Below is a transcribed version of The Nail Hub Podcast: Bonus Episode With Celina Rydén. To listen, click here.
Elizabeth: Welcome to "The Nail Hub Podcast," powered by "NAILS Magazine." I'm Elizabeth Morris, your business-obsessed nail guru, here to share with you advice, motivation, and everything nails to help you be successful. As Leonard Nimoy said, "The more we share, the more we have." So let's get sharing.
All right, I am sitting here with Celina... Wait, no. Celina...
Celina: Celina.
Elizabeth: Celina.
Celina: Rydén.
Elizabeth: Celina Rydén. Okay, so, Celina taught me how to pronounce her name.
Celina: It's not even slightly correct.
Elizabeth: I'm doing it horribly. That's why in the States she goes by Celina Ryden, or sometimes Celina.
Celina: No, I'm totally fine with Celina Ryden.
Elizabeth: Okay. But for all of those people who didn't realize that that's not how you actually pronounce your name, without me murdering it, you do it for us.
Celina: Celina Rydén.
Elizabeth: Very nice. That actually has like a nice little thing to it.
Celina: You know, like with Swedish, I think the Americans say that it sounds like Swedish people are singing when they're talking.
Elizabeth: It kinda does. Not as much as Norwegians.
Celina: Oh, no. Oh, my God, Norwegian people.
Elizabeth: So I never, in a million years, thought I would learn so much about Swedish and Norwegian, Scandinavia in general, but no. I think it's cool that people can know exactly how to pronounce your name. And, of course, we're gonna continue to murder it. But at least you know that the thought counts.
Celina: Yeah, absolutely.
Elizabeth: We're gonna try and make an effort. So I wanted to talk to you. I know that earlier this year we had an awesome episode with you, but I also wanted to talk with you about some of the cool stuff you've got going on this year and all the hard work you've been putting in to everything. Last year, you came out with an amazing brush set that you put so much work into.
Celina: And it was named the... What was it? Like in NAILS Magazine, Best New Product.
Elizabeth: Best New Product for NAILS Magazine, yeah, for the People's Choice.
Celina: So, I mean, huge thanks to everyone who voted. That was amazing.
Elizabeth: If you guys didn't see it, the December issue of NAILS Mag has the picture in there and has all that stuff, which was really, really cool. So I can't believe you came out with the brushes. Of course, I mean, you put so much work into that. I have a set of them and I can tell, like, you really thought about it as far as, like, from a nail art perspective and I'm glad that you got recognized for all that hard work.
Celina: Funny story though, I didn't even know that it was gonna be my brush set. Elizabeth: Really?
Celina: No. I just worked with the brush set because I wanted them to have a great brush set. So, you know, I counted the bristles and I got, like, different brushes to try out and I sent them back. And I was, like, giving my feedback and I was working along with them. And then with the packaging and everything. And then, like, I mean, right before the launch they were like, "So we need your signature." I'm like, "Why? Why do you need my signature?" Like, "Oh, it's gonna be your signature kit." I'm like, "What? Really?"
Elizabeth: That's awesome.
Celina: I know.
Elizabeth: I didn't know that either. That's cool.
Celina: But I did put a lot of time and work into it. But it was not because of me. It was not because, "It's gonna be my brush set." It was just because I wanna get a brush set out there that people are just gonna love.
Elizabeth: Oh, that's cool.
Celina: And then they put my name on it.
Elizabeth: That's awesome. Well, and you do a ton of nail art, obviously. So as a user of these types of tools, I mean, of course...
Celina: I want a great set of brushes.
Elizabeth: Of course. Of course. That's, like, the number one thing.
Celina: So, I mean, I wanted them to be the best.
Elizabeth: We're always hunting for the best tools and stuff like that to make ourselves successful. I'm glad that, like I said, that you got recognized for that, and awesome. So, in addition to that, I mean, you've been in super high demand for your classes. You've come up with some really cool designs that now I would say are, like, Celina signatures, right? I mean, all the stuff that you've done, Mandalas and all of your really pretty designs, and now you've got some ones that you're working on to really kind of, you know, package and be able to train people. So, tell me a little bit about, like, this new project and kind of what you're doing.
