G Hannelius is only 16 years old, and she is already doing better than most beauty and style bloggers out there. A former Disney star, Hannelius has racked up close to 2 million Instagram followers, and her devoted YouTube followers care so much about her nail art that she recently launched Make Me Nails, an app that allows people to create their own custom nail wraps. Within three days of its release, the app had 60,000 downloads. We chatted with Hannelius about Make Me Nails, her beauty routine, and her upcoming clothing line with the Style Club, which is out October 11.
What inspired you to create Make Me Nails?
"I wanted to make nail art more accessible for young people. I was doing my own nail-art tutorials, and I could see that my fans were recreating my designs, and that was so cool to me. I wanted to take that to the next level and really give them something more personal."
Let's talk about your beauty routine. Walk me through it.
"I'm very simple and low-key if I'm not working. Usually I just love doing a little bit of mascara, a little lipstick, and a little blush, and then I'm good to go. One of my favorite mascaras right now is L'Oréal Paris Telescopic Mascara. It's amazing for lengthening. The blush I use is Milani Baked Powder Blush in Rose D'Oro. I'm not very good at styling my hair, so I don't do that much to it. My hair's naturally wavy, so I just kind of let it go. I'll put a little bit of__Garnier Fructis Style Wonder Waves Hairspray__ in it, and then I just let it air-dry."
You're close in age to another trend-setting teen, Kylie Jenner. She likes to experiment with her look a lot. Do you?
"I like to try different looks if I'm gong to an event, but for me, I really love the no-makeup makeup look—just keeping it natural and focusing on your favorite features. I love that it's a trend, and it's really empowering girls. Keeping it really natural is a good way to go."
Soon you'll release an affordable clothing line called #GbyG. Everything is less than $50. What are your favorite pieces in the collection?
"One of my favorites is a T-shirt that says, 'She believed she could so she did.' From the beginning of designing the collection I said, 'There has to be a shirt that says this.' It's something I really believe in. I also carried my love for beauty and makeup into this collection. There's one print called Make Me that features lipsticks and mascara wands, and it's a tie back to my app."
Nail art for short nails: