Pronails Premium Nail bar opens at The Point

I wasn’t going to miss this launch as I find my old friend Phyllis Muscat completely astonishing. She manages to fit two lives in one. Where does she get her energy from? She and her team are a combination of all that is good in Malta: initiative, entrepreneuship, work ethic and talent all rolled into one. Apart from running a mini empire in the beauty and health business she often reads until 3am as reading is her hobby. She is always up-to-date with the latest works and puts me, a trained librarian and once an avid reader of ‘serious’ books,  to shame. She also belongs to a book club where they discuss books and she will drop everything to go and watch some singer or group she likes in concert abroad. And of course she runs her mini empire with her husband Paul and son John, who is such a darling. That and more is Phyllis.

And now she has CHOGM on her hands. I have little doubt that she will carry out this enormous undertaking with great success and gusto.  I have watched her work but also delegate. Her mother died when her five siblings and herself were very young and yet, through intelligence,  hard work and mutual support they all did well. In my long life I have known so many born with a silver spoon in their mouth – but who have spat it out.  Others who have run through enormous fortunes and instead of building up on what they already have, lost most of it.

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At the launch the star of the evening was Paul Parein who together with Catherine Claus is managing director of Professionails, the industry leader in the nail sector. I managed to ambush him for a few minutes at the launch (hiding my hands which I had not managed to manicure properly) and ask him about his business.

He told me he had started his first business when he was just 22-years-old and since then he has owned businesses in different sectors and in many of which he controlled the production process. Before taking over Professionails he was active in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. However, it was his co director, Catherine Claus who was the first to introduce artificial nails around 30 years ago. She had brought her techniques from the USA and went on to improve the products and started manufacturing them in Europe. Paul bought the company in 2009 but Catherine has remained a partner. Some 20 years ago she started developing gels instead of acrylics. How far sighted she was.! As we all know so many women (except me it seems!) uses these regularly these days. At the time acrylics were not only new but unique to Professionails.

Paul told me that Professionails have always focused on education and training. No one is allowed to purchase their products without following the necessary courses. “You can have the best products in the world but you also have to have people who can use them properly. This was especially true in the beginning when we first came out with the gels. Our aim is to be a one stop shop for hand and footcare,” he tells me in perfect English. They stock some 2000 items – everything you may need for pedicures and manicures both for natural and artificial nails – apart from the different types of gels – and have their own magazine, Naily News!

 He told me he comes from a family of entrepreneurs and that being an entrepreneur for him means ‘freedom, responsibility and being able to fulfil his ambitions.’

Paul commented that 90 per cent of women still prefer natural nails while the other 10 per cent wear artificial nails. Many of the nail technicians themselves who are mostly women naturally, wear artificial nails with original nail art. ‘For them it is a way of showing off their skills and creativity in this field.’ He insisted that the term to use is ‘artificial’ and not ‘false nails.’ When I had to admit (all the while hiding my unpainted nails) that I felt that these nails could harm our natural nails he assured me that that all products have been thoroughly tested and are harmless; that everything the company does is with respect to the natural nail; that a woman should be able to wear artificial nails without their looking artificial. He agreed that most ‘classical’ women prefer having natural looking gel nails. ‘They are time-saving as you don’t have to do anything to them for some three weeks to one month. Today hands are part of the total image of a woman.’ His company works with some 40 countries with about 50 distributors most of which carry their products exclusively and every year they go to Belgium for a week’s training. ‘Part of our mission tatement is to be first to develop novelties.

A most lively evening. I have little doubt that this new nail bar on Level 1 of The Point, which was designed by Josette Schembri Vella, will be an attraction to busy women, who unlike me, take great pride in their image and look after their nails. I often paint my nails in the car, on my way somewhere or another with the result that there are splashes of nail varnish on my steering wheel and safely belt as I paint them and then drive off.

After events such as this I invariably reassess my habits. This experience not only made my look at my nails and resolve to do something positive about them but also to take a good look at my make-up bag which is a terrifying mish-mash of products and contains some things that would, quite frankly, only be of interest to someone investigation vintage cosmetics. I resolved to not only revamp my make-up bag but the contents of my dressing table as well. Some items simply have had their day and must be thrown out.

Jax Coco launch at The White Sheep

The problem with The White Sheep is that it is brimming over with delicious goodies and a visit spells danger. But I simply could not miss the opportunity for a quick chat with my good friend Sarah who used to design First, years ago, when I was editor. She is a brilliant designer and an able businesswoman to boot. The occasion was the launch of Jax Coco. There, guests were all equipped with a straw and a bottle of Jax Coco. But, what I soon discovered that most of them were drinking different drinks. I chose to have mine mixed with whiskey which seemed appropriate on a fairly cold evening – ah, how I love cold evenings instead of those sticky summer evenings which are the bane of my life – and which, this year lasted until November. Some were drinking Jaxito, a mojito-style drink with rum, others had their Jax Coco with fresh mint or vodka. Fresh berries or crystallized ginger were thrown in for good measure. Tanya and Sarah are always hospitable even if you pop in for something small and delicious bits and pieces kept coming out of the kitchen with the energetic Pippa Attard looking after us all so well. I caught up with a few people in this lively and relaxed launch.

Nelson Mandela is no more

I visited South Africa several times usually on my way to some conference or seminar taking place in Lesotho or Botswana. I had friends there – especially Anne who used to describe her religion, as ‘the much-deformed church’ and whose family always gave me great hospitality. I was there before Apartheid was removed and after. But that is another story. However, throughout all those years there was one colossus and the conscience of all the world, Nelson Mandela who has just died at the venerable age of 95. While politicians the world over are never what we had hoped for he, on the other hand, turned out to be more than anyone could dream of. He loved people and in return they loved him.  Let us hope that South Africa, after all his sacrifices, will become the country he had dreamed of and not be just another corrupt place full of self-seeking politicians. But perhaps I hope in vain.