I love salons in houses…there’s just something quaint and comfortable about them. Owners and estheticians Juliana Rodrigues (left) and Tara Manna (right) opened Be Beauty a year ago in San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood. Nail tech Brian Garces joined the salon about a month ago.

This past weekend I went down to San Diego for CND’s Making Waves: Global Education Training (more on that in a later post), so I posted to Facebook that I was looking for a salon to visit on Saturday afternoon. Nail tech Brian Garces messaged me back to come to the salon where he works. That’s how I found Be Beauty in the Little Italy neighborhood on an adorable street with a row of cottage shops. The beauty boutique, located in a 1920s-era bungalow, has a retail boutique, a makeup application area, a facial room, and a nail room. Salon owners and estheticians Tara Manna and Juliana Rodrigues opened the salon a little over a year ago and the whole down-to-earth, artsy vibe was really relaxing. I can see why people just pop in to hang out and say hi. (I’m going to write about the salon for an On The Road column in an upcoming issue, but I thought I’d give you a little sneak peak now.)

Brian was so excited to tell me all about Minx and how passionate he is about the nail industry. It was the perfect way to spend my Saturday afternoon.

Brian (who has only been a licensed nail tech since September 2009) is mad for Minx. He was inspired to go to nail school after seeing a Lady Gaga video where she was wearing some super cool nails. He didn’t know it then, but he found out later, she was wearing Minx nail coatings. Believe it or not, this was my first personal experience with the product and it was pretty cool to watch the application process on my toes. (Brian changes his own Minx styles out once a week and says wearing it himself is the best form of advertising he could do.) I enjoyed the salon’s specialty cocktail while Brian worked on my feet and explained excitedly just how much he loves the nail industry.

My silver and black Minx toenails looked great with my silver shoes. Do they make me look like a rock star?

It was a great service with good conversation in a really cute little boutique salon. Keep your eyes out for the June issue for more on Be Beauty and my Minx pedicure with Brian.

— Hannah