beauty with awareness

Our family migrated here to the United States in 1987. Thina was born in Hampton Virginia the following year in 1988. Our father fought allied with the Americans in the Vietnam War, helping the US soldiers navigate through the jungle terrain and clearing the “rat tunnels” underground to ensure their safety. His service granted our family priority entrance to the US and we have embraced this country as our own ever since. Having grown up in a family with 5 children, I knew financially that I was going to be solely responsible for college. So the summer before my senior year of high school ended, I decided I would pick up a trade- so I worked as a receptionist at a nail salon. After a brief apprenticeship I then decided to enroll into a nail technology program and acquired my license as a nail specialist. Thina followed suit after she graduated high school, relocating to live with me in Delaware. Having been in the industry for a few years we realized that there was a huge disparity in the market. Clients were limited to two options, a strip mall nail salon that offered affordable services and convenience… but had poor sanitation standards or a high end day spa that was incredibly pricey and required booking way in advance. In 2007 we opened Polished, a salon we thought would bridge the gap between the two entities. We focused on cleanliness while providing a pleasant atmosphere for our clients that was both relaxing and free of dust and fumes. In the next few years, with the addition of our older sister, expanded to 5 locations throughout the Philadelphia and Delaware region.

As the 6th year of running the salon was coming to a close I acquired my instructor’s license and shortly thereafter we opened a trade school. However in 2015 I decided to move south as the winters became unbearably cold. Thina remains living up north, and continues to operate and manage our salon in Delaware.

After exploring all avenues of our industry we felt like the next move would be entering into the retail sphere. Having been in the industry for almost 20 years, this was a natural progression. Developing a nail polish line was a lofty dream that we’d previously never considered because we knew it would be a huge undertaking. In 2018, we finally decided to embark on it, setting down the framework for establishing our brand. In 2020 Covid unexpectedly hit and our industry was completely impacted as we offer face-to-face interaction based services. The downtime made us re-evaluate our plans and allowed for us to carefully create and curate our first collection. In a time of such darkness and uncertainty, perseverance was our only option. This global crisis changed every aspect of our lives, so in turn we had to learn how to navigate through it all while trying our best to keep one another safe. Our parents taught us early on that regardless of what hand you’re dealt in life, you have to face the adversity with hard work and resilience. We are so proud to present to you our first collection, classic colors and shades that have stood the test of time, while complimenting an array of different skin tones.