February 6, 2024 • 27 mins
Say goodbye to nail damage fears and hello to a faster, safer, and more travel-friendly nail care routine.
When it comes to gel manicures, “what’s damaging is not the polish, what’s damaging is the removal process.” That’s according to Christina Kao, founder of Le Mini Macaron, an innovative at-home gel manicure 1-step system. We talk to Christina about:
- Gel Removal Dangers: Learn why the removal process, not the polish, can be damaging and get expert tips on how to avoid it.
- 1-step to Wonderful: Dive into the revolutionary all-in-one polish that combines base coat, color, and top coat for quicker application and easier removal.
- Travel-Friendly: Explore the compact UV light system for on-the-go touch-ups, making nail care convenient wherever you are.
- Product Mixing 101: Christina teaches us about the best way to mix and match gel polishes from different brands
- Perfect for Fingers and Toes: Experience the versatility of the UV lamp's magnetic attachment, allowing for curing both fingers and toes at home.
- Application Techniques: Master the art of nail preparation, cleansing, and polishing for flawless DIY manicures with expert insights.
SHOP THE SHOW:
Le Mini Macaron DIY Gel Manicure Kit | Gel Nail Polish Kit w/ LED Nail Dryer Lamp, $37.99
- Includes: UV lamp, cuticle stick, nail file, remover wraps, and Gel Polish.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This is the Art Beauty podcast where weare always reaching for truth in beauty.
Remember the brands on the showare not paying to be here,
so we get to ask them the questionswe know you want answered.
Because you deserve to be informed
so you can make the best choicesfor yourself.
With that said, I'm Amber Milt and today,my fabulous co-host is Christina Kao.
She is the founder of La Mini Macaron,which is a line of at home
(00:24):
nail care products and DIY gel manicures.
We're going to be talking all about thisfor my DIY girls.
You're going to absolutely love this.
But before we get into that,welcome to the show, Christina.
How are you doing today?
Thanks Amber,I'm so excited to be here and to meet you.
I'm so excited, too.
So, I mean, we are right now in the thickof winter here in New York City.
(00:49):
Where are you located?
I'm in Barcelona,so it's not as cold as New York.
I used to live in New York,so I know how it can get.
It's fairly sunny here, but yeah,
we get a little bit of the chillsthis time of year.
I am so jealous.
So by the way, my husband and I,we went to Barcelona and both of us agreed
that of all the places in the world,that is a place we can move to tomorrow
(01:12):
because we loved it.
First of all, the city itselfis so beautiful.
Gaudi'sartwork everywhere and architecture.
Yeah, the people were greatand I love the whole lifestyle, right?
So tapas, eating little bites becauseI like to eat a little bit of everything.
And then also,I mean, it is just, you know,
you've got the beach, you've got the city,and the people were just so magical.
(01:36):
It's a wonderful place.
I think you've gotthat Mediterranean spirit,
like you said, tapas as in the daytime, sangria and cover at night.
So it's really a lovely,magical place for sure.
You are so lucky. Now.
Were you originally from Barcelona?
No, I am from Alabama.
Okay.
Which is very surprising for most people.
(01:58):
My family is from Taiwan,
so I was born in Alabama,but my parents moved there when?
Before I was born.
And then I grew up thereand then I moved to New York.
So I was living in New York Cityfor a while and then I moved to Shanghai.
So I was in China for a bit,and then I headed over to Europe.
gosh, you are just living the dream life.
(02:21):
With that
said, you know, I know thatwe are all still in this idea of New
You New Year, new you,and in your case, new nails.
And I think that sometimes our nailsare something that maybe take
a little bit of a backburner in terms of care,
but yet are so important.
I am a Germany girl now, generallyat this point in the New Year,
(02:44):
I try to give them a break,but it's hard when you're doing work.
I work with New Beauty magazine,lot of stuff on camera.
Like they always have to look good.
So, you know, when it comes to this idea,we had a great podcast on sort of nail
rehab with the doctor who is like,No gel nails, let them go bare.
But more realistically, I feel like,do you have some,
(03:05):
you know, tips for those of uswho, like, just can't go without our gel?
Her can't go without a mani?
Definitely.
I mean, I'm one of those people.
I think the the reason I got into gelis because when I used to work
in a marketing corporate job, I neededto have my nails done all the time.
I was doing a lot of events.
I like having my nailsperfect polish, finish looking.
(03:29):
It pulled together my outfit,and then I was getting into the cycle
of always having my manicurethat needed to be done
and then having to get into the salon toget them painted, which would take time.
And then you are booked back infor your removal, right?
Because you needed to have them helpremove it.
And so I was always in the lover of thethe look and the effects
(03:52):
of like that gorgeous chip free, shinymani that will last you like 3 to 4 weeks.
But I didn't love the time that it took.
And you know, and I mean,I think when you go to the salon,
a lot of people say, well,it can be damaging.
And that is how people think aboutgel often.
And I tell peoplethat when you go to the salon
and what's damaging is not the polish.
(04:15):
What's damaging
is the removal process actually,because you see them file it down.
Right.
And I think that'swhat people are afraid of.
When you file it down,
it's thinning out your nail,then you're getting another manicure
and then that's gettingthat's going to have to be removed later.
So that whole process,I think, can burn out your nails.
You know,I'm a big fan of doing it at home now,
(04:38):
where I control the application,I control the removal.
So, you know,I tell people, just don't file so much,
you know, like if you're changing it upweekly, like we have a product,
you know, our products,you can change it weekly.
It's a one step.
So it's really meant for youto be able to do it when you want,
you know, change up the manicure tomatch your outfit or your mood that week.
(04:59):
But when it's time to remove, it'svery easy to do that.
And then,you know, it's a bit lighter on the nails.
So also another thing that we've seen,have you heard of gel cycling?
Amber I have not, but but maybe I have
or it's kind of like give it a breakin between your gel polishes.
Okay. Okay.
I mean, yeah, it's what it sounds like,but it's definitely popped up more,
(05:21):
I think, with,
you know, in the pressand people have been writing about it
and I knowpeople have been talking about it.
So as you know, with the pandemicand people were at home
being able to do your own manicure,really became a thing.
I think a lot of peoplegot good at it. Right.
