I’d like to be the first to welcome you to our “From the Editors” blog. I’m excited to launch several new online initiatives — including this blog and our other new blog, The Coaching Chronicles. This blog will contain observations from the editors of NAILS on all things nail-related. We’ll post information from industry events and trade shows (look for a lot of great info next week as we report back after ISSE Long Beach), new product launches, news and legislative issues, salon visits, reader calls, nail styles and trends, behind the scenes at NAILS, and so much more.

Before we get down to business, let me introduce myself to those who don’t know me. My name is Hannah Lee and I’m the editor of NAILS Magazine. I’ve been with the magazine for nine years, working under the tutelage of NAILS Publisher Cyndy Drummey. I’ve met many of you already (at trade shows, in your salons, or at educational events) and I’ve talked to many more of you on the phone or online. I look forward to continuing our dialogue in new forums (like this blog) and hope to meet more of you soon. I’m also looking for nail technicians who want to get involved with the magazine and our website, so if you’re interested, please drop me an e-mail with the subject “I want to join your team.”

A little more about me: I’m a simple girl — I keep my nails pretty short and usually wear light polish. (When I’ve got a fun event or big night out, I love deep, almost-black shades on my short, rounded nails.) When it comes to my toes, I’ll try anything once. You’ll usually find me sporting shiny, patent leather black or almost-black, but I recently got a set of the Rock Star toenails (Melissa Garcia of Studio 115 in Tulare, Calif., did them when she came down to Los Angeles to do the nails for the December 2007 cover.). They were awesome and I wowed all my friends. Now if only I could find a tech around here who does them!

Anyway, welcome to our blog! Please feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below or whenever you read something that gets you thinking. In the next few days, you’ll be meeting more of our team, and we’ll be posting from the show in Long Beach. I look forward to getting to know you better.

— Hannah