when I gave…
As we talked about last time, color choice is key to nailing this look. We're going to use polish and rhinestones, in a simple way, but the trick is to choose ones that are just barely a shade different from each other. This will create an almost imperceptible depth to your design. So chic.
A famous assemblage of diva parts magnetized around a voice box and held together by a centripetal swarm of white wine, blue pills and pink glitter—Mariah Carey—missed her recent manicure appointment at the Beverly Wilshire hotel because she fell asweep in the car.
A female-friendly garage near Paris offers manicures and massages to customers waiting for their mechanic services.
When creating a list of cities in which you would someday like to live, Fresno, Calif. may not make your top ten; actually it may not even break your top 20. You may have never even heard of it. I've lived in California almost all of my life (shoutout to Moldova, though) and I didn't hear about Fresno until I was in…
As everyone who has ever seen a television commercial knows, one does not simply use a gendered product that's been assigned to the other gender. One must wait until a marketing team devises a gender-appropriate version, and then rush out and throw money at it. This is why we have steak houses for women and why we…
Well, here's some sad news for gel manicure enthusiasts. While you might be drawn to the shine and resilience that your manicures give you, you should also know that all that time that you're keeping your hands directly under a UV light is not that good for your skin. Whaaaa? But also duhhhhh?
You are walking down an aisle in a grocery store. You see a woman in a cashmere twinset, flattering khakis and a sensible bob, pushing a cart with a baby in the seat. Nearby is another woman with long, shiny brown hair, a French manicure and immaculate makeup, wearing impractically high heels and gold bangles. Another…
Are you ready for a nail DIY? This project explains how you can layer fabric paint over nail polish to achieve something akin to those "antique" and "distressed" paint effects that are so popular on home-decorating programs. (You know the ones where some hyperactive blonde is always convinced that what this suburban…