FREDA Girls: tenoverten's Jaclyn Ferber + Nadine Abramcyk
What did you do before starting tenoverten?
J: I worked in design and production for an accessories company.
N: I owned and ran a teeny women's boutique in the West Village in Manhattan
Tell us about your partnership! What are your individual roles?
J: I mean, we are sisters first and partners second, what could be better! And while some people, including our own dad, sometimes warn about working with family we entered the partnership with clear communication about how we would always prioritize our relationship over the business. My role in tenoverten is creative director, I oversee all new product development, formulation, and packaging. I also work closely with any content creation and since quarantine have become the tenoverten in house photographer.
N: Working with my sister has been such a dream. I've always looked up to Jaclyn and we've been close for many years, but this brings a whole new level of depth and closeness to our relationship, especially as we reside on opposite coasts. We also have a third partner and dear friend, Adair Ilyinsky, each of us with very clear distinction in our roles so that helps tremendously when running the day to day business. I primarily focus on marketing, wholesale relationships, and our e-commerce business.
What's your dream/goal for tenoverten?
J: Our dream for the product side of the business if to provide better-for-you products for all of your nail and hand care needs. We strive to formulate as cleanly as possible to take the worry about ingredients out of the equation when buying traditionally toxic nail products. We only create what is innovative and solves a problem, otherwise why bother reinventing the wheel.
N: Our goals for the salon side of our business is to continue creating safer nail salons with our own non-toxic products used in service so that you can rest easy when getting a manicure or pedicure. While the majority of our salons are based in NY, there are so many more pockets of the city we love so much where we would love to open. The community building and experience that happens within the 4 walls of each of our salons is invaluable.
What have been your silver linings of staying home the past couple of months?
J: I am spending much more time in nature with my family. We go for a lot more walks and adventures together and I feel even more gratitude than ever that we live in Los Angeles where the weather allows us to do so. We also do things without having to rush to be somewhere next. It’s really nice to be able to slow down, have a little more stillness and less pressure about being a part of what is going on.
N: I sit down and eat dinner with my entire family every single night. It's such a gift to connect in that way. I also have better posture because I am not slumped over the computer all day. But seriously, just reconnecting to what really matters and revisiting one's life purpose has been the real silver lining for me and my husband during this quiet time.
Has your business changed in a way that you are grateful for?
J: Yes absolutely! We have seen such a tremendous rush of online sales on our own site. People are forced to do their nails at home for the first time ever in some cases and we've tried to meet their needs by creating kits with the basic manicure and pedicure essentials to hopefully give some ease and joy to these moments of self-care.
N: We've also created such a strong connection with our community virtually which was never really a major focus of ours in the past. It's been so amazing to see people using #tenovertenathome and finding our products useful during this time.
Do you have any at-home manicure or pedicure tips?
J: Cleaning the nail properly before polishing is the key to a longer-lasting manicure. Use a small square of paper towel, which works better than cotton, soaked in non-acetone remover to swipe each nail clean right before polishing, this will help remove any residual oils and result in less chipping.
N: Give yourself a pedicure directly after taking a bath or shower, while the skin on your feet is really soft. This will help slough off all the dead skin when using a foot file. That exfoliation of the feet followed by a deeply hydrating cream will make your feet look so refreshed. It's all about hydration if you want to keep your nails looking great, so keeping a foot and hand cream on your bedside table and applying right before bed really works as it's working overnight double-time as cells regenerate.