And like you save your time.
You're not having to, like,run to the salon.
So that habit has stuck around.
(05:43):
But if you're doing it regularly,you do want to take some breaks.
And so that brings in your nailcare as a break in between.
And I do recommendif you're doing it really regularly,
probably every month or two,just take a week off, right?
And like rebuild your nail a bit.
It makes a difference.
And I've done that before where, you know,
(06:04):
when I've had a little bit of downtime,I try to do like almost a month off.
It certainly doesn't get ridof all the damage.
But going back to the damage, you know,I know that my nail tech,
she pulls out the drill and I'malways like, I want to tell her not to.
But, you know, I get it.
It's a time thing for them.
But I that's where I kind of fell in love
with this idea, especially of your kit,
(06:25):
which is can we just talk about this?
How adorable is this at home, Kit?
This is your little gel light,which does look like a delicious macaron
cookie,but you have these gel removal wraps.
And I think if nothing else, you know,if you have the time,
because, look, I admit it,I like to go to the nail.
(06:45):
You know, they freshen up the cuticles,like when I do my nails at home,
they never look as goodas when somebody else is doing them.
But it's time, it's money.
And, you know, you lived in New York,New York. There's a salon in every street.
But I think of all my women aroundthe world who have to get in the car,
drive to the salon. Right.
Do that, you know, Soit is even more of an investment in time.
(07:07):
But I
thinkthese gel remover wraps are a game changer
because I'm I'm really you know, when I
when I opened this kit and I was like,wait a minute, I could do this.
I think that you've made it so easyso that we can avoid some of that damage
that we knowis going to happen in most salons.
I hate to say it, but it's going to.
(07:27):
Yeah, I think, you know,when you go to the salon,
the manicure system that they're usingis a three step.
So they're doing the base, the color,the top door colors, two or three coats.
There's many layers in betweenand before they start,
they're filing the nail, right.
Because they want the polished wood here.
It's going to last longer.
They're giving you value.
(07:49):
If your manager lasts a month.
But then when you goback, it's really stuck to your nail.
Like, that's the whole point.
So that's where they pull out the drillbecause it is the fastest way
to break down those topcoat layersand get to removing.
You will see that they wrap it right?
So they will wrap it withacetone you're soaking off.
That is the process for removal.
(08:10):
I think what I like about theat home process, I mean, definitely
there are gels that are the three stepsand you can do those at home too.
We do a one step because our productwas really meant for people
who have never really tried it before,
wanted to get into doing gel at home,but not having it
be something really difficultor a huge commitment.
(08:30):
I love these colorsthat you're showing so fine
and we have a lot of like fun pop colorsbecause what I love about having my Mani
done is when it's really eye catchingand I see like a great color and people
always compliment me when they seethese like really bright colors.
So yeah,I think when you're doing it at home,
you know, definitely the one step,it's a base color topcoat all in one,
(08:53):
the three and one
formula and it allows you to do it in 15minutes.
It's very light on the nails.
So I always like to say easy on easy off.
The removal processwith the wraps that you showed
is the same as the salonwhere you're soaking off.
So you're going to want to like, filethe surface of the Mani
that you want to removejust a little bit to break it up.
(09:14):
And then you wrap wait about 15 minutes,it'll have that shatter effect.
I'm sure you know that effect.
Well, if you're a gel loverand then it's it'll just kind of come off.
You can use the cuticle stickto push it off.
We also have tools to help you remove itpretty easily.
And yeah, it'sjust really meant to be easy to do.
(09:35):
Gives you the freedom to do itwhenever you want.
You can remove it when you want the wraps,do remove salon gel.
So if you are a regular salon useryou can use those.
I would just make sureyou follow a little bit more
because if you're doing that three step,you want to break into it, but
then it just the acetone will penetrateand it'll kind of soak off.
(09:56):
So I do recommend giving it a trysometimes if you want to DIY,
if you're traveling a lot, it'sgreat to bring it with you on the go.
If you are a salon, go and you have a chipnail.
It's always niceto have a little system with you
right when you're out on the road.
So you know, we keep it real here.
And full disclosure,because I got it until Kristina Day,
I was like,I haven't tried this yet because again,
(10:17):
my nails have been under likethey've had to be camera ready.
And I just was like, let me just goto the professionals that said
they are starting to chipa little at the top, right?
And most of the time,
90% of the time when I go to the salon,I bring my own gel polish.
I find that like I have a signaturepink color that is basically this.
(10:38):
So I'm so excited because this is my jam.
But then today I was thinking, and I'm
so glad you told me that this is not athree step because I was like,
I'm just going to paint them over
clear againbecause they're starting to look whatever.
I realized I have that here.
I think, though,that being able to go back in and like
have a chip nail fix, like you said,as somebody who's on the go,
(11:00):
being able to go in,even if you have a professional do this,
but then being able to touch your ownnails on the girl is so clutch.
Do you have a lot of people who write inand tell you this is what I use it for?
Definitely.
I think we're so pressed for time rightaway.
Yeah, we have so many demandsnow more than ever.
And I think, you know, when there wasthe pandemic, people had more time.
(11:22):
They were at home.
But now we're like running around outand about again.
So many things we have to get to.
I'm the same.
I have a little get together later.
And I touched up my nails.
I didn't want to redo them and, you know,I think with these polishes,
you can just go over it with like onecoat, right?
If you have a little snag or you want tojust, like, freshen it, make it glossier,
(11:46):
you know, if it's been one or two weeks,
just go over with another coatand it'll do the trick.
So are your polishes, you know, let'sspeak about the polishes really quickly,
because one, I didn't realize and my badthat this is a one step.
Are they meant to be left onas long as a traditional gel manicure?
Like maybe I'm going to say 2 to 3 weeks,I think a month.
(12:07):
God blessif you can keep your nails for a month.
But 2 to
3 weeks,I mean, are these days last as long?
So the ones that gel,I usually say will last 7 to 10 days.
They're really designedto be light on your nails.
So they're not going to go the 3 to 4 week
distance the way the Salon one does,because the salon has that base color top.
(12:29):
It's all kind of sticking to each otherand it's all built up.
The one step is really light,you know, you can paint it on now
if you want it to last longer,you could do a third coat.
