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n an instant, everything can change. At the drop of a ball, we have a new year. At the tick of a box, we have a new president. At the click of a mouse, we have a new Cover Tech Contest winner. I welcome the change 2017 brings to NAILS. In this issue, we look ahead to some of the new trends we hope to see in the coming year that could change the landscape of nail design. Most noticeably, perhaps, is the change you’re seeing on this very page.


When I started at NAILS four years ago, I knew nothing about the nail industry. I wasn’t even a regular nail client. But all that has changed drastically. The nail community is an accepting one. Nail techs and manufacturers are eager to educate. Through social media I learned that nail professionals are happy to share and engage. Traveling to different salons and meeting working nail technicians has given me valuable insight into the daily challenges and joys that come with this profession. Overseeing NAILS Next Top Nail Artist has given me a glimpse into the future of the nail world and it continues to inspire me season after season. It’s the interactions with you — our readers — that give me immense hope for the future, regardless of what changes are in store.

Me and members of the OPI & Wella Team at the International Trend Vision Awards in Barcelona.

Me and members of the OPI & Wella Team at the International Trend Vision Awards in Barcelona.

I am fresh off a trip to Barcelona, where I attended the Wella International Trend Vision Awards. One of the highlights for me was listening to OPI co-founder Suzi Weiss-Fischmann share the story of her beginnings in the nail industry. When asked what she has learned in her 35-year career, she responded with the following advice that I think is as relevant to nail technicians as it is to a new executive editor: Be passionate, be patient, and have fun. She observed that women empower themselves daily through the choices they make, whether it be choosing a color for a client or making a choice for their family. But she said that the most important thing a woman can do is make a decision.

One of the highlights of 2016 was NAILS winning the Maggie Award for Best Use of Social Media, which I gladly accepted.

One of the highlights of 2016 was NAILS winning the Maggie Award for Best Use of Social Media, which I gladly accepted.

When it comes to NAILS, I can’t promise that I won’t make mistakes, but I can promise that I will make decisions, that I will be patient, passionate, and try to have fun in doing so. I choose to empower those in our industry, that we may excite the consumer while elevating the professional. That’s what NAILS Magazine has been about these past 33 years and that’s something I would never dream of changing.

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Beth Livesay

Executive Editor

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