People often ask me, "what made you start Geeky Bee's?" When speaking to others in person, I tend to give a fairly short version of "oh, I've just always loved nail polish and one day went hunting for a color that didn't exist, so I made it myself!" - While this is 100% true, it's not the full story, which I thought might be fun to share with you here!
Geeky Bee’s Nail Colors were born of want. Some of you in the nail polish community would certainly not fault me for calling it “necessity,” but I fully and laughingly acknowledge that it was a WANT.
The year was 2016. Being a nail polish collector myself, I was on the hunt for a very specifically-themed nail polish to wear to an upcoming anime convention. I scoured the web, leaving seemingly no stone unturned. For weeks upon weeks I hunted every outlet I could think of – surely SOME indie maker had created what I was looking for? But alas, it was not meant to be. I settled for a basic mainstream crème and an indie topper. It would do.
The time for the con finally arrived, I painted my nails, and went about my weekend. Flash forward to that Sunday afternoon. If you’ve ever spent an entire weekend at a smallish fan convention, you will understand the kind of quiet melancholy that creeps over the floor on Sunday afternoon. It’s time to go home. Everyone is packing up. Nobody wants to say goodbye. I was standing on a balcony overlooking the scene of the closing-up-shop in Artist’s Alley. Reflecting on the weekend, people-watching and taking it all in. There was a bright splash of sunshine coming in from the skylight. I decided to take a nailfie of my con manicure, using Artist’s Alley as my background. My good-enough-but still-not-exactly-what-I-wanted manicure. As my phone *clicked* the picture, something *clicked* in my brain.
That next week, every spare moment, I began researching… and researching… and researching. The following Saturday, I tried my hand at “frankening,” but by then the seed of “actually making” was already planted deep in my mind and I couldn’t shake it loose – I wasn’t going to be able to satisfy myself by mixing two pre-made colors together and pouring some glitter in the bottle; I had an overwhelming urge to “actually make it.” My frankens turned out some very nice colors, and it was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t going to shut that voice in my head up. The voice that wanted to share the end result with other people. I placed a far-too-big-for-starters order from a supply company within a week. As soon as it arrived, I went to work with the obsession of a mad scientist, the fervor of a determined artist. Those early bottles were just a complete mess, but I soon found a community of makers to give me some tips. I spent most of my free time puttering around with recipes, doing more and more research, and building up a staggering stockpile of ingredients. I handed out mini bottles to anyone I knew who would take them for testing. I eventually asked four of my friends to challenge me with their favorite cartoon characters and made colors for each of them. One of my friends still wears hers to every comic con. Five years, hundreds of experiments, dozens of different collection prototypes, about a million setbacks, and 20 or so of the most incredible and supportive friends and family in the world later, and I finally got there: Geeky Bee's Nail Colors officially launched in 2021.
And yes, I finally have a bottle of that polish I needed- I mean, wanted- so badly. ;)
Until next time, my dearest nerds, remember that nail polish is for everyone, to take care of yourself and one another, and that I love you. <3