Author: Star LaBranche
Pinky’s Nails in Toronto, Canada has been making quite a splash in the drag scene lately. They count famous queens such as Alyssa Edwards and Laganja Estranja among their clients as well as seasoned girls such as B.Ames. We sat down for an interview with Lizzie, the owner of Pinky’s and asked her about their incredible business!
Dragaholic: Tell us a little bit about the history of Pinky’s. How did it get started? How long have you been in business? What are your locations? What services do you offer?
Pinky’s: Pinky’s opened July 27, 2012, making us two years old. We only have one location, currently, in beautiful downtown Toronto, with a small team. In-house, we offer nail art services with very simple, dry manicures. By mail order or by Etsy, however, we offer a unique line of sculpted press on nails and hand fashions.
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D: What is your nail philosophy at Pinky’s?
P: Our mission is to truly take gender out of nail fashion and push the aesthetic that nails of all shapes and sizes are sexy and expressive for women, men, and everyone in between.
D: What has it been like working with famous drag queens? Who are your favorite clients?
P: At first it was difficult, because we never thought we would be getting the opportunity. So naturally we were anxious and a bit nervous, but always confident. I can’t say I have favorites because each person we have had the chance to work with has been so fantastic, without exception. Pinky’s will always have a very special place in our heart for Alyssa Edwards, whom we think of as the unofficial face of our company.
D: Did you seek out drag clients or did they come to you?
P: I think it was a chicken or the egg kind of situation. We had some online acquaintances that we asked to test our product, and they could pay us with honest criticism and comments. No one said no, and we learned a lot about sizing and technique through all those free sets. Eventually we started to get noticed more and more and our clientele was developed.
D: Who are you dying to work with next?
P: We just agreed on some sponsorship details with Milk, which we are very excited for. I have projects on the way for Sister Indica, Heidi Glum, Klitorika Brown, and Van Hein that are all really different but equally exciting.
D: What non-Drag Race queen have you worked with that you see going far?
P: B.Ames is definitely the person to keep an eye on. Really edgy and sexy paint and the person behind all the rad Drag race remixes. I’m pretty into everything he does.
D: What advice can you give drag queens about proper nail care and looking fierce at shows?
P: Always put your thumbs on last. Carry Nail glue in your handbag. Rough up your nails with a file before gluing for a better stick. If one of your nails is a weird size, always size up. Expose your hands to as little water as possible in the time leading to nail application. Water will cause your nails reject anything applied to it, even polish. And last but not least – Always. Wear. Nails.
Connect with Pinky’s Nails on the Internet and Social Media:
Official site: Pinkysnailsto.com
Etsy store (to purchase nails and accessories): Etsy.com/shop/PinkysNailsTO
Twitter: Twitter.com/PinkysNailsTO
Instagram: Instagram.com/pinkysnails
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