What if 14 February was also an opportunity to celebrate self-love and love for the people we admire? Manucurist has decided to tinker with convention a little by adding a celebration of individual courage to the traditional hearts and flowers. And the icing on the cake?
A limited edition collection by Manucurist and Thea Jewelry! One of the reasons these entrepreneurs get along so well is that they have made the same long journey through confidence and self-love to fulfil their dreams.
Happy Valentine's Day! This year, let's take good care of ourselves on 14 February. This can mean whatever you want it to mean: dinner at a restaurant, sushi snuggled until the duvet, a night out with friends or a special someone, or a cosy read in your own company.
To celebrate this big day of self-love and care, Manucurist has teamed up with the coveted brand Thea Jewelry to unveil a cool and customisable nail art collaboration with a romantic vibe. Et oui, the Flash De Toi set comprises our Green nail polish in Pomegranate (a pomegranate red shade) and 3 sheets of nail art stickers by Thea Jewelry. These little wonders, which can be stuck on your nails to send messages of love and encouragement to anyone who reads them, feature letters in rose gold, white and yellow Thea script and a variety of symbols you can pair with our perfect pomegranate red.
A fun activity for showing some love to yourself and to the people who make a positive impact on your life, which you can do at home solo or with a friend!
One of the reasons this collaboration between Gaëlle Lebrat-Personnaz, founder of Manucurist, and Emilie Duchêne, creator of Thea Jewelry came about is that they both have the same idea of balance. To get things done, motivate yourself, be creative or just get up every morning, you have to believe in yourself and love yourself. Read on for a joint interview with these two entrepreneurs, who started by getting to know each other personally before finding the right balance for their joint venture.
How did your paths cross?
Gaëlle: Emilie interviewed me for her Instagram account #emilievousinspire. We didn't know each other but I liked her direct, spontaneous approach to subjects like entrepreneurship. Since we met, we haven't been apart! We knew how to have fun together by making sure we didn't take ourselves too seriously.
Émilie: Something just clicked when I met Gaëlle virtually on my Instagram channel. It was basically a coincidence, but I really wanted to find out more about her vision and her business. I found myself face to face with a woman I liked immediately. Great values, generous, open, funny... She could have been Belgian!
Do you think it's important to learn to love yourself before going into business with others?
Gaëlle: Self-acceptance is a big thing; for me, it came with time. At nearly 49 I feel much more comfortable in my skin than I did at 20. I got to know myself and accept myself for who I am. I think that Émilie is more mature than me!
Émilie: I would say that confidence was never really an issue for me until I was 35. I was pretty comfortable in my skin. The next five years things got a bit complicated: I had to deal with doubt and self-esteem issues and rebuild my confidence. I had to work really hard to build myself back up. Now I still feel fragile sometimes, but I am in tune with myself.
Woman, entrepreneur, mum… Loving yourself is also about allowing yourself to cry. How do you manage that?
Gaëlle: I'm more of an intuitive person, so for a long time I've been... crying regularly! It's like a valve for me; a way of letting go and releasing stress and tension. I cry often and it really does me good!
Émilie: I bottle a lot up, so I have to be pushed quite far before I cry. When I feel it building, my technique is to take some time out for me because I'm usually very tired. I go away for a few days and give myself a break.
How do you manage everything?
Gaëlle: We do what we can! I follow the 20/80 rule: I can't do everything, so I focus on priorities and move forward that way. You have to accept you're not perfect because ridding yourself of guilt is the key to fulfilling all your roles.
How would you describe this Valentine's Day collaboration?
Émilie: It's very "us". It's not a cheesy Valentine's Day: it's cool and stylish. It's about celebrating self-care together by taking the time to apply a meaningful mantra, word or name to your nails.
If you could write your own word with these cute stickers, what would it be?
Gaëlle: Love
Émilie: Blessed
And if you could share one motivating thought, what would that be?
Gaëlle: Keep going; you're doing alright.
Émilie: You're impressive; I'm proud of you.
