Debbie Duxbury: Leading the Revival of Nail Art
It’s clear after spending any amount of time with Debbie Duxbury- the inventor, entrepreneur and nail industry visionary behind the revolutionizing Clear Jelly Stamper
and it’s diverse collection of stamping plates sure to get anyone’s creativity buzzing- that not only is she a businesswoman worth getting behind, but she’s a person everyone loves to be around. And for good reason.
I was lucky enough to meet Debbie on a few occasions, in probably some of the best venues to get to know the full picture of the hilarious and down-to-earth, yet savvy woman that she is. I’ve been to her home warehouse, which is the original birthplace of CJS and where at the time it consumed the entire lower level of her house. We spent an afternoon once at Disney World with a group of her friends/business associates running around, eating ice cream like kids. I’ve also had the privilege of seeing her in her element; connecting with fellow nail techs over a product she’s personally designed and engineered to make their creative and professional lives remarkably better.
Whether she’s at a theme park on a day off or teaching demos at a trade show or to a small room of learners, Debbie shows up.
Even when I sat down to talk with her on a weekday evening over video chat for our interview (while she was nursing a cold no less) Debbie showed up. As I learned throughout our chat and from the time I’ve gotten to know her, Debbie puts her all into what she does. She has a magnetic and genuine quality to her presence, that of which that cannot be ignored, and is infectious.
Debbie Duxbury is the life of the party, and that party is the invention of the Clear Jelly Stamper and the revival it’s brought to nail art.
I had a lot of questions for Debbie about her story and how CJS came to be. Luckily she was more than happy to talk about it at length into the evening with me, while her daughter Chloe’s cat and her husband Nigel appeared in the video session every so often.
Long before Clear Jelly, you worked as a nail technician. When did you start doing nails and how did you get into it?
I actually have to do math to figure out how long I’ve been doing nails… I was eighteen when I started, so- pretty easy math- thirty years! I had been getting my nails done and my nail tech said to me at the time- ‘cause I would get my nails done and then I would come home and reshape them myself because I never liked the way she shaped them- and she said, “Hun, you’re actually doing like the hardest, biggest part of this job. I don’t understand why you’re not doing your own nails.” Nigel was training to be a hairdresser at the time- so he said, “Well, I can get you product.” There was no internet back then, so you couldn’t get product unless you were a professional. I dabbled in nails for years and then finally decided I wanted to be an aesthetician and went and did my proper training and became an aesthetician/nail technician.
Would you say that you took classes, but you were self taught a little bit?
Oh, I had been self taught for probably two years before I went and did training. So, I was incredibly comfortable working with product… the girls [in the class] would actually ask me questions!
Nigel at work in the new CJS warehouse
Did you work at a salon right away?
Actually, Nigel and I moved down to Lethbridge [Alberta] and opened up our own salon and spa. So the first place I ever worked at was my own. (laughs)
So you’ve always done your own thing pretty early on.
Yeah, we’ve always called ourselves, ‘reluctant entrepreneurs.’ (laughs) We’ve jumped in with both feet and have been learning on the fly and we’ve learned a lot through doing that which is really benefiting us [now] with Clear Jelly Stamper. We know enough now to hire people to do the things we’re not good at, so that they get done properly.
How long did you have that [first salon]?
Oh my gosh, years. I think maybe seven years? We had Chloe and decided we didn’t want to have a salon anymore and didn’t want to live in Lethbridge anymore, so we ended up in OkoToks, and we were both working for other people [at their salons] at that time. We probably worked for other people for two years, and then we ended up with a home that was really conducive to having a salon. Nigel did hair, I did nails. I still did facials and pedicures and those kinds of things as well, but that’s when the focus kind of turned to nails.
So, you’re working steadily as a nail technician for years at this point. How did the switch to product development and the Clear Jelly Stamper come to be?
