Last night, It girl and entrepreneur Teyana Taylor unveiled Junie Bee, her ‘90s-themed nail salon in center Harlem in an exclusive partnership with OPI. The party was drenched in celebs and style icons like Hip Hop Queens, Missy Elliott and Lil Kim, as well as model Shaun Ross, style icon Dapper Dan and, of course, Taylor’s basketball player hubby, Iman Shumpert. Shumpert literally danced the night away—it was hard not to with all the ‘90s jams.
Teyana Taylor shows off her matte nails | photo courtesy of Bryant Chase
Left: Missy Elliot poses for a picture / right: model Shaun Ross was one of many celebrities in attendance | photo courtesy of Bryant Chase
Taylor chose a ‘90s theme because “…it’s always so positive, so loud, so fun and so colorful,” terms Taylor also uses to describe herself. As for the name of the salon, Taylor chose Junie Bee after her two-year-old daughter, June. Located on 137th street, the newly revamped space was originally a bakery, and while Taylor worried about gaining support for the lofty concept, she knows that “girls around the world love nails, but especially girls in Harlem.”
Photo courtesy of Bryant Chase
The recently named OPI brand ambassador partnered with personal nail stylist Coca Michelle to bring the concept to life. “It’s so important to partner with people who never tell you something is impossible,” she said. “To be able to call something your own is very important. You always stand out when you do you."
Taylor's business partner and personal nail technician Coca Michelle (@cocamichelle) getting her makeup touched up | photo courtesy of Bryant Chase
Stand out, it did—nails with rhinestones, logos, extended tips, colorful acrylics, and more could be seen everywhere. Taylor opted for a bold red with a textured matte finish, a look created with a mesh shower pouf and one that she says was remarkably quick to create.
photo courtesy of Bryant Chase
Taylor recalls how men would always hang out at barbershops when she was growing up, and Junie Bee is her female-powered answer to that. Her all-female staff was hand-selected through Instagram, because according to Taylor, social platforms are the new resumes—they show your work in a visual format, which is incredibly valuable in the beauty industry. Taylor secretly hosted interviews through DMs on the social platform, much to the surprise of the interviewees.
Junie Bee is set to open for business on February 20. For more information, be sure to follow @juniebeenails on Instagram.