We also sell a gel topcoat separately,so you know,
it's funny because we don't really talkabout our gel topcoat a ton
because we are really knownas that One-Step 15 minute mani
(12:52):
and yet the topcoat is actually the singlebest seller of all the single bottles.
When I see that every year, I'm like,That's so strange.
But I think psychologically peoplelike having a topcoat.
We don't blush at a timebecause we're like, Hey, you know,
this is all about convenience.
It's fast when you need a touch up,
when you need a mani express mani,
(13:12):
you don't need to have all those toolsand all those layers.
But we do have a lot of peoplewho like to have it, and I think maybe
they want it for the two or three weeks,you know, that longer extended lasting.
And you know, is your top coat
is it compatiblewith other brands of Polish.
I know a lotgoes into the formulations of these
(13:33):
but like let's say for example,I was to order the top coat
I needed to freshen up the mani today.
Is that somethingthat you could do on the go?
We get this question a lot like is are
are any of our policies ofhow can we mix and match with other lamps?
Can other polishes work with our layouts?
So this question of mixing and matching,I would say generally,
(13:57):
yes, you can use different polishesand different layouts
and you can use the topcoat overif you have a gel mani
that you want to give itanother week or two, you can use it.
It's really about the curing.
So depending on what you're painting,whether you're painting with ours
or another brand, you are going to wantto read that polishes sure time.
(14:17):
So you know, our topcoat
will cure in 30 seconds because it'spart of the system of our lamps.
You know how many lamps are 30 seconds.
So our whole system is like every cureis 30 seconds and then you're dry.
You can do another layer if you want.
But I think if you're using,you know, a more professional brand,
it might say, Hey, you're the top coatfor 120 seconds, right?
(14:42):
So you just read the instructionson the bottle of the polish
that you're using, and then there'slots of different lamps out there.
So depending on what lampyou're using ours, we have a mini.
We have a deluxeset that dries four fingers at a time.
So just depends on on what you want to do.
So this is a one step.
So it's one finger at a time.
(15:03):
It's the 32nd, you know, the lighteryou punch the button,
the light will go on and it's 32nd drywith our polish, it's 30 seconds.
So if you want to use itwith another brand,
just make sureyou read their instructions.
You know, if they need 60 seconds, just,you know, hit the button twice.
But yeah, it goes with a USP,which I think you're looking for.
But on the.
Other hand, right now, USB stick.
(15:23):
Yeah.
Yeah. It just look. How cute this is and.
Then it's so portable, so and then.
Yeah, blind everybody and fast.
So one finger.
I mean, I got to say, you know,we have valentines coming up
and Valentine's coming upand what a great gift to give that person
(15:44):
who is on the go, who is a traveler andyou know, with a little bottle of polish.
Now I can you take this polish, let's say,
because
I want to take a step back.
We've talked to people before.
You can mix and match stuff.
But keep in mind,
and I tell this to my managersall the time,
because they'll pull out a topcoatfrom one brand.
(16:05):
You know something from SC or OPI,you know, and they're polish from another
and a different base coat.
And I've told her before, I'm like,you know, these are really designed to go
together. It's not the campy used
mix and match,but they're, they're designed, right?
You've got chemists
who've spent time and energymaking sure that they work with the system
that said, could we take this to our,you know, manicures?
(16:29):
We didn't want to do it at homeand then take this on the go.
You can.
So I also do it.
You know, I will not say thatI never go to the salon.
I do sometimes go to the salon becausethey do help clean up if I need it.
What they do is they'll use their own basebecause they want it to last
a long time, right?
So and then they'll layer our colorand then you can either bring our topcoat
(16:52):
or use their topcoat,
but you can certainly use the coloryou can sandwiched in between.
And then the little lamp can go with you
wherever you need, you know,and just touch up as you need.
I mean, I'm telling you, everybodywho's ever traveled, you are just singing.
You're like changing my life right nowbecause,
(17:13):
come on, this would fit like, in a pocketsomewhere.
Is it safe to travel with itthrough the TSA?
No problems, right?
yes. it's so funny.
We had one of our influencersmake a video of her
painting her nails on the planeand it went super viral.
I think it was like7 million views or something.
And people were asking,they're like, doesn't it smell the job?
(17:35):
Polish doesn't smell the waynail polish does.
Like gelpolish is fairly low in terms of the odor
and then the polish isn't flammable,
which people never know this,but regular nail polish is flammable.
The gel is not.
So you can do it on the planeand then you plug it to your laptop
or a battery chargerand just save some time.
(17:57):
Like just paint your nailswhile you're on the flight
or paint your nailswhile you're, like, waiting by the gate.
No, I mean, I suppose.
And just to show people. Yeah.So I just plug this in.
I was lookingI have like a little computer port here,
but it is your USB and,you know, it's really nice too.
It's the Usb-c.
So you probably have this charger
for some sort of thing in your arsenal. So
(18:21):
here you go.
You're charged in, you're ready to rock.
I want to show you something.
Amber So the little lamp has a magnet.
I don't know if you know,but it flips around.
So if you crack that,you can pop the times on.
Okay?
yeah. Okay.
And then
you can actually take the baseand then just flip it so that it's like,
(18:42):
instead of being like, a salon,I just, like, flips around
and you can see it.
Yeah, it should. Yeah.
And then basically that'show you do your toes.
So if you want.
More, I'm going to.
Do this right. Now.
I'm like literallyabout to get on the flight
and I've been rehabbingmy toes for months now,
(19:02):
but I was like, man, I'mgoing to be maybe in sunny weather.
yeah.
So thisis how you so some people don't know that.
It's very funny
because we have some customers who like,shove their toes into the hole.
I'm like, No,turn it around. It's a magnet.
And then when you push the button,
you have all that spaceto put your foot under there. God.
(19:24):
And so you're on them.
But your.
Yeah, but you're like on the floor,you're on the sofa,
you know, you just have extra spacebecause your toes are small.
I actually have two toes at a time.
So that just because youterms are tiny, right?
You just like paint to layerpaint two toes sticking under there.
30 seconds.
Do again, you know, do your big toe bite.
So I was thinking about thisand I was like,
my gosh, it's not even my big toe.
(19:46):
That would be hard to get in.