We decided that we didn’t want to be in Alberta anymore, and we wanted to move to beautiful British Columbia. That’s when Nigel switched jobs. He decided he was done being a hairdresser and went and became a power engineer. He ended up on the Island [Vancouver Island] in Ucluelet. That’s where he got injured. He actually fell through a floor and dropped eighteen feet and broke a bunch of stuff. It was when he was home recovering and he was listening to me complain (laughs) in my [nail] room about my stamper. I was complaining because it was taking far too long to do a set of nails for this girl. We had to reposition over and over again. I would get an image lifted and then I would think I knew where I was putting it and get it on there and it was not in the right spot. And I’m very picky, so I would start over.
And a lot of the work that you did involved the old stamper?
Oh yeah, a lot. When I was able to look at the pretty little images that I could now transfer and put on my clients nails, I was so excited. Because before that, the extent of my nail art was- I was called, “The Daisy Lady,” because I would make little daisies with my white and yellow paint- and that was it, that was the end of it. So to be able to transfer these intricate designs, I was so excited. I was hooked.
“Easily,” right?
Right, yeah. (Laughs) Compared to having to draw them, it was easy.
You found the stamper and you loved it because of what it could do, but then you were using it and realizing the error of its ways, or the shortcomings of it.
The first thing I said the first time I used that thing was, “Why isn’t this clear? How come I can’t see through it?” It was really, really awkward.
When Nigel heard you complaining that day, was that the first time or had you been complaining for years?
I had been mentioning a clear jelly stamper for a long time. But I think he was able to sit through an entire service- he was recovering from being injured, so he wasn’t doing anything, and he couldn’t do anything- so he was just sitting there with sort of me as entertainment, listening to me and my customer and what we were going through and it was very frustrating. I think I was notably frustrated. I think it took me an extra forty minutes to do that set of nails. When I came out he [Nigel] says, “Okay, what do you need?” I’m like, “What? What do you mean what do I need?” “What do you need for a clear jelly stamper?” So I said, “Honestly Nigel, I’ve been thinking a lot about it and I have an idea for a handle... but we’ve got to find this, that and the other thing.” And he went and found all of those things. And we started experimenting and we had our first clear jelly stamper.
How long would you say that process took of him sourcing everything?
It was probably... a good year. A year of research and development.
What was it like to have it in your hands and use it for the first time?
Oh, it was elating! I remember Nigel finding… it was actually (laughs) a piece of plumbing that we were able to pour our compound into. We didn’t think we’d be able to demold it. So when we were actually able to demold it the next day, I was so excited! I could hardly see straight. I went into my room and had my polish ready to go and a couple of images and started to just play with it. And initially, I wasn’t picking up much, because my technique was all wrong. Different compound, different technique. So, once I figured out that the lighter my touch was that I was able to lift a full image, it just improved from there.
Am I correct that with the old stampers you couldn’t layer images because you couldn’t see what you’re doing. But then with yours, it made that possible?
That honestly was the thing I was the most excited about. It’s funny, the image that actually led me to realize we need a clear stamper because then I’d be able to do the design, was the Canadian flag. I’m like, holy smokes, if we had the images on here that corresponded properly, I could put the white down first, then the red on top, and boom! I’ve got a flag! And all my clients that want their Canada Day nails would have these beautiful designs. I could see the potential of the layering; the benefit of being able to make something intricate, but quickly. Especially from the standpoint of a nail tech.
Looking down the barrel of the first model of the CJS stamper / One of the first stamping plates
So, the stamping plates that you design for Clear Jelly Stamper are with this layering technique in mind?
Yes, they’re customizable. Now you can design a completely cohesive look where- maybe you want to have say, the flowers of your design match the tips you’ve built your nails with- now I can do a completely cohesive look and totally customize the flowers or the butterflies or the little details you put on there, easily.
When you created the Clear Jelly Stamper, did you make stamping plates right away for it?
Yeah, we had plates made right from the get go. I knew that I needed layered plates, that that was going to be something that was endless. The possibilities are literally endless.
Before the Clear Jelly Stamper, what was a nail tech’s option for colour customizing an image?
It was using decals, or stickers. You would lift one with your stamper and leave it on the stamper, and paint on it- like adult colouring. Then you would paint clear nail polish over top of that- let it dry! (laughs) And then you would take it and adhere it to the nail with clear nail polish. Put that down first… It was just a process! Like, forget it. The hobbyists were big into that for sure, but there’s no way a nail tech would have time for that. All that drying, no.
