A Birthday, A New Year

I can’t believe Fear No Beauty has turned two years old! Someone once told me that starting a blog and actually maintaining it takes passion and commitment; without the passion, the commitment falls off, and then you’re left with…well, a blank blog. And though it’s been quite the challenge to maintain Fear No Beauty, I’ve become the requisite juggler. Sure, I’d love to post three to four times a day—but that is a fantasy that isn’t based in reality. (Side note: I give props to bloggers who have a day job separate of their blog and are able to create multiple posts a day that are original content. That is so incredibly time-consuming—so kudos to those soldiers of the blogosphere!)

Regardless, looking back at 2013, I’ve realized that Fear No Beauty has been a major part of a great 2013 for me and will, I have no doubt, be a part of a great 2014.

Here’s how 2013 shaped up for both me and Fear No Beauty!

This year, I had the pleasure of being on the team of a new launch, Nail It! magazine. It hit newsstands in February, and with each issue, it’s grown to be a visually amazing, content-rich magazine that—yes—is all about nails. If you haven’t picked it up yet, you can find it at most newsstands, or visit wheresmymagazine.com to locate a vendor near you. It’s not simply a lookbook of nail art; it’s an informative guide that views nails through a 360-degree lens—how they relate to your health, your lifestyle, your beauty and your fashion. And the day that it hit newsstands, man, I think my heart exploded. In my 13-plus years of working in magazines, I’ve spent 12 of those years working on trade publications that are never placed on a newsstand. To see your hard work being displayed at a subway stop, at an airport or in Barnes & Noble—there’s truly no words to describe it. My heart quickens every. Single. Time.

Every girl who I know dreams of naming nail polishes—and I got to take this one step further by partnering with one of my favorite nail polish brands, Dermelect ME, to actually make a nail polish collection. The idea behind it was based 100% on Fear No Beauty: The colors are meant to incite a bit of fearlessness when you wear them. The four hues, Moxie, Renegade, Buzz Worthy and Fearless, are perfect for wearing year-round, so pick up one or all at dermelect.com. And, celebrity manicurist Elle, who reached out to me to put this whole amazing project together, actually had me come to the set of a Victoria’s Secret shoot she was working on to look at the progress of our nail colors. I mean—Victoria’s Secret! It was a surreal moment. I felt like I was standing in the catalog (because I WAS!).

The honor of being named one of People Stylewatch‘s “6 Great Beauty Blogs” in the September 2013 issue blew me away. I’ve always thought this blog has the potential to offer something different (and often does) when it comes to beauty, but to have the editors at Stylewatch tell me that they selected me because of my unique point of view really gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. It’s great to have validation that other people “get” your hard work.

Finally, NBC’s News 4 New York invited me to talk about the nail art trends I spotted at Spring 2014 New York Fashion Week. As the Beauty Director of Nail It!, I delved through three main trends that I believe will be tops in 2014. You can view the clip here. My goodness, was I nervous for my first television appearance! But I “nailed it” (ha!), and my hope is to do many more.

So, 2013 has been a pretty great year, all things considered! I hope you’ve enjoyed traveling along the road with me through my various rants and musings and raves and stream-of-consciousness descriptions. I hope to step up my game in 2014—and my biggest wish is to get to continue sharing it all with you!

Here’s to a great 2014!

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