Celina: So, well, I know that, especially for people that don't work with Light Elegance or people that... or do work with Light Elegance, but, anyway, it's like, if you're new to the brand and you're kinda like, "Oh, I wanna do that design, whatever. I have no clue where to start. Where do I start? What do I buy? What do I need?" So, that is kinda the basic thought of it. Like, I'm gonna do this design and here you have pretty much everything you need. So, it just makes everything very easy and then you can do the class online because I've had tons of requests of, like, online classes. Every single time I post something, it's like, "Do you do online classes?" So, we figured, "Well, let's just go ahead and do it."
So we did and I put together a video for each kit. So we have two kits out. And so you get, like...in this kit, you get a voucher so you can log on to our website. And then you can watch the video and I think you have access to it for about 30 days or something.
Elizabeth: Awesome.
Celina: So you can, like, rewatch it as many times you need.
Elizabeth: And practice.
Celina: Exactly. And then you have everything you need in the kit. And I think that the great thing with the kits is that there are some staple products and then you have some, like, special little extra fun products. So, like, if you have, like, a Super Shiny in there, that's something that you will... you need that. You always need a Super Shiny. So even if you have Super Shiny, then you got another one, but you got a better deal out of it.
Elizabeth: I mean, I think it's cool that you came up with the idea, because I see that a lot where you see a really cool... for example, one of the designs that you do, and then for a nail tech to go, "Okay, what products do I need to recreate this?" it would take you forever to actually dig through, you know, the site and figure it out, and add 'em all to your cart. And it would be expensive also to buy all this stuff. So the fact that you guys actually put everything together, brushes, products, actual awesome step-by-step tutorial with everything detailed out, it means that anyone can interact with you and learn how to do the nail art designs that you come up with. So what are the ones that you're starting with? What are your two designs?
Celina: Well, the first one is "Smokey Quartz." So that is a design that I did about a little over, like, a year ago first time, and it was for a friend. She was competing for the Eurovision Song Contest. And she's kinda like a nature, hippie type of person. It was kinda, you know... They were singing "Joik." I don't know if you know about that. It's like a Swedish type of singing.
Elizabeth: Oh, cool.
Celina: Oh, no, it's like (hums).
Elizabeth: Really?
Celina: Yeah.
Elizabeth: Like chanting kind of, or...
Celina: Oh, yeah. Kinda like that. So it was one of my friends, and then another guy that's really famous in Sweden. So they were doing this song. And Christian wrote it.
Elizabeth: Cool.
Celina: So she competed with that, and we wanted to do something very, like, nature-inspired, like, kind of a spiritual thing. And we were both, like, suckers when it comes to... Like, we love crystals. Love crystals. I've always been a sucker for crystals. Like, that actually comes... it goes all the way back to my grandmother because she had, like, a rock collection.
Elizabeth: That's cool.
Celina: No, she collected rocks, like, and crystals and stuff like that. So I was, like, every time I came over to her apartment, I was, like, digging through her collection. It was just so cool. And, actually, I started my own collection after a while but I don't know where it is, but I have it. But I'm still a sucker for crystals. So we thought of "Smokey Quartz" because I think she have like a necklace or something that was that type of quartz. So it's quartz but it looks smoky because I think it's like the coal that hasn't transformed fully into quartz yet.
Elizabeth: That's so cool.
Celina: I know. That's really cool. And then she had these silver rings that were kind of hand-made and it were also... some of them were kind of like straight and some of them were kind of arrow-shaped. So it was something, like, the energy would go in in one hand and out and stop through the other or something like that. So that's why we have those lines on top of the nail, so they would kinda match the rings that she had.
Elizabeth: I love that.
Celina: And it's a really cool effect. You can definitely tweak that into anything. You don't have to do like a "Smokey Quartz." You can add any colors, any glitters. You can do like a frost type of design or like... It could be pretty much anything. But the main focus is definitely the extension where it looks like it's cracked almost.
Elizabeth: It kinda reminds me of, like, ice or stone. But when you look at a geode or you look at a crystal, it does have kind of that cracked different layers inside. That's exactly what this looks like to me. It's so cool. And the technique you came up with is... I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I think it is something that takes a little bit of practice.
Celina: Definitely.
Elizabeth: But I tried it for the first time, you know, with your kit, right, and it turned out great. I mean, I can see what I need to change a little bit here and there. I definitely need to practice it. But I would say that the way you explained it was very easy to follow, and I got to see, you know, your online video, and you did such an awesome job of explaining everything step-by-step. You even included, like, the little markers where people can fast forward, back up. And so, if people wanna rewatch certain sections of the video, they know exactly where to go. So I can see, again, all of the work you've put into making this easy and actually high-quality at the same time.
Celina: Because it's not even... I mean, if you look at my YouTube videos that I have out now, it's not like that. So it's a class. It's a real class when I do my videos online. Like, on YouTube, it's more kinda, like, inspiration. I go through everything, but it's kinda like with music on top. I don't do voice over or stuff like that. But this video is, like, in-depth and detail, with voice over. And as I said, you can go back and forward and you can rewatch it. So, I mean, it's like having me with you. And you can do the class whenever you want and as many times you want.
Elizabeth: And I'm a big fan of online education. I mean, I know there's certain people in our industry who are anti, but I think it's such an important thing because there are so many people throughout the world who want to be able to learn this stuff from you. And, obviously, you can't clone yourself and be all over the place.
Celina: I wish I could. And I do travel a lot. You know how much I travel. But, as you said, no, I can't be everywhere. That's just how it is. But, yeah, on the second kit, it's called, like, "Edgy Burlesque." What's cool with that is you have a bunch of different techniques into one. It's like kinda merged into one set. So we're working with sheer black and how to create... What would you call that even? Like, it's not like transparent. It's not...
Elizabeth: Maybe like sheer black, and I really like the way you were kind of... Well, I mean, you guys will see it when you check out the kits, but it is definitely kind of a...
Celina: Like stockings.
Elizabeth: Stockings, bustier, kind of like feminine, but kind of edgy feminine. It's not super duper, duper girly.
Celina: Exactly.
Elizabeth: So I like the way that you did that.
Celina: And just kinda how do you create straight lines with the brushes? How do you make them look perfect and how do you use... For example, our lace gels, because... I love lace gels. They're amazing. But I feel like when a nail tech get it, it's like kinda like, "What do I do with this? How does it work?" So I have a little bit of kinda tips and tricks on how to use that to create a cool, like, design or effect of it. And what else? We have hand-painted lace. So we kinda take it in different steps, and I would say, like, the hand-painted lace looks so advanced. But when you break it down, it's so freaking easy.
Elizabeth: I like the way you explained it because, I agree, when I looked at the set, I was thinking, "Oh, my gosh. This is very advanced," you know. But as soon as you walk through it step-by-step, you actually can recreate it, and you did break it down. And I like the words that you used to describe the steps, too. It does definitely make it easier. The other thing I thought that was cool about... You know, the "Smokey Quartz" one, I love because it's just so pretty. And I like also that you said you could do a full set or you could just do an accent nail. You know, if you don't have time, you could just do one accent nail or something.
But the "Burlesque," I think, is cool because it also integrates, like you said, so many different designs, so many different levels of design work. It looks complex but it's really not that bad, and it's something that you could swap out colors, you could try different things.
Celina: Definitely.
Elizabeth: I like how you approached it from showing people stuff that maybe they have seen before or maybe a product that they own, but they don't know how to use it. Or it's also for people that have never even tried something like this and they can easily start and follow along, which I think is really cool.
Celina: I think that you can find techniques on every level with both of these sets. So, yeah, even if you've been working with nails for years, or if you're a newbie, you can definitely, you know, jump right into it and start working.
Elizabeth: For sure. No, I do a ton of nail art and I have to say, I learned some new tricks from this. And I really like the way that you explained it because that is half the battle, is looking at something so complicated and you're thinking, "I can't do that," right? But then having someone break it down for you, then you do gain confidence and you do start to learn some things that maybe you didn't know before. And, also, the convenience of just having it all in one thing, right? You just buy the kit, you get the video, you get all the products in it. And you can practice, practice, practice.
Celina: And I would say, definitely use my name.
Elizabeth: For sure.
Celina: Like, if you do the class and you buy the stuff and then you can... I don't know if you wanna use it, like, on your Instagram or on your website, whatever. Like, now I have these techniques or this service, like a Celina signature service or something like that.
Elizabeth: For sure.
Celina: I mean, you're more than welcome to use my name in that sense. So it would definitely... well, hopefully, I hope that it will gain every single one that buys these kits.
Elizabeth: Yeah. No, I think that's something that you put a lot of thought into, which is you've worked really hard to build your Celina Ryden brand, and I think that also a lot of nail techs would love to have the following that you have and the capability that you have. And I think now this does give them access to that, and by kind of partnering with you, in a way, and learning these techniques from you and advertising that they're able to do these things, like they learned this "Edgy Burlesque" from this Celina Ryden design, I think it's something really cool to actually market as a salon owner because it does give you, like you said, a signature thing that you can actually market and see if you can up your skill set, your service offerings and everything.
Celina: I mean, it's a win-win situation.
Elizabeth: For sure.
Celina: And like we were talking in our previous episode, like, kinda sharing and inviting people in and just...
Elizabeth: And supporting one another.
Celina: Exactly, supporting. I built my brand up to this point. If I can share that and help someone else, by using my name but in a good way, I mean, so it's like a win-win situation, I mean, that's amazing. And I love that.
Elizabeth: And I think, in a way... I mean, in a way, you're allowing people to use your name to their benefit, you know. And it's hard to say that without... you know, some people might misread that and say, "Oh, well, she..." you know. I think, in a way, it is cool. I mean, you're able to basically integrate the capabilities of the Celina Ryden brand and all the work you've put into this, and, you know, you teaching this to someone, they're able to integrate that into what they're doing which I think is really going to empower them as a nail artist. But then on the flipside, it's also just supporting one another in our industry. I mean, I'm one of those people, anytime I see one of my fellow nail techs, or friends, or, you know, even outside of the nail industry, when they're doing something, they're putting a lot of work into something and they're coming up with a product, or a service, or they've got a new thing going on, I'm always the first person in line to be like, "I wanna support you," you know, because I know exactly how hard it is to work on something like that, right? And even you being on my podcast is us supporting one another.
Celina: Definitely.
Elizabeth: Like, we talked about in our last episode, there is not enough of that between us as nail technicians in our industry. And I think people really need to think about, you know, kind of supporting our family that we have, you know. We're a global family of nail artists and I think people need to support one another because...
Celina: That's how the industry grows.
Elizabeth: Yeah. Absolutely. It helps the economy inside of our nail industry. And, also, it is a giving back thing which is, "Hey, when you want support, like, you're gonna want people to support you, too," you know. Put out what you want to receive, right? And I think that's very important. I'm excited. I'm definitely gonna be promoting this. I think this is awesome. I really enjoyed learning it from you and I can't wait to see what people think of your kits. I think they're gonna love 'em.
Celina: I'm so excited. Like, a little bit nervous though, but, no, it's super exciting.
Elizabeth: So you guys can expect these amazing kits to be just so helpful, and Celina's put a lot of work into this. And, as you mentioned, I mean, yeah, there are some staple products in these. I mean, the cool thing about the kits that I just wanted to reiterate so you guys understand, the cool thing about these kits is not only does it give you the nail art stuff that you need to create these designs but you also get some awesome staple products. Like, you know, an amazing top coat and nail art brushes and some stuff that we, as artists, use all the time. And I want people to, you know, realize that you can use all of this stuff not only for these designs but for all kinds of other things, you know. And then, to me, the online education is just the most amazing part. I hope, you know, you continue to do more of these because I would love to see more.
