BOLD, BEAUTIFUL AND ECO-CHIC - A CONVERSATION WITH ADRIENNE BLANKS OF D.I.D. NAIL PAINT

A nail polish that's highly pigmented, matches every skin tone, and is...eco-friendly? Believe it. We sat down with Adrienne Blanks, creator of D.I.D. 5-free nail paint to learn more about her entrepreneurial endeavor to make the beauty industry safer, greener, and a little more sparkly. Find her beautiful shade prosecco in our Valentine's Day Manicure Box.

How did D.I.D. get its start, and what makes your way of doing business unique? 

Well, I'm a licensed nail technician so the idea of www.getyournailsdid.com was initially a place where people would book appointments with me and also see my work. Then, I got the idea of starting a product line and turning the website to an online store. I think what makes D.I.D. Nail Paint unique is that it was created by a nail technician who cares about creating a brand with highly pigmented colors that compliments all skin tones. It's 5-free, so the polish contains none of the toxic chemicals in conventional nail paint. I see nail polish as an accessory and it my goal to make sure the colors stand out, start conversations, and make women feel beautiful. 

Any funny stories to share from your early startup days? 

 The funny thing is how the name of the brand and website came about. I was painting my friend's nails and she asked me if I was going to start a nail salon. I told her "yes," and then I said, "I'm going to name the websitegetyournailsdid.com" and we laughed. That night I couldn't sleep, and it occurred to me that I should actually see if the domain name is available, to my surprise, it was! So that's how it got started, all from me making a little joke. This reminds me to have fun with what I do, especially when the life of being a business woman gets challenging!

What's one fun fact about you that we might not know?

At the core, I'm an artist. My father is an artist so I grew up with beautiful work all around me everyday and he taught me well. This is what inspired me to become a nail technician in the first place. The nail eventually became my canvas and now I'm looking forward to putting more energy in creating more art on a larger canvas in my spare time this year. I am also pretty knowledgeable about skin care, I graduated from The Aveda Institute in NYC with a certificate in Esthetics.

What's your personal beauty/self care routine? 

I'm a pretty simple person, I don't have secret beauty routines or potions that I use. I make sure to never sleep with make up on, I wash my face morning and night and I always moisturize my skin. Coconut oil is all the rage these days for multiple uses, and lately I've been using it to moisturize my face - I've found that it's the one thing that doesn't make my skin feel dry. I also always use tinted moisturizer or foundation with sunscreen in it to protect my skin from UV rays when I'm out and about. I use the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow kit to keep my brows "on fleek" and I paint my nails weekly, but this winter I've been wearing the D.I.D. Nail Paint color Prosecco a lot.

Tell us a bit about the shade and the nail paint you've included in the Valentine's Day Gift Box

The D.I.D. Nail Paint color Prosecco is an opaque, metallic, true gold shade infused with ultra fine champagne inspired glitter made to tickle your fancy. It serves as a great accessory for those days when you forgot to wear your jewelry and adds an extra pop to your wardrobe especially when paired with rings and bracelets. This is a limited edition color that was introduced in our winter/holiday "Champagne Collection" and is one of our best sellers.

What do you love most about your job? 

I love the creative control that I have and that I get to just try things out, see how it goes and decide if I want to keep doing it or not without feeling like I have no option to make a mistake. Either way, I learn something new and that's what I love. 

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

 Learn to make trial and error your best friend. Sometimes things don't go as planned or you may find out that something you didn't intend to do can be a defining thing for you that takes your business to another level. As long as you keep learning, you, your brand, and/or your art will continue to evolve into something sustainable and unique. 

What's the next big thing for D.I.D. Nail Paint? 

We started the year out with some exciting partnerships and will continue to work with other awesome brands and artists on some fun projects this year so, stay tuned!