edited by Christian Kozlowski; appearance by Jenny Bui; produced by Meghal Janardan; appearance by Mi-Anne Chan.
Beauty with Mi, hosted by Refinery29's beauty writer Mi-Anne Chan, explores the coolest new trends, treatments, products, and subcultures in the beauty world. Never miss an episode by subscribing here.
Ariana Grande has her ponytail, Harry Styles has his Gucci suits, Taylor Swift has her red lipstick. And when you think of Cardi B, it's hard not to picture her intricate manicures. Those signature Swarovski-encrusted talons are so recognizable, they even played a central role in her Pepsi SuperBowl commercial. The woman behind them? Manicurist Jenny Bui, a.k.a. The Queen of Bling.
I went to the Bronx to see Bui's studio in person, and there she gave me the full Cardi treatment. "You wanna listen to 'Money'?" Bui asked me excitedly as she prepped her workspace. Bui is Cardi's biggest fan, someone who's been by Cardi's side through the biggest moments of her life — from the birth of her daughter, Kulture, to her multitude of Billboard hits. "I didn't know who she was back then," Bui says of their first encounter six years ago. "[I had a full schedule] but luckily someone canceled. When I finished her nails, she started jumping and dancing. She said 'Jenny, you made my day! From now on, you're my nail tech.'"
And she wasn't lying. Bui still does Cardi's nails every six weeks. In fact, the artist is responsible for all of Cardi's iconic looks, including the four-inch press-ons she wore in the music video for "Money" and the saintly gold-and-silver set she wore to the Met Gala last year.
Bui gave me the complete Cardi experience, including two-inch nails encrusted with crystals. Check out the video above to see her work.