It's that little janky onethat has like the
I don't know about mine is like thatlittle, like, little nub.
The sad thing. Yeah, that would be. Wow.
So any other tips that we have likeyou know in terms of
I mean I think that this
is like a game changer and it's no wonderthat your brand has taken off
and has become so popular because there isno I've never seen anything like this
(20:09):
that makes on the go either DIYtotal or touch
ups so accessible.
Is there any other tips that you havefor people
who may be trying this for the first time?
Yeah, I think so.
Gel polish is super thickand it's much thicker than regular
nail polish, so the applicationtechnique is very different.
So I think just you have to havea slightly different mindset
(20:33):
to I would say the most important tipsI recommend is make sure
when you are prepping your nail,you're going to want to file the surface.
That's what they do at the salon
because you're roughing up the surfacea bit for that gel right here.
But then you're going to want
to cleanse the surface as welland remove all the oils,
because if your nails are a bit oily,it's easier for the gel to peel off.
(20:54):
Okay.
So just,
you know, either use alcohol to cleanse itor we have like manicure pads
that we sell for,like they're kind of like these like
little small campaign pads,but just cleanse it.
But normal alcohol works.
Then when you're ready to apply,the polish is very thick.
So when you open the bottle,you will want to swipe the brush.
Yeah, this is great. I love this shot.
(21:16):
We showed this in a lot of tutorials.
Swipe the brush a lot, get everything offand when you paint that first coat,
your brush is going to bealmost transparent.
You're going to cover the nail,but it's going to look almost transparent.
Okay, So you don't want to paint itlike nail polish
because I think the intentusually with regular polish is
you go for full coverage, right,Because it's air drying pretty quickly.
(21:40):
Gel doesn't dry at alluntil you go under the light.
It is staying liquid, which I lovebecause it's
actually much easier to work withbecause if you're new to it,
you just want to do thatvery transparent and layer.
You care for 30.
You can go a little bit like with a littlethicker layer, just cover it.
But if it it's like retracting a bit,just go over it, right?
(22:03):
So you can go over it and over it.
It's perfect and then you cure.
So that's what I really like about Gel
is that you can take your timeand you can get good with it.
You're not pressed for timebecause of the whole
air dry thingthat regular nail polish does.
So when we're doing this,do you dry in between coats?
Yeah.
Exactly.
So you're going to work finger by finger.
(22:24):
So that is a one finger layupand then you're going to paint one,
cure it, repeat cure.
Then you move on to the next finger.
Some people paint all four fingers andthen they're like curing, hearing, curing.
And I say, don't do thatbecause the best application is
as soon as you paint,you want to reduce your air time
(22:45):
because it'll shrink a little bit.
Like once that gel retract a little bit
because the base like you'renot doing a separate base
because usually when you're in the salon,they do a separate base coat.
When they do the color,it's it's all sticky.
So then it's not retracting.
But one step gel will shrink a little bit.
So you want to work.
Once you've got it covered,go into the lamp, then you cure
(23:07):
and then you repeat.
I also would say, you know,people always ask me like,
but doesn't it take agesbecause you're doing one finger at a time?
And so what I tell them is actuallybecause it's a three in one, right.
You're not doing separate basecolor talk, right.
Like you're doing your color twice.
But if you had to do all those otherlayers,
(23:27):
you are actually havingto paint multiple layers.
So it does thoughI would say it takes 15 to 20 minutes.
You know,
I would allow for a little bit more timewhen it's your first time
and it probably takes
like one or two times to get it reallyright, Like you get more of it.
But I mean, definitely go very thin.
And usually when I show people, like whenI paint it, it looks almost transparent.
(23:50):
But yeah, there's coveragethat's the effect you want.
And so that's just the first coatand then the second coat will give you
that kind of full coverage that you want.
And if not, you saidyou could do up to a third coat.
You can do a third coat.
So if you're doing more like sheeror light color,
like a pale pink, a third coat is good.
If you want more of that color, payoff,the darker colors, the brighter colors.
(24:13):
We just do too normally.
So that pink, that bright pink,that you got too is good, you know?
Yeah.
And then, you know,it's not sticky when you're done.
So usually in the salon,
you know how they're like wiping it downand cleansing it after the top coat.
So ah, once that gel isn't as sticky, onceit's dry, you're good to go.
(24:34):
This is such a game changer.
Now, if people want to order this,well, I'd be sorry.
Let's talk about the pricing of this.
So this came.
This mini lamp came in a beautiful kitwith your charger
with this, and this one camewith the pearlescent color.
(24:55):
So what is the price point for that?
So the mini jump out here kit is $38.
That coalescence kithas been our best seller all year.
It's that glazed donut,very glaze nail effect.
And the pearlescent is greatbecause it can be worn alone for that
very sheer hollow look,but it can be layered over a color.
(25:15):
Yeah, and a bit of a hollow over that.
So yeah.
This is what I'm going to doright here. This.
Just to top it up,
can we just say $38 is less than one
single gel manicure?
That's.
I think we did like, a calculation.
Like if you did your mani every I don'tknow if was like every week or two weeks.
(25:37):
It's like a dollar 30 a manny,you know, something like that for a year.
So it's crazy.
That is. I mean, that's insane.
And if people want to knowmore about this, I was on your blog.
You've got so many great tipsand tutorials on how to use this
other
awesome topics specifically for nail care.
(25:58):
If people want to know more about this,where's the best place for them to go?
So we're on Instagram Le Mini Macaronand our website is leminimacaron.com,
and you can find the productsalso at select Target at Ulta.
So just look around were around.
Amazing and you know before I let you goand I hate to put you on the spot here
(26:19):
is there like a special colorthat you love or are there
any other cool nail trendsthat you're seeing now in 2024?
okay.
So every time it's the new year,we always say New Year, new nails
our teamevery year. That's a rallying cry.
And I do feel thatin the early parts of the year,
like the first few months,people kind of go back to basics, right?
(26:42):
So sheers, last yearwe launched our new Sheer’s collection.
It's so, well, creamycolors, pale pink, milky.
I mean, you've heard about the milk, nailseverywhere.
I think that's really around this day.
It's just so, so universal, so popular.
I love that.
Christina, I want to thank you so muchfor being with us.
