Today we’d like to introduce you to Nalo Sims.
Hi Nalo, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my nail journey in high school after a 3am Youtube rabbit hole binge! From there it became a hobby of mine to try all the nail designs that the creator cutepolish was putting out, and I absolutely fell in love. I set it aside though because I was pursuing a degree in Japanese, and I wasn’t confident at that point of time in my life that I could make doing nails a career. Through some trials and tribulations, I came out triumphant and received my Manicurist license in 2024 and followed it up shortly with my Educators License!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Whew! The road to receiving my nail license and eventually opening my own business has been anything but smooth. The biggest obstacles I faced were in acquiring my license. Back in 2020 when the world stopped, I ending up enrolling into Crave Beauty Academy for my nail license. I thought it was the right time, the perfect moment because there were no distractions, no job, no anything and it was for a while. Until my instructor was fired midway through my 400 hr program. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. The program had completely fallen apart, there was no warning given or even a backup instructor ready to take over the reigns to finish teaching us. The school was scrambling trying to figure out what to do with us as well as the class that would be graduating in the next 2 weeks, and I’m sure you’re thinking why would they fire someone and not have a plan? That’s the same thing I asked when I arranged a meeting with myself, another classmate, and the director to express my concerns and get an understanding about what the future of the program was. 20 minutes later, and I had a beautiful piece of paper that informed me that I had been expelled from the school hahaha. This is something I laugh about today, but I was absolutely devastated over losing my opportunity to complete my hours.
From there, I began my hunt for an apprenticeship. I had completely lost my faith in the traditional route of earning your license via beauty school. I had been burned once, and I was out of thousands of dollars so I was determined not to make the same mistake again. Now I wish I could tell you that I landed the apprenticeship and the rest was happily ever after, but unfortunately it wasn’t. My apprenticeships exposed the dark secrets of the beauty industry, the stuff that almost every beauty professional experiences but no one wants to talk about. Predatory contracts, unfair commission rates, hostile work environments, and worker misclassifications. I will say that my tenacity is what kept me pushing through and four years later after the Crave debacle, I had my license!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I think the most important thing to know about Anarchy in Blush Atelier, was that it was started from the dreams of 2 women who intimately understood that it’s more than just nails and esthetic services. It’s about the bride who came in 3 days before her wedding day to try out this lady she saw on TikTok doing Brow extensions, and she just knew that’s what she needed to feel her best on her wedding day. It’s about the 45 year old woman who was getting her nails done the day before her big interview because she decided to pivot and pursue her dreams of being a project manager on the east coast. It’s the moments both big and small, that makes Anarchy in Blush Atelier what it is today. Our services are designed to enhance what our guests already love about themselves and lean more into their natural beauty through Lash Lifts & Tints, Brow Extensions, Lamination and Tint, as well as Russian Manicure Services. This has definitely been our pride and joy!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I absolutely adore this question! Risk taking is the reason that Anarchy in Blush Atelier is what it is today. In June of 2025, I took by far one of the biggest professional risks of my life to date, and I signed a contractor my salon suite with only 10 guests to my name. To say I wanted to throw up would be an understatement hahaha. But deep down, I knew I would make it. So I committed myself to showing up on social media by posting one time a day, and even that was huge risk too. Showing yourself and your work on social media always comes with the risk of not being received well, and at that point of my life I was a huuuggge introvert. I locked in though, and by day 8 of posting consistently once a day, I had a post go viral. From that point until now I have been consistently booked out 2 months in advance. My most recent risk has been expanding the business by adding additional services and rebranding into Anarchy in Blush Atelier from B.E.B Nails. The support from the community and how welcoming they’ve been to my business partner has been absolutely astonishing. All of this has taught me that I would always rather take the risk and bet on myself than to sit around and be consumed by the what ifs or mourn the dream I had because I never tried.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://anarchy.glossgenius.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anarchyinblush/