The original CJS HQ in Debbie’s home / Just a section of CJS HQ today
How many stamping plates did you start off with?
I want to say three, but I feel like we only started off with one, and quickly added two. And then, we’ve been trying to add a plate a week since then. I think we have 270 now- different plates.
You never run out of ideas, do you?
Oh my god, girl, I’ve got a list… My head like explodes daily with all the ideas that want to come out of it and into plates!
Second CJS handle made clear
A product photo session in the early days
So, once you had your stamper and your first stamping plates tested and ready. From a business standpoint, what did you do next? How did you market the stamper?
At that time, my daughter was showing me Instagram. And it dawned on me that when in history have we had a place where people with like minds and similar interests gather in such a way that you can put up a post, and reach these people specifically? It’s never happened in history. So I thought, well, we’ve developed this product that works and that’s great, but now what? Well, with Instagram and with what we have with the internet, you can sell at your fingertips. As soon as I started using it, I thought, wow, this is powerful stuff. I can reach nail techs specifically. We’re all gathering in the same place and following the same things and showing each other cool stuff. That really changed things for me. I saw how quick and easy it could be to reach my people. So, that’s how we did the marketing.
So you basically just started posting about it and kept doing that?
Yep. And it just kept going and going, and people told other people and so on and so on.
How did it feel to finally release the Clear Jelly Stamper?
So exciting! I can’t even describe the feeling. My mom and my girlfriend were at the house with me. And I said, “Okay, we’re gonna put this post up, and see what happens.” And we pressed that return button, and- oh, just the electricity- it was terrifying and exciting all wrapped up into one big ball of crazy! And actually, the first post that we put up- it was nuts- we crashed the site we were on.
When this new and different stamper that is Clear Jelly was out there and was being marketed and talked about, did you get any negative feedback about it?
Yes. With our initial compound for our first Clear Jelly Stamper there was a lot of that. Because it was so delicate and it was a little tricky. You had to be careful with it and you had to treat it a certain way. And so yeah, it was pretty nerve racking initially until we came up with the next compound that was a lot more resilient.
Was it a big movement to be like, this is a different stamper so it works differently?
Oh yeah! It’s interesting, and I’ve learned this through just this whole journey, I really felt I was reaching people going to the shows. CNTC here in Canada was one of the first times I ran a demo for the Clear Jelly Stamper. I was super nervous, ‘cause I was going to sit in front of my peers and they’re gonna tell me, “This stuff doesn’t work.” But as soon as I was able to sit down and say, “Okay, when I tell you to use light pressure, this is what I’m talking about.” And I would do my demo on the back of their hand and they’d be like, “Oh, that really is light.” And boom, they’d get it. And I’d be getting messages from them going, “Oh my gosh, I went home immediately and tried my stuff and you’re absolutely right. I use light pressure and it works and this is so much fun.” But it didn’t matter how many videos I put out saying this is how light pressure, because you can’t tell somebody how light. So, it was tricky.
You did a lot of those types of shows then?
Yep, as many as we could. We got out there and got touching people (laughs). That sounds creepy! But yeah, we got out there teaching classes and those kinds of things. And our customers were really amazing at jumping on social media if somebody was struggling and saying, oh try this, try that. They were amazing at helping people get that technique, because it was a totally different technique.
Right, and that would be difficult to switch techniques, if someone has been stamping a certain way for years.
Totally, totally. It’s like, how come this tool doesn’t work? I’m doing it [stamping] the same way I’ve always done it... I know how to stamp! It even took me a long time, when I was playing with the things that we were inventing, until I realized, hey, this does work. But you have to do it differently.
Not only did you invent, develop and bring to market the Clear Jelly Stamper and its layering stamping plates, but you also created a specially formulated stamping polish for the CJS. Tell me about that.
A lot of the existing stamping polishes at the time didn’t work great with the Clear Jelly Stamper. We realized early on that we needed a better solution to that and there was not a solution. We discovered that highly pigmented stamping polish- like the more pigment we could get into a stamping polish- the better it lifted. So, we developed these types of stamping polishes, with the Clear Jelly Stamper in mind. The polishes work with any stamper you throw at it, but it was made for the CJS.
