Wendy Brownlee

OPI guest artist and education/nail expert

Year I obtained my beauty license: 1989

When I was a kid I was always messing around with nails and hair-mine or someone elses! I always loved the hustle and bustle of the beauty industry and all the glamor and trends. I wanted to make people feel good about themselves and make them look great.

My father wanted me to go to college, but that didn't go over very well! So he said, "If I pay for this beauty school and you don't succeed in cosmetology you will have to pay back every penny." He didn't think it was a great career choice.

It's been 21 years now that I've been doing nails, and I love every minute of it! Every day brings me new, fun and exciting opportunities.

I became a nail technician because I love to work with people and wanted every day to be a new adventure.  And an adventure it has become! 

I started out like any other new nail technician sitting at my nail desk, day after day, waiting for clients to call so I could be busy, work and, of course, make money.

After finding the right salon and putting in my hard-earned time, I finally had a full booking. After a few years I decided to open my own day spa. It was very exciting being a business owner, but after five years I decided it was time to move on and broaden my career. Just when I thought I had done it all, yet another chapter opened up for me-OPI!

Recently, I have become an OPI educator and one of OPI's guest artists. It has opened up so many more doors for me: advanced education, ongoing training, traveling. I have also done publicity events and photo shoots in New York, including Fashion Week.

My dad and I still joke about that discussion we had when I first started. I never did have to pay him back!