(27:04):
I mean, I'mgoing to thank you for everybody listening
who has ever had their nails done
because this kit seems likeit's an absolute game changer.
I'm going to make sure
when I do this for the first time,I will put it up on social
so that everybody can seehow easy it is to use.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
thank you so much, Amber.
And enjoy that cover tonight for me.
(27:25):
And of course, if you at home listeninghave some questions
you want me to pass on to Christinaor her team, I'm always happy to do so.
You can email me at Hello at ArtBeauty podcast dot com.
You can find us on social media,Instagram, YouTube,
@ArtBeautyPodcast And as always,we will see you next Tuesday,
hopefully with some banging nails by
(27:54):
right.
This is the Art Beauty podcast where weare always reaching for truth in beauty.
Remember the brands on the showare not paying to be here,
so we get to ask them the questionswe know you want answered.
Because you deserve to be informed
so you can make the best choicesfor yourself.
With that said, I'm Amber Milt and today,my fabulous co-host is Christina Kao.
She is the founder of La Mini Macaron,which is a line of at home
(00:24):
nail care products and DIY gel manicures.
We're going to be talking all about thisfor my DIY girls.
You're going to absolutely love this.
But before we get into that,welcome to the show, Christina.
How are you doing today?
Thanks Amber,I'm so excited to be here and to meet you.
I'm so excited, too.
So, I mean, we are right now in the thickof winter here in New York City.
(00:49):
Where are you located?
I'm in Barcelona,so it's not as cold as New York.
I used to live in New York,so I know how it can get.
It's fairly sunny here, but yeah,
we get a little bit of the chillsthis time of year.
I am so jealous.
So by the way, my husband and I,we went to Barcelona and both of us agreed
that of all the places in the world,that is a place we can move to tomorrow
(01:12):
because we loved it.
First of all, the city itselfis so beautiful.
Gaudi'sartwork everywhere and architecture.
Yeah, the people were greatand I love the whole lifestyle, right?
So tapas, eating little bites becauseI like to eat a little bit of everything.
And then also,I mean, it is just, you know,
you've got the beach, you've got the city,and the people were just so magical.
(01:36):
It's a wonderful place.
I think you've gotthat Mediterranean spirit,
like you said, tapas as in the daytime, sangria and cover at night.
So it's really a lovely,magical place for sure.
You are so lucky. Now.
Were you originally from Barcelona?
No, I am from Alabama.
Okay.
Which is very surprising for most people.
(01:58):
My family is from Taiwan,
so I was born in Alabama,but my parents moved there when?
Before I was born.
And then I grew up thereand then I moved to New York.
So I was living in New York Cityfor a while and then I moved to Shanghai.
So I was in China for a bit,and then I headed over to Europe.
gosh, you are just living the dream life.
(02:21):
With that
said, you know, I know thatwe are all still in this idea of New
You New Year, new you,and in your case, new nails.
And I think that sometimes our nailsare something that maybe take
a little bit of a backburner in terms of care,
but yet are so important.
I am a Germany girl now, generallyat this point in the New Year,
(02:44):
I try to give them a break,but it's hard when you're doing work.
I work with New Beauty magazine,lot of stuff on camera.
Like they always have to look good.
So, you know, when it comes to this idea,we had a great podcast on sort of nail
rehab with the doctor who is like,No gel nails, let them go bare.
But more realistically, I feel like,do you have some,
(03:05):
you know, tips for those of uswho, like, just can't go without our gel?
Her can't go without a mani?
Definitely.
I mean, I'm one of those people.
I think the the reason I got into gelis because when I used to work
in a marketing corporate job, I neededto have my nails done all the time.
I was doing a lot of events.
I like having my nailsperfect polish, finish looking.
(03:29):
It pulled together my outfit,and then I was getting into the cycle
of always having my manicurethat needed to be done
and then having to get into the salon toget them painted, which would take time.
And then you are booked back infor your removal, right?
Because you needed to have them helpremove it.
And so I was always in the lover of thethe look and the effects
(03:52):
of like that gorgeous chip free, shinymani that will last you like 3 to 4 weeks.
But I didn't love the time that it took.
And you know, and I mean,I think when you go to the salon,
a lot of people say, well,it can be damaging.
And that is how people think aboutgel often.
And I tell peoplethat when you go to the salon
and what's damaging is not the polish.
(04:15):
What's damaging
is the removal process actually,because you see them file it down.
Right.
And I think that'swhat people are afraid of.
When you file it down,
it's thinning out your nail,then you're getting another manicure
and then that's gettingthat's going to have to be removed later.
So that whole process,I think, can burn out your nails.
You know,I'm a big fan of doing it at home now,
(04:38):
where I control the application,I control the removal.
So, you know,I tell people, just don't file so much,
you know, like if you're changing it upweekly, like we have a product,
you know, our products,you can change it weekly.
It's a one step.
So it's really meant for youto be able to do it when you want,
you know, change up the manicure tomatch your outfit or your mood that week.
(04:59):
But when it's time to remove, it'svery easy to do that.
And then,you know, it's a bit lighter on the nails.
So also another thing that we've seen,have you heard of gel cycling?
Amber I have not, but but maybe I have
or it's kind of like give it a breakin between your gel polishes.
Okay. Okay.
I mean, yeah, it's what it sounds like,but it's definitely popped up more,
(05:21):
I think, with,
you know, in the pressand people have been writing about it
and I knowpeople have been talking about it.
So as you know, with the pandemicand people were at home
being able to do your own manicure,really became a thing.
I think a lot of peoplegot good at it. Right.
And like you save your time.
You're not having to, like,run to the salon.
So that habit has stuck around.
(05:43):
But if you're doing it regularly,you do want to take some breaks.
And so that brings in your nailcare as a break in between.
And I do recommendif you're doing it really regularly,
probably every month or two,just take a week off, right?
And like rebuild your nail a bit.
It makes a difference.
And I've done that before where, you know,
(06:04):
when I've had a little bit of downtime,I try to do like almost a month off.
It certainly doesn't get ridof all the damage.
But going back to the damage, you know,I know that my nail tech,
she pulls out the drill and I'malways like, I want to tell her not to.
But, you know, I get it.
It's a time thing for them.
