
In her latest vlog, content creator and singer Donnalyn Bartolome shares her experience getting custom nails from a celebrity nail artist.
The video, presumably filmed before the coronavirus pandemic, shows her visiting The Bronx in New York City to get a Hollywood style nail experience care of rapper Cardi B's nail artist, Jenny Bui. The Cambodian-American celebrity nail artist, known for her crystal-studded nail creations, was hailed as a Nail Artist Influencer of the Year at the 2019 American Influencer Awards. She was also a judge in the 2020 Beauty Envision Award and is known as "The Queen of Bling."
Cardi B has referred to Jenny as "a second mom" and her creations have become a part of Cardi B's signature look. One of Jenny's glittering creations was even featured in a 2019 Super Bowl commercial that featured Cardi B.
She currently has a partnership with Swarovski and she has her own line of nail polish, Jenny Secret. As of 2020, she has two nail salons, Jenny's Spa at the Bronx's Fordham neighborhood and Nails On 7th at Harlem.
Donnalyn reveals in the video that she is fascinated with Jenny's designs, which is why she booked an appointment with Jenny to give her fans a look of how bling nails are made.
She says in her video intro, "This vlog is about the time I flew to New York to get my nails done by Cardi B's nail artist. I'm excited to show you guys, sobrang ganda ng nails ko. My nails looked glamorous."
The video cuts to a clip of Donnalyn making her way into Jenny's salon at The Bronx. She says, "Hey, guys! I'm here at The Bronx to get my nails done at Jenny's Spa, also known as Nails On 7th. Jenny is Cardi B's nail technician. I am just a fan. I can't believe I got an appointment with her."
When Jenny arrived, she greets Donnalyn and shares that she had just flown from Canada. "I came early for you, I never work this early. who came in from a flight from Canada."
"I'm so lucky, thank you." Donnalyn says as she got ready to have her nails done by the Queen of Bling.
Donnalyn was curious about the coffin-shaped gel nails, but Jenny had a different suggestion for her.
Jenny says, "You want the bling? You should get a stiletto. It's cute."
Donnalyn gave a glimpse into Jenny working her magic on her nails, "I can feel like I'm about to rap guys."
As Jenny works on the finishing touches on Donnalyn's glamorous, bling-studded nails, she says, "This one, if you don't do anything, it'll last you a month."
Jenny curiously asks Donnalyn about her special trip to New York. "So you come from the Philippines, how long are you staying here?"
"Yes. Just for five days. Maybe when I come back I'll stay longer," Donnalyn answers.
"But you're really famous over there," Jenny observes, pertaining to Donnalyn's YouTube fame.
Donnalyn was recently included in YouTube Philippines Top 10 Content Creators for 2020, with over 5M subscribers and more than 200M video views since launching her channel Donnalyn Bartolome in 2008.
Meanwhile, Jenny shares that she lived in Canada before and moved to New York after she got married. Donnalyn tells her, "I wanna live in New York. But I have to look for a job, to stay here."
Jenny gives her a piece of advice, "No, you don't. When you have a following like that, you can do a lot of things."
She adds, "You have to come here often, what do you do here this time?"
Donnalyn answers, "Just for vacation...I just came here to film with you, I was just shy to tell you. Just for Jenny, so you'll remember me."
Surprised, Jenny tells her, "I'll remember you. You flew all the way from the Philippines for me.
Being used to meeting celebrities, Jenny got curious about Donnalyn's life and career in the Philippines. "Tell me, how are you so famous in the Philippines?"
Donnalyn says, "I sing, and act also. I actually rap also, in Tagalog. I promise. I started with YouTube videos, and then I released a rap song."
Jenny motivated her and tells her she can also build a name for herself in the U.S. "So if you come here, you can start the same way. You can do the same things."
Jenny even recalls the Philippines holds many pageant titles and so she asks Donnalyn, "I see Miss Universe...why don't you join a pageant?"
"Because I'm too tall!" Donnalyn quips.
"You're so funny, you're making a joke!"
Watch Donnalyn's nail makeover experience: