MARCH AT A GLANCE
Hello and welcome to Beyond the Paint, a blog by Bio Seaweed Gel (BSG). Every month, we will be releasing new content discussing all things BSG for this upcoming month including sneak peeks, nails and more. We finish up every issue with ‘Artist Spotlight’ a mini-interview series featured on Beyond the Paint where we share insider interviews with our favourite nail professionals and creators.
MARCH AT A GLANCE
We are a few weeks away from Spring and we’ve got a whole lot of new and news in store for you this month!
YOU’RE MY CUP OF TEA SPRING 2022 COLLECTION
The new Spring 2022 You’re My Cup of Tea Collection has now arrived! Four brand new UNITY All-In-One Gel Polish pastel shades that are also available in our BeBio Nail Lacquer formula.
To celebrate the launch of the You’re My Cup of Tea Collection we are offering $5 flat rate shipping on all orders from 03.04.22 11AM EST – 03.11.22 11AM EST. No code needed.
We are also giving away 1 full collection over on Instagram. Click here to find out how to enter!
Here is what it looks like in the Box Set Collection:
SUPERNOVA REFLECTIVE GEL POLISH
Get siriusly out of this world shine the new Supernova Reflective Gel Polish in S1 Sirius! We are loving all the ultra-reflective glitter looks that have been created since the launch last month, especially this cartoon throwback nails by @nailz_by_dev
SPRING PROMOTIONS + SEMI-ANNUAL SPRING SALE NOTICE
Our Spring gift with purchases promotions will be ending 03.31.22 11AM EST. Take advantage and see which gifts you can qualify for!
- Get 3 Free BeBio Nail Lacquers with the purchase of a Mini UNPOLISHED Gel Mask Nail Remover.
- Get a free Nail & Cuticle Oil with the purchase of any 10 Gel Polish Colours.
- Get a free U-Light Pro 6 or Dust Collector with the purchase of any 36 Matching Sets.
For details and more information about the Spring promos click here.
In addition to the Spring promotions, we have our Semi-Annual Spring Sale upcoming! Mark your calendars for one of biggest sale of the year starting on 04.20.22 11AM EST ending 04.30.22 11AM EST.
REFER-A-FRIEND PROGRAM
Another new addition for BSG is the Refer-A-Friend Program! Give your friends $12 off their first purchase when they make sign up through your referral link! Once they’ve placed their first order, you will receive $12 off your next.
For Canadian shoppers, click here for your referral link.
For USA shoppers, click here for your referral link.
BSG STORE CLOSURE + DIGITAL MARKETPLACE NOTICE
The BSG Store has officially closed its doors this past weekend, following our store closing sale. Thank you to everyone who made it out to the sale and made the event a success!
As the saying goes, when one door closes another one opens. Bio Seaweed Gel is now available for purchase with prime on Amazon Canada! In addition, BSG can also be found on The Bay Marketplace, Faire and Zulily
SPRING NAIL INSPO: PASTEL EDITION
Get into the spring of it with these delicious pastel looks!
LOOK FTS. 116 MELON CORAL + 273 MILKSHAKE
LOOK FTS. 278 JELLY BEAN, 287 BETTER IN A BIKINI, 291 GREAT GRAPE, 21 AQUA, 290 BUBBLEGUM POP
LOOK FTS. 84 HYDRANGEA
LOOK FTS. 278 JELLY BEAN, 101 SNOW WHITE
LOOK FTS. 1027 PRETTY IN SAGE
LOOK FTS. 60 FAIRYTALE
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: HELLEN
For this month’s Artist Spotlight, we have a very special guest! We chat with nail enthusiast, nail professional and Bio Seaweed Gel’s co-owner Hellen!
For readers who know Bio Seaweed Gel but not one of the names behind it, could you tell us who you are and your relations to BSG?
“Hi everyone! My name is Hellen and I am very honoured and proud to say that Bio Seaweed Gel is my family business! Back in the 90’s my parents started out as nail techs, and then nail salon owners. From being in the industry first hand, owning and managing 7 different nail salons in Toronto, Canada - they saw the need for healthier nail products and thus BSG was born! My official title is Operations Manager; but when I get asked what do I do every day? Well, a lot lol. I am very thankful for our small but mighty amazing team: my sister, Sarah, my lovely cousins, Angela and Emily, our loyal team Melissa, Swan, Dung and Loreal, and of course the spotlight: my amazing parents – Amy and Michael. With a team of only 10 people, sometimes I have to stop and realize WOW, I am so proud of us every day and grateful of everyone’s hard work and dedication. Thank you to our amazing team of Brand Ambassadors as well, and every single customer new and old! We will continue to try our very best every day to bring healthier nail products that you can trust and rely on.”
The Bio Seaweed Gel Family with Michael, Amy, Hellen and Sarah Luu demoed the company’s newest products at Cosmoprof, Las Vegas show in September 2014.
Having helped your family business from a young age and seeing it grow from a basement operation to two offices and teams based in Toronto and California, what has been the biggest challenge? What has been a pinch-me moment?
“I remember the days when we used to paint colour charts on our dining table. I remember when we got our first online order, and it took 4 of us to pack the 2 gel polishes to make sure it was safe enough. It is a humbling experience to look back and see how far we have gotten! I think the biggest challenge is…drum roll please…working with family. If I can be 100% honest, it is probably the most difficult thing because you cannot separate work from life when you work with your family. But at the same time, I would not trade it for anything in the world! I am blessed to say we have had a lot of amazing pinch-me moments. I think one of my favourite memories is Victoria Beckham sharing on her Instagram story (not sponsored) that she loves BSG because of our healthier polishes. Special shout out to her nail tech @tombachik!”
I know they are all your babies– but is there a BSG colour or colour collection that is most significant to you or your favourite?
“Hehe yes, they are all my babies! My favourite colours are: 145 Violet Bloom, 59 Daydreamer, 1010 Sugar Cookie. My favourite collection would be the Carnival Collection! It’s so fun and full of colour. This collection was also very special because in the video, we had our first brand ambassador @kandiyamz star in it! Ps. Behind the scenes: the popcorn in the end of the video is 100% real and we poured the UNITY polish on it in a parking lot.”
Could you share with us a few of your favourite things about being a part of the nail industry?
“My favourite thing about being part of the nail industry is the support within the community! I think most of us know each other even if we don’t know each other 😛. When you log onto Instagram, you see a bunch of the active nail techs and enthusiasts commenting and liking each other’s posts and I love seeing the support. I also love going to tradeshows and feeling the support from our competitors! Even though yes, we are all selling and representing our own brands, it’s awesome to see and feel the connection and support!”
Having worked and collaborated with nail talent of every level from local nail artists to celebrity nail artists and being in the nail industry for the last few years, certainly you have seen the rise in demand and popularity of nail art and nail beauty - where do you think the nail industry is headed towards? What is your outlook on nail beauty representation in the media?
“Honestly, I hope that the nail industry gets more credit. I am happy to see it raising in popularity, especially in movies, TV shows and social media. I always found it a bit sad that celebrities are quick to credit their clothing, hair and make-up, but I remember seeing nails being missed out on a lot!”
Lastly, let’s end this conversation with a round of some quick fill in the blanks!
My first memory of ‘nails’ is:
“I remember growing up in my parents nail salon. Every day after school, or weekends I would just go and hang out there. My first memory has to be making hand sculptures with paraffin wax. Who remembers doing that?! Dip your hands in the wax 5-10 times to build a thick layer around your hand and then running it under cold water and wiggling your fingers out to reveal the hand sculpture! Haha. It was fun for me, but not for my mom. I would clog up the hand washing sink.
Nail painting in particular; I remember getting my nails done for grade 8 prom and my mom was rushing to do my nails (mind you, she just worked 10 hours straight and probably skipped lunch) but she said “Hey, I wouldn’t rush if you were paying me!” haha. Can you guess what my nails were? They were short tip extensions with classic white French tip manicure in a square-round shape. Oh, with airbrushing by the way, of course!”
If I had to wear 1 BSG colour for the rest of my life it would be:
“Dang that is a tough question! I would say…05 Cotton Angel. Because it would match anything I wear no matter the event.”
A nail trend I regret trying:
“Crackle nail polish…sorry lol”
The best part about working in a family business:
“Seeing my parents smile and be proud of us for everything they set up for us. Getting to wake up every day and feel like I provide a purpose. They say “Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life." It's true! Being able to work alongside with my sister, my cousins and co-workers that I am so grateful to say are like my family. I am so thankful and appreciate every amazing opportunity we have.”
Thank you so much for asking me to be interviewed; it was so much fun and truly an honour! Angela, my dear cousin is the writer of Beyond The Paint Blog and I want to take this moment to say you are a fabulous writer and thank you for being team BSG. For everyone else reading, thank you so much for choosing and supporting BSG. Hope everyone has a great day! - Hellen Luu xoxo
BLOG POST 032 GIVEAWAY
We are going to end this post off with a little blog giveaway. We will be giving away 1 Matching Set (Winner’s choice) from the new You’re My Cup of Tea Collection. All you have to do is comment below what your go-to BSG Spring colour(s) are!
One winner will be randomly selected and contacted by email. Must be 18+ to enter and a resident of Canada. For all Canada residents, to enter and leave a comment on our Canada blog click here.
Giveaway closed. Winner is Victoria.
7 comments
I love the Spring collection but by far my go to right now is the BSG Milk or Cream. I have so many clients compliment it and want that for themselves.
The go to color for spring is definitely Jelly Bean. It’s the perfect light mauve that goes with anything. Making designs easy!
I absolutely love my cup of tea spring 2022 collection, especially petit fours. It’s such a gorgeous beautiful lavender/lilac shade.
I love this collection! My new spring go to is Petit Fours, I’m a francophone and I love how close it is to Pantone Color of the Year :)
You’re my cup of tea is my favorite collection. It’s fresh and bright. I’m excited for the Milk or Cream and Meet Me By the Garden color combo. It’s so right now and matches all my new spring outfits that I’m excited to wear.
That interview was so fun and interesting! My go- to BSG color right now is ‘Cotton Angel’. You are right! It goes with everything.
I love BSG, #bsgsquad ! This is a great issue and I loved learning about some of the history behind my favorite nail brand!