Debbie’s designer Angela at the new HQ!
And you’ve gone on to include a wide selection of nail products in the CJS store.
What I wanted to create was a place where people could come and get everything that they needed. As a nail tech myself, I didn’t like having to go to five different shops and pay shipping at each one to get the things I needed to do the things I wanted to do. So, I wanted the kind of shop where they could come for their stamper, their stamping plates, their polish… Then we added brushes, we added practice tips for their nails, those kinds of things… We added mats, and I wanted my mats to be pretty. Before we developed our mats, they were always some kind of grey and- I don’t know- I don’t like seeing pictures of someone’s gorgeous nails with this boring mat underneath... I want something pretty behind it!
As far as your CJS team, Nigel is an integral part. It’s really you and him, right?
100%, yes. He helped me start my dream of CJS and after he was healed from his injury, he found out that he had PTSD really badly from his experience, and he ended up going back to University for another trade. So, when we launched the Clear Jelly Stamper, I was doing everything on my own while he went back to school. When it was time to go back for his second year, CJS grew to the point where I couldn’t manage it without him. So, he had to make the decision, do I want to go back to University or am I going to become the COO of this company? And that was not a hard decision. And I couldn’t do this without him. He is incredibly organized and he has handled so much of the logistical end of CJS.
Brand new Clear Jelly Stamper Headquarters
Is your team much bigger now than when you started out?
It’s still pretty small. I was doing everything at the beginning, and then we added our first team member, Leslie, who’s been with me from the start. Then Nigel came back into the picture and as we kept growing, we added a couple more people here and there. At one point we had about five people working at the house, depending on the time of year, and that’s pretty much what we have now permanently at the new location. CJS was invented, developed and initially ran out of your home in Kelowna, BC. Since then, how have you expanded? Initially, it was just a room in the house where we did all the picking and packing. There were only five products (laughs). We ended up adding more products and growing and running out of room in that room, so expanded throughout the house. Long story short, we eventually took over the entire lower level of our home and our garage, and we had a number of external storage sites where we kept all of our product. After that, we grew to the point where we needed to move into a warehouse.
Tell me about this new location!
It’s brand new! We’ve been there for about three months. It’s our warehouse, nail centre, filming studio and boutique. We call it HQ. We have two nail technicians working in the boutique, which is a wonderful resource for me. I was so excited! To have nail techs back around me- because I’m never at my desk at home. So, I’ll sit down with new plates or to do a video, or a live feed. Because to sit down at a desk as a nail tech, I don’t have time to do that anymore. I haven’t had time to do that in a long time. So now, I get a bunch of plates- we just had a bunch of our Halloween plates come off the line- and I was able to go up front and say [to my techs], “Here, go forth. Make pretty. Give me some gorgeous manis!”
That’s so cool, because it kind of came around full circle there. Because that’s where you started and you do really like it and it excites you. I have been so passionate about this industry for so long. I can’t believe I haven’t grown tired of it! It’s a passion, it’s an art. It’s people, and it’s art all wrapped into one beautiful package.
With Cheryl from Fuzion at a Las Vegas Trade Show
With Cheryl from Fuzion at a Las Vegas Trade Show
What would you say you have learned from your journey of bringing the Clear Jelly Stamper to the world? And how has it changed your life?
Anything is possible. It sounds so cliche, but it’s fundamentally true. If you want something bad enough and you’re willing to work for it, it can happen. And how has it changed my life... I guess it’s opened up the world for me. I’m meeting people from all over the world, people that I would never have had the opportunity to become friends with otherwise. I have friends in Germany, in Russia, in Iceland… It’s (makes mind blowing gesture) incredible. The people I’m meeting and the connections I’m making with people who love our stuff, with people who are interested in what we’re creating, and people I’ve just connected with! It’s really exciting. It’s a lot of fun. I’m really, really proud of what we’ve done.
As you should be!
Right. We revolutionized a multi-billion dollar industry. We changed the stamping world forever.
That is your legacy.
Yeah (laughs). Who would have thought?!
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