Looking Back at 2013

2013 was a slow year for this nail art blog. My personal life was like a roller coaster ride that I hardly had time to do my nails. Bottom line, inspiration hardly visited. But as I reviewed my 2013 archive, I realized that there were a lot of good things too that happened for Simply Rins that I should be thankful for. Let's recap 2013 before I officially start 2014 with a nail art post.

(1) FEATURES

Being appreciated as an artist is probably one of the best things that lifts my spirits. Receiving emails or messages that tells me how my work inspired them has always been overwhelming. Imagine the my excitement everytime I get invited for a feature. I am enormously flattered and humbled at the same time. Being featured in any media channel is a great opportunity to reach out to fellow nail art enthusiasts and to uplift the way other people look at this craft.

  • Manila Standard Today Featured Simply Rins

    Manila Standard Today's Feature on Simply Rins
    Last year started with an article written by Dinna Vasquez on yours truly at a local newspaper which she titled, A Different Kind of Art. The full page feature showed a really big picture of my Tribal Nail Art (one of my personal favorites) and a few more of my other nail art photos.

    There was a personal interview before the story came out which I greatly appreciated because the writer had a chance to get to know the person behind the nail art. It is also the first time my portrait gets to accompany a feature and it actually feels good that people can now put a face behind the art.






  • Love Nails Features Simply Rins

    First International Feature for Simply Rins Love Nails (Italy) Features Simply Rins Simply Rins at Love Nails Magazine

    And then on July 2013, my nail art and I got featured on an international nail magazine! I was ecstatic. I literally jumped for joy when I received the digital copy. Love Nails, a nail magazine in Italy that comes out every 2 months and each issue includes a feature on a nail artist/blogger whose work surprised them. I appeared on their July/August edition and I couldn't be more thankful.

    The article was in Italian. It featured an email interview and a few of my nail art designs. I posted an English translation on the blog post that you can read here. I would have loved to have a printed copy but they couldn't send me one. If there's a good soul there who happens to have an extra copy and is willing to send it to me, I would gladly pay for the shipping cost. :)

(2) BLOG ADDITION

  • 2013 also marks the year that I started sharing nail art picture quotes.

    Nail Art Quote Picture No. 6 Nail Art Quote Picture No. 8

    I was able to share 11 since February 2013. I used to just post personal nail art quotes on Twitter or Facebook until I figured that perhaps accompanying the quotes with photos of my nail art is better. The idea is to express some sentiments I have regarding the craft and I am happy that it has gotten a positive feedback. You'll definitely be seeing more of these this year.
(3) GOING PERSONAL
  • BYS Glitter for Nails Guest Speaker

    Simply Rins Speaks at the Launch of BYS Glitter for Nails
    photo credit: Ed Andaya

    Another exciting venture came when BYS, a leading Australian cosmetics brand, invited me as a guest speaker at the launch of their Glitter for Nails collection here in the Philippines. How can I turn down the chance to talk about what I am passionate about, right? It would have been crazy to say no.

    I gave a short presentation on the collection. How to use it and also gave nail art ideas using it. I also gave a live demo on how to apply it on your own nails, the suggested way and a personal alternative.

    It was one of the collections I had most fun playing with. Taking photos was very engrossing because it looked really glam on the nails. Perhaps if you read about my personal tips and tutorials using the BYS Glitter for Nails, you'll understand why.
  • Nail Art for a Cause

    Simply Rins Teaches Nail Art to Girls at Tahanan Sta. LuisaAn amazing lady -- Mitch Alvarez -- spearheaded a personal outreach program she called, I Speak, I Love, I Am. Her objective is to empower girls by providing avenues for creativity and enjoyment at the same time.

    Last May 2013, she decided to bring her project to Tahanan Sta. Luisa, a shelter for abused and exploited teenage girls. Her invitation to teach nail art to these girls was something I looked forward to. The setup was different and challenging. But was very fulfilling. I still can't believe being able to impart nail art beyond who my blog can reach online.

    Special thanks to Dazzle Dry for sponsoring all the nail polishes, base and top coats for the workshop.
(4) DREAM COME TRUE
  • A Nail Polish Collaboration!

    Dazzle Dry Feisty Conceived by Simply RinsApart from being a nail art blogger, I also collect nail polishes on the side. And I believe I share the dream of having a nail polish named after me with a lot of nail bloggers out there. I didn't get exactly this but something came really close. I conceived a color for Dazzle Dry and got to name it "Feisty".

    Of course my color is a vampy red with white shimmers.

    Along with 4 other amazing nail/art blogger all over the world, Dazzle Dry launched its first ever Bloggers Mystery Collection on November 2013. Each of us worked closely with Dazzle Dry to come up with 5 really fab polishes. It was like having nail art bloggers on a bottle!
(6) COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
  • ORLY Commits Copyright Infringement

    Orly Commits Copyright Infringement

    The biggest surprise of 2013 was when ORLY Australia violated my copyright by editing out my watermark on my Black Cats Galore Nail Art Design and replacing it with the name "ORLY". They posted the photo on their Facebook page to promote some of their colors. A few days after, ORLY Philippines followed suit by sharing the same photo.

    I have contacted all parties concerned, included ORLY International. I can't believe the kind of responses I received. I have been thinking of publishing their emails here so you may know how such a company handled the situation. Perhaps to them I am a mere blogger, easily bullied.

    As of date, I am still in the process of taking the matter legally. If we, nail artists, can't protect or fight for work, who will? It's about time to let people know that copyright infringement is a serious crime.
(7) MOST POPULAR NAIL ART for 2013
  • This is my nail art design that was shared the most via social media:

    Planted Hearts Nail Art Design by Simply Rins

    I did this design for Valentine's as a reply to a request to come up with a simple and easy nail art for the month of hearts. I simply called it "Planted Hearts". I had this idea of painting hearts as plants. It didn't look great when I was thinking about it. But I really did like how it turned out. Luckily, a lot of people liked it too!

For 2014, I promise to try my best to have more nail art posts!

Thank you for being part of my 2013. My blog is still alive because of all of your support. :)





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12 comments:

  1. You had a pretty productive year, Ate Rina! Cheers to more projects this 2014. Hope to see you too. I miss our coffee nights :)

    Mica of http://www.micamyx.com

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    Replies
    1. OMG, Mica! Are you back in Manila? KK time? :)

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  2. naku dear you really have a lot to be thankful for... move forward na tayo sa 2014 para mas maraming kaganapang mangyari... love love love!

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  3. Not a bad year (except for that Orly fiasco)! More power to your blog Rins, and thank you for inspiring nail art beginners everywhere!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you also for the support and encouragement. :)

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  4. The Orly Copyright Infringement had me laughing out loud because it's so astonishing. It's really no laughing matter though, and I hope that you get it resolved! It's no fair a company thinks it can just take your work and use it to their advantage. Shame on Orly. They're better than that. Also, congratulations on being featured so much. Dream come true!

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  5. So glad I subscribed to your blog, I would love to try dazzle n dry, but they don't ship international....

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    Replies
    1. Where are you from? I might be able to help.

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  6. HI (ate?) Rina! I havent visited you blog for a looooong time. haha! So many things happened to you this year. But one thing is for sure, you nail art just got more better than the last time I was here! Keep it up and hope to meet you soon! :)

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  7. this was a great year... hope this one you'll spend more time with us, sharing your nail art :D

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