Nicki Minaj could’ve easily embarked on any number of businesses at this stage of her career. In fact, many likely figured she’d transition into makeup, skincare and/ or haircare, with everyone and their literal mamas entering these sectors of the beauty space. For Minaj, however, it was important to put her efforts into something that specifically spoke to her brand, as well as made sense for her own life, and after a few chats with Yvett G, her trusted nail tech and Pink Friday Nails Creative Director, Minaj’s entrance into the press-on nails space has been a grande one, supported by her team, and of course, her beloved Barbz.
VIBE caught up with Yvett G at the New York Pink Friday Nails x Shopify Pop-Up event (running Oct. 11-13), where she revealed that Nicki’s desire to get into press-ons stemmed from her pregnancy, as sitting through longer sessions for those detailed, hands-on designs just wasn’t possible.
“We started off with me personally doing her nails, like hands-on, and then eventually, we gravitated towards the press-ons once she had her baby, because she just didn’t have the time to sit there,” the beauty pro recalled. “I remember even when she was pregnant, we would have to take long breaks because it was hard. But once we switched over, once we did the press-ons, that’s where she sparked the idea of a press-on line.”
Minaj first asked Yvett to provide press-on sets for a music video, making it more convenient to switch looks as needed throughout the shoot. Eventually, she figured this might be the space in which to plant her flag.
“She was like, ‘Are there any press-on companies? You know what? I don’t think anybody’s actually come out with a press-on line.’ That was kind of like a side-note. Fast forward, she calls me and says, ‘I want to see if you’d be interested in this. I’m doing this company and I told them I’m willing to do it, but I need you to be my designer,’” Yvett revealed. “Originally, I was just going to help with designs, and the role grew from there. She gave me a lot of creative freedom and a lot of trust.”
The Pink Friday Nails pop-up features all of the lines impressive sets on display, with Yvett revealing Nicki’s fave as the blinged-out Majesty, even if her preferences have switched up as of late.
“She’s definitely a bling girl, a long-nail girl, like Majesty. Those are definitely a vibe, and I’ve done a lot of variations of those for her for a lot of different things, a lot of music videos, a lot of red carpets. She loves clear nails, and then a lot of longies. Lately, she’s been wearing a lot of the shorts. The naturals, she likes on her every day.”
Launching in March 2024, Pink Friday Nails offers a plethora of choices for a number of sensibilities. Most designs come in multiple lengths and shapes (coffin, almond, square, etc) to fit a range of lifestyles, and the Pink Friday team is determined to push these press-ons until it’s time to expand further into the space with even more goodies for the Barbz, including polishes and cuticle care items.
Yvett, who has also counted the likes of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Rosalia and Normani as clients, also gushed over the brand’s collaboration with Shopify, the global e-commerce company who hosts the weekend-long pop-up and helped the brand bring its online presence to a brick-and-mortar.
“They made it so much easier for us to bring the e-commerce to an actual physical setting with a POS, everything’s all linked,” she shared. “They have this tool, it’s called Shopify Collabs. It’s basically like a directory for us to be able to get in contact with a lot of influencers, and we’ve been able to work with thousands of influencers at this point. We’re just getting started, so they made that so much easier. The event is kind of like a little meet-and-greet for everybody!”
Before letting her go, we had to ask the nail pro her fave fall nail trends. Aside from your expected hues of burgundies and browns, the beauty insists that the “tortoiseshell look is coming back,” as well as “a lot of natural stone type looks, more natural-focused, like quartz.” She also highlighted gemstones and metallics as perfect for fall leading into the holiday season, when we’re all looking for a little more razzle dazzle in our lives.
The NYC Pink Friday Nails x Shopify Pop-Up event is being be held Oct. 11-13 at Shopify NY (131 Greene St). Check out more snaps from the pop-up’s Oct. 10 launch below.