But I that's where I kind of fell in love
with this idea, especially of your kit,
(06:25):
which is can we just talk about this?
How adorable is this at home, Kit?
This is your little gel light,which does look like a delicious macaron
cookie,but you have these gel removal wraps.
And I think if nothing else, you know,if you have the time,
because, look, I admit it,I like to go to the nail.
(06:45):
You know, they freshen up the cuticles,like when I do my nails at home,
they never look as goodas when somebody else is doing them.
But it's time, it's money.
And, you know, you lived in New York,New York. There's a salon in every street.
But I think of all my women aroundthe world who have to get in the car,
drive to the salon. Right.
Do that, you know, Soit is even more of an investment in time.
(07:07):
But I
thinkthese gel remover wraps are a game changer
because I'm I'm really you know, when I
when I opened this kit and I was like,wait a minute, I could do this.
I think that you've made it so easyso that we can avoid some of that damage
that we knowis going to happen in most salons.
I hate to say it, but it's going to.
(07:27):
Yeah, I think, you know,when you go to the salon,
the manicure system that they're usingis a three step.
So they're doing the base, the color,the top door colors, two or three coats.
There's many layers in betweenand before they start,
they're filing the nail, right.
Because they want the polished wood here.
It's going to last longer.
They're giving you value.
(07:49):
If your manager lasts a month.
But then when you goback, it's really stuck to your nail.
Like, that's the whole point.
So that's where they pull out the drillbecause it is the fastest way
to break down those topcoat layersand get to removing.
You will see that they wrap it right?
So they will wrap it withacetone you're soaking off.
That is the process for removal.
(08:10):
I think what I like about theat home process, I mean, definitely
there are gels that are the three stepsand you can do those at home too.
We do a one step because our productwas really meant for people
who have never really tried it before,
wanted to get into doing gel at home,but not having it
be something really difficultor a huge commitment.
(08:30):
I love these colorsthat you're showing so fine
and we have a lot of like fun pop colorsbecause what I love about having my Mani
done is when it's really eye catchingand I see like a great color and people
always compliment me when they seethese like really bright colors.
So yeah,I think when you're doing it at home,
you know, definitely the one step,it's a base color topcoat all in one,
(08:53):
the three and one
formula and it allows you to do it in 15minutes.
It's very light on the nails.
So I always like to say easy on easy off.
The removal processwith the wraps that you showed
is the same as the salonwhere you're soaking off.
So you're going to want to like, filethe surface of the Mani
that you want to removejust a little bit to break it up.
(09:14):
And then you wrap wait about 15 minutes,it'll have that shatter effect.
I'm sure you know that effect.
Well, if you're a gel loverand then it's it'll just kind of come off.
You can use the cuticle stickto push it off.
We also have tools to help you remove itpretty easily.
And yeah, it'sjust really meant to be easy to do.
(09:35):
Gives you the freedom to do itwhenever you want.
You can remove it when you want the wraps,do remove salon gel.
So if you are a regular salon useryou can use those.
I would just make sureyou follow a little bit more
because if you're doing that three step,you want to break into it, but
then it just the acetone will penetrateand it'll kind of soak off.
(09:56):
So I do recommend giving it a trysometimes if you want to DIY,
if you're traveling a lot, it'sgreat to bring it with you on the go.
If you are a salon, go and you have a chipnail.
It's always niceto have a little system with you
right when you're out on the road.
So you know, we keep it real here.
And full disclosure,because I got it until Kristina Day,
I was like,I haven't tried this yet because again,
(10:17):
my nails have been under likethey've had to be camera ready.
And I just was like, let me just goto the professionals that said
they are starting to chipa little at the top, right?
And most of the time,
90% of the time when I go to the salon,I bring my own gel polish.
I find that like I have a signaturepink color that is basically this.
(10:38):
So I'm so excited because this is my jam.
But then today I was thinking, and I'm
so glad you told me that this is not athree step because I was like,
I'm just going to paint them over
clear againbecause they're starting to look whatever.
I realized I have that here.
I think, though,that being able to go back in and like
have a chip nail fix, like you said,as somebody who's on the go,
(11:00):
being able to go in,even if you have a professional do this,
but then being able to touch your ownnails on the girl is so clutch.
Do you have a lot of people who write inand tell you this is what I use it for?
Definitely.
I think we're so pressed for time rightaway.
Yeah, we have so many demandsnow more than ever.
And I think, you know, when there wasthe pandemic, people had more time.
(11:22):
They were at home.
But now we're like running around outand about again.
So many things we have to get to.
I'm the same.
I have a little get together later.
And I touched up my nails.
I didn't want to redo them and, you know,I think with these polishes,
you can just go over it with like onecoat, right?
If you have a little snag or you want tojust, like, freshen it, make it glossier,
(11:46):
you know, if it's been one or two weeks,
just go over with another coatand it'll do the trick.
So are your polishes, you know, let'sspeak about the polishes really quickly,
because one, I didn't realize and my badthat this is a one step.
Are they meant to be left onas long as a traditional gel manicure?
Like maybe I'm going to say 2 to 3 weeks,I think a month.
(12:07):
God blessif you can keep your nails for a month.
But 2 to
3 weeks,I mean, are these days last as long?
So the ones that gel,I usually say will last 7 to 10 days.
They're really designedto be light on your nails.
So they're not going to go the 3 to 4 week
distance the way the Salon one does,because the salon has that base color top.
(12:29):
It's all kind of sticking to each otherand it's all built up.
The one step is really light,you know, you can paint it on now
if you want it to last longer,you could do a third coat.
We also sell a gel topcoat separately,so you know,
it's funny because we don't really talkabout our gel topcoat a ton
because we are really knownas that One-Step 15 minute mani
(12:52):
and yet the topcoat is actually the singlebest seller of all the single bottles.
When I see that every year, I'm like,That's so strange.
But I think psychologically peoplelike having a topcoat.
We don't blush at a timebecause we're like, Hey, you know,
this is all about convenience.
It's fast when you need a touch up,
when you need a mani express mani,
(13:12):
you don't need to have all those toolsand all those layers.
But we do have a lot of peoplewho like to have it, and I think maybe
they want it for the two or three weeks,you know, that longer extended lasting.