Celina: I would love to do more.
Elizabeth: I want 50, so get to work.
Celina: I have a ton... I know. I have a ton of ideas. I know. I have so many ideas.
Elizabeth: I want a collection of 50 videos, 50 art sets.
Celina: Absolutely. I mean, the more people who actually get them, the more kits I can do. So if you wanna support that, if you wanna have more kits, just go out and get it and I will definitely do more.
Elizabeth: And I think so many nail artists have been inspired by you. I think a lot of people have, you know, taken some of the techniques you've come up with over the last few years and integrated them into their service work, and you've really given a lot to our industry. And I can only hope that people listening will support you in this because I think it's effin' awesome.
Celina: Woohoo.
Elizabeth: All right, cool. So, congrats.
Celina: Thank you.
Elizabeth: I think this is awesome. I really cannot say congratulations enough, and I always use you as an example of someone who's a positive influence in our industry.
Celina: Well, thank you.
Elizabeth: I'm very honored to have met you.
Celina: Well, same.
Elizabeth: I feel like we're a little bit of like kindred spirits.
Celina: I know. We are. We are. We're so weird.
Elizabeth: We are weird and proud of it because our weirdness makes us awesome, okay?
Celina: Yes.
Elizabeth: And I'm gonna work on my Swedish.
Celina: Oh, yeah. You do.
Elizabeth: Because my Swedish is very, like, Helga Swedish right now.
Celina: No. Inga from Sweden.
Elizabeth: Inga Swedish, but I'm gonna work on it. And I hope that I'll be able to actually pronounce your name properly at some point.
Celina: Someday. Someday.
Elizabeth: Someday. So you guys heard her pronounce her name. You guys need to practice it, too, because, you know, that's pretty cool. And next time you see Celina in person, you know, you can tell her all the amazing things that she's helped you out with. And remember that I want everyone, you know, to really understand, and we talked about this in our last episode, is you might take it for granted, I think we all take it for granted, when we see someone we look up to. And we take it for granted that they just don't need to hear that they're doing a good job, right? I mean, it just happens and I think it's good, in a way, because, I mean, people that are driven, I think, we just drive ourselves anyway, right? I mean, you're just gonna keep truckin' no matter what, which I think is amazing. But I also want you guys to really think about how you can actually give someone feedback, you know, how you can be positive, how you can really give out what you want to receive back. And so, I really encourage you guys to share your positive thoughts and to share your love. And if you love Celina as much as I do, tell her that, because I think, you know, you work so freakin' hard and I don't think that, you know, people feel that you need to hear it.
Celina: Maybe. Of course, and it helps you a lot. It makes you wanna work even harder. So, you know, win-win.
Elizabeth: Right. So, anyway, so I hope you guys really enjoy these kits. I know Celina is really excited to launch 'em. I'm sure very nervous, but I know they're gonna be well-received. These things are freakin' awesome. So we'll be promoting them on "The Nail Hub." Obviously, Light Elegance is gonna have these kits. They're gonna be everywhere, and globally as well. I know all the distributors are really excited to carry these. So you guys can expect to see these everywhere coming soon. And if you love it as much as I do, please share your positive thoughts with Celina because she loves hearing from all of you guys. So, cool.
Celina: Of course.
Elizabeth: Well, thanks for being on the podcast again.
Celina: Thank you for having me, yes. Always a pleasure.
Elizabeth: I really appreciate it. And we are going to go do some more fun stuff. So we'll say goodbye for now. But hope you guys all have an amazing week and hope that everything's going well for you guys. And, as always, please also give me your feedback as well on these podcast episodes. I love to hear from you. I do always post them on YouTube so you guys can interact with me. And I'd love to hear your thoughts about, you know, everything that we do here, including these new kits. So share your thoughts and I'll be in touch next time. All right.
Celina: Cool.
Elizabeth: Bye guys.
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