Everyone loves a good collaboration. From shoes to clothing to jewelry, it seems like everyone wants to team up and put out something fun for the season ahead. Keeping in that same spirit, New York City-based nail artist (and undoubtedly, one of V‘s favorite creative collaborators) Honey (@honeynailz) has partnered with UN/DN LAQR.
For the nail polish brand, founded by musician and fellow polish aficionado Machine Gun Kelly, Honey has developed two scrumptious new nail colors just in time for the spring season. The first shade, Liquid Candy, brings a “peachy pink shimmer” that is reminiscent of sour candy, while the second shade, B.Y.O.Blue, brings the blueberry milk trend forward with the “berry-infused hue.”
To learn more about the collaboration, we chatted with Honey to discover how the partnership came to be, and discuss some of her favorite editorials for V.
V Magazine: How did the opportunity for this collaboration with UN/DN LAQR come about? What was your first reaction?
Honey: I’ll start off by saying that it was about time I did my first collaboration after all these years of working in the industry! I am a big fan of the brand and attended a pop-up at the Bowery Showroom hosted by UN/DN. There I met the team and we decided to collaborate on a cute pop-up event at a store in the Lower East Side in NYC. It was a great day and we decided to keep the relationship going. The Honeynailz x UN/DN collaboration was born about 6 months later!
V: When coming up with shades for the collaboration, what did the creative process look like? Was it difficult to decide on the two specific shades?
H: I’ll be honest with you, the process was a challenge…but so worth it and rewarding in the end. It consisted of lots of hours sitting in my studio mixing and combining different hues/shades until I was able to come up with my own perfect “UN/DN potion.” One of my main focuses was to ensure that I used all of the colors, even the more transparent ones. I ended up going with a blue and an orange color. Blue was an easy choice seeing as it’s always been one of my favorite colors, second to purple, of course. Also, it just made sense with the layering/transparency aspect. As for the orange, I’ve always thought that it was a cool color. Back in the day, orange was such a hit. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to add a little sparkle to make it POP!
V: How did you conclude that “Liquid Candy” and “B.Y.O.B” were the perfect shades to capture this collaboration?
H: We knew that we wanted some spring/summer shades and I settled on Blue and Orange. I am definitely purple-obsessed, but blue felt right for this collection. For the blue, I knew that I wanted a color that you could layer and mix with to create different effects and shades of cloudy blue. For the Orange, I wanted to create the perfect summer pedicure color with a bit of glitter and shine. My collaborators at UN/DN suggested the names. I loved working with the team throughout the entire process.
V: With the brand being founded by MGK, what are some of your fondest nail memories with him?
H: I was introduced to MGK at the UN/DN pop-up event at the Bowery Showroom where I ended up doing his nails. We hit it off right away. It was a great time and such a great event.
V: Having worked with some of the biggest names in pop culture, from Margot Robbie to Oprah—what would you say has been the biggest takeaway from those experiences?
H: There was no real takeaway, honestly. Everyone is human and kind-hearted. I stay in my own lane and focus on my craft.
V: What was the first of those opportunities where you felt that you “made it”?
H: My first photo shoot ever was really my “made it” moment. The shoot was for Dsquared2 with Steven Klein, and let me tell you, I knew nothing. I had no idea about fashion, I was just working in the East Village and having fun.
Having contributed to V for over 20 years, working on some of our most memorable covers and editorials, V asked Honey what some of her favorite memories were. Check out some of her top picks, below!
V75 (The Queen of hip-hop by Sebastian Faena & Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele)
“I definitely remember this one—we were working until about 2 or 3 AM, it was a long shoot. Regardless, it felt like a party! I had a blast and enjoyed being on set with everyone.”
V134 (Leap Of Faith With Gigi Hadid by Mario Sorrenti)
“This was such a nice shoot because we got to be outside instead of stuck in a studio. It was done at a trapeze school on the West Side Highway in New York. It was really fun to see the vision come to life, the set was so interesting and different. All I could think was ‘cool first date idea’.”
V96 (“Private Collection” With Lana del Rey by Steven Klein)
“This one was in Los Angeles, and it’s funny because I was actually out there working on a Tom Ford shoot when I got a call from my agent asking me to do a job for V Magazine with Steven Klein. “
V99 (Gaga’s Fashion Guard by Steven Klein & Patti Wilson)
“Lady Gaga brought amazing energy and vibes to the set, working with her felt like collaborating as a team. She was so cool, so nice, and so uplifting and motivating while talking to everyone on set. She even had a motivational chant before shooting to motivate and set the intentions right.”
V130 (Supermodel Summer With Naomi Campbell, Anok Yai, Kendall Jenner, and Imaan Hammam by Mario Sorrenti)
“This one was special because I had worked with everyone that was on set prior, so we all had a good relationship, making it a great shoot overall. I got to hang out with my good friend, George Cortina, which I don’t get to do often. We are also both a part of the same agency, Exposure NY, which always makes the collaboration more fun. Mario Sorrenti’s team is like family. They are always super chill and a pleasure to work with.”
V146 (For the Love of Linda Evangelista by Steven Klein & Patti Wilson)
“Legendary. The set was filled with all of the OG legends. Absolutely legendary.”