And you know, is your top coat
is it compatiblewith other brands of Polish.
I know a lotgoes into the formulations of these
(13:33):
but like let's say for example,I was to order the top coat
I needed to freshen up the mani today.
Is that somethingthat you could do on the go?
We get this question a lot like is are
are any of our policies ofhow can we mix and match with other lamps?
Can other polishes work with our layouts?
So this question of mixing and matching,I would say generally,
(13:57):
yes, you can use different polishesand different layouts
and you can use the topcoat overif you have a gel mani
that you want to give itanother week or two, you can use it.
It's really about the curing.
So depending on what you're painting,whether you're painting with ours
or another brand, you are going to wantto read that polishes sure time.
(14:17):
So you know, our topcoat
will cure in 30 seconds because it'spart of the system of our lamps.
You know how many lamps are 30 seconds.
So our whole system is like every cureis 30 seconds and then you're dry.
You can do another layer if you want.
But I think if you're using,you know, a more professional brand,
it might say, Hey, you're the top coatfor 120 seconds, right?
(14:42):
So you just read the instructionson the bottle of the polish
that you're using, and then there'slots of different lamps out there.
So depending on what lampyou're using ours, we have a mini.
We have a deluxeset that dries four fingers at a time.
So just depends on on what you want to do.
So this is a one step.
So it's one finger at a time.
(15:03):
It's the 32nd, you know, the lighteryou punch the button,
the light will go on and it's 32nd drywith our polish, it's 30 seconds.
So if you want to use itwith another brand,
just make sureyou read their instructions.
You know, if they need 60 seconds, just,you know, hit the button twice.
But yeah, it goes with a USP,which I think you're looking for.
But on the.
Other hand, right now, USB stick.
(15:23):
Yeah.
Yeah. It just look. How cute this is and.
Then it's so portable, so and then.
Yeah, blind everybody and fast.
So one finger.
I mean, I got to say, you know,we have valentines coming up
and Valentine's coming upand what a great gift to give that person
(15:44):
who is on the go, who is a traveler andyou know, with a little bottle of polish.
Now I can you take this polish, let's say,
because
I want to take a step back.
We've talked to people before.
You can mix and match stuff.
But keep in mind,
and I tell this to my managersall the time,
because they'll pull out a topcoatfrom one brand.
(16:05):
You know something from SC or OPI,you know, and they're polish from another
and a different base coat.
And I've told her before, I'm like,you know, these are really designed to go
together. It's not the campy used
mix and match,but they're, they're designed, right?
You've got chemists
who've spent time and energymaking sure that they work with the system
that said, could we take this to our,you know, manicures?
(16:29):
We didn't want to do it at homeand then take this on the go.
You can.
So I also do it.
You know, I will not say thatI never go to the salon.
I do sometimes go to the salon becausethey do help clean up if I need it.
What they do is they'll use their own basebecause they want it to last
a long time, right?
So and then they'll layer our colorand then you can either bring our topcoat
(16:52):
or use their topcoat,
but you can certainly use the coloryou can sandwiched in between.
And then the little lamp can go with you
wherever you need, you know,and just touch up as you need.
I mean, I'm telling you, everybodywho's ever traveled, you are just singing.
You're like changing my life right nowbecause,
(17:13):
come on, this would fit like, in a pocketsomewhere.
Is it safe to travel with itthrough the TSA?
No problems, right?
yes. it's so funny.
We had one of our influencersmake a video of her
painting her nails on the planeand it went super viral.
I think it was like7 million views or something.
And people were asking,they're like, doesn't it smell the job?
(17:35):
Polish doesn't smell the waynail polish does.
Like gelpolish is fairly low in terms of the odor
and then the polish isn't flammable,
which people never know this,but regular nail polish is flammable.
The gel is not.
So you can do it on the planeand then you plug it to your laptop
or a battery chargerand just save some time.
(17:57):
Like just paint your nailswhile you're on the flight
or paint your nailswhile you're, like, waiting by the gate.
No, I mean, I suppose.
And just to show people. Yeah.So I just plug this in.
I was lookingI have like a little computer port here,
but it is your USB and,you know, it's really nice too.
It's the Usb-c.
So you probably have this charger
for some sort of thing in your arsenal. So
(18:21):
here you go.
You're charged in, you're ready to rock.
I want to show you something.
Amber So the little lamp has a magnet.
I don't know if you know,but it flips around.
So if you crack that,you can pop the times on.
Okay?
yeah. Okay.
And then
you can actually take the baseand then just flip it so that it's like,
(18:42):
instead of being like, a salon,I just, like, flips around
and you can see it.
Yeah, it should. Yeah.
And then basically that'show you do your toes.
So if you want.
More, I'm going to.
Do this right. Now.
I'm like literallyabout to get on the flight
and I've been rehabbingmy toes for months now,
(19:02):
but I was like, man, I'mgoing to be maybe in sunny weather.
yeah.
So thisis how you so some people don't know that.
It's very funny
because we have some customers who like,shove their toes into the hole.
I'm like, No,turn it around. It's a magnet.
And then when you push the button,
you have all that spaceto put your foot under there. God.
(19:24):
And so you're on them.
But your.
Yeah, but you're like on the floor,you're on the sofa,
you know, you just have extra spacebecause your toes are small.
I actually have two toes at a time.
So that just because youterms are tiny, right?
You just like paint to layerpaint two toes sticking under there.
30 seconds.
Do again, you know, do your big toe bite.
So I was thinking about thisand I was like,
my gosh, it's not even my big toe.
(19:46):
That would be hard to get in.
It's that little janky onethat has like the
I don't know about mine is like thatlittle, like, little nub.
The sad thing. Yeah, that would be. Wow.
So any other tips that we have likeyou know in terms of
I mean I think that this
is like a game changer and it's no wonderthat your brand has taken off
and has become so popular because there isno I've never seen anything like this
(20:09):
that makes on the go either DIYtotal or touch
ups so accessible.
Is there any other tips that you havefor people
who may be trying this for the first time?
Yeah, I think so.
Gel polish is super thickand it's much thicker than regular
nail polish, so the applicationtechnique is very different.
So I think just you have to havea slightly different mindset
(20:33):
to I would say the most important tipsI recommend is make sure
when you are prepping your nail,you're going to want to file the surface.
That's what they do at the salon
because you're roughing up the surfacea bit for that gel right here.
But then you're going to want
to cleanse the surface as welland remove all the oils,
because if your nails are a bit oily,it's easier for the gel to peel off.
(20:54):
Okay.
So just,
you know, either use alcohol to cleanse itor we have like manicure pads
that we sell for,like they're kind of like these like
little small campaign pads,but just cleanse it.
But normal alcohol works.
Then when you're ready to apply,the polish is very thick.
So when you open the bottle,you will want to swipe the brush.
Yeah, this is great. I love this shot.
(21:16):
We showed this in a lot of tutorials.
Swipe the brush a lot, get everything offand when you paint that first coat,
your brush is going to bealmost transparent.
You're going to cover the nail,but it's going to look almost transparent.
Okay, So you don't want to paint itlike nail polish
because I think the intentusually with regular polish is
you go for full coverage, right,Because it's air drying pretty quickly.
(21:40):
Gel doesn't dry at alluntil you go under the light.
It is staying liquid, which I lovebecause it's
actually much easier to work withbecause if you're new to it,
you just want to do thatvery transparent and layer.
You care for 30.
You can go a little bit like with a littlethicker layer, just cover it.
But if it it's like retracting a bit,just go over it, right?
(22:03):
So you can go over it and over it.
It's perfect and then you cure.
So that's what I really like about Gel
is that you can take your timeand you can get good with it.
You're not pressed for timebecause of the whole
air dry thingthat regular nail polish does.
So when we're doing this,do you dry in between coats?
Yeah.
Exactly.
So you're going to work finger by finger.
(22:24):
So that is a one finger layupand then you're going to paint one,
cure it, repeat cure.
Then you move on to the next finger.
Some people paint all four fingers andthen they're like curing, hearing, curing.
And I say, don't do thatbecause the best application is
as soon as you paint,you want to reduce your air time
(22:45):
because it'll shrink a little bit.
Like once that gel retract a little bit
because the base like you'renot doing a separate base
because usually when you're in the salon,they do a separate base coat.
When they do the color,it's it's all sticky.
So then it's not retracting.
But one step gel will shrink a little bit.
So you want to work.
Once you've got it covered,go into the lamp, then you cure
(23:07):
and then you repeat.
I also would say, you know,people always ask me like,
but doesn't it take agesbecause you're doing one finger at a time?
And so what I tell them is actuallybecause it's a three in one, right.
You're not doing separate basecolor talk, right.
Like you're doing your color twice.
But if you had to do all those otherlayers,
(23:27):
you are actually havingto paint multiple layers.
So it does thoughI would say it takes 15 to 20 minutes.
You know,
I would allow for a little bit more timewhen it's your first time
and it probably takes
like one or two times to get it reallyright, Like you get more of it.
But I mean, definitely go very thin.
And usually when I show people, like whenI paint it, it looks almost transparent.
(23:50):
But yeah, there's coveragethat's the effect you want.
And so that's just the first coatand then the second coat will give you
that kind of full coverage that you want.
And if not, you saidyou could do up to a third coat.
You can do a third coat.
So if you're doing more like sheeror light color,
like a pale pink, a third coat is good.
If you want more of that color, payoff,the darker colors, the brighter colors.
(24:13):
We just do too normally.
So that pink, that bright pink,that you got too is good, you know?
Yeah.
And then, you know,it's not sticky when you're done.
So usually in the salon,
you know how they're like wiping it downand cleansing it after the top coat.
So ah, once that gel isn't as sticky, onceit's dry, you're good to go.
(24:34):
This is such a game changer.
Now, if people want to order this,well, I'd be sorry.
Let's talk about the pricing of this.
So this came.
This mini lamp came in a beautiful kitwith your charger
with this, and this one camewith the pearlescent color.
(24:55):
So what is the price point for that?
So the mini jump out here kit is $38.
That coalescence kithas been our best seller all year.
It's that glazed donut,very glaze nail effect.
And the pearlescent is greatbecause it can be worn alone for that
very sheer hollow look,but it can be layered over a color.
(25:15):
Yeah, and a bit of a hollow over that.
So yeah.
This is what I'm going to doright here. This.
Just to top it up,
can we just say $38 is less than one
single gel manicure?
That's.
I think we did like, a calculation.
Like if you did your mani every I don'tknow if was like every week or two weeks.
(25:37):
It's like a dollar 30 a manny,you know, something like that for a year.
So it's crazy.
That is. I mean, that's insane.
And if people want to knowmore about this, I was on your blog.
You've got so many great tipsand tutorials on how to use this
other
awesome topics specifically for nail care.
(25:58):
If people want to know more about this,where's the best place for them to go?
So we're on Instagram Le Mini Macaronand our website is leminimacaron.com,
and you can find the productsalso at select Target at Ulta.
So just look around were around.
Amazing and you know before I let you goand I hate to put you on the spot here
(26:19):
is there like a special colorthat you love or are there
any other cool nail trendsthat you're seeing now in 2024?
okay.
So every time it's the new year,we always say New Year, new nails
our teamevery year. That's a rallying cry.
And I do feel thatin the early parts of the year,
like the first few months,people kind of go back to basics, right?
(26:42):
So sheers, last yearwe launched our new Sheer’s collection.
It's so, well, creamycolors, pale pink, milky.
I mean, you've heard about the milk, nailseverywhere.
I think that's really around this day.
It's just so, so universal, so popular.
I love that.
Christina, I want to thank you so muchfor being with us.
(27:04):
I mean, I'mgoing to thank you for everybody listening
who has ever had their nails done
because this kit seems likeit's an absolute game changer.
I'm going to make sure
when I do this for the first time,I will put it up on social
so that everybody can seehow easy it is to use.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
thank you so much, Amber.
And enjoy that cover tonight for me.
(27:25):
And of course, if you at home listeninghave some questions
you want me to pass on to Christinaor her team, I'm always happy to do so.
You can email me at Hello at ArtBeauty podcast dot com.
You can find us on social media,Instagram, YouTube,
@ArtBeautyPodcast And as always,we will see you next Tuesday,
hopefully with some banging nails by
(27:54):
right.
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