Nails of New York: Alex Winston
Keeping up with a beauty routine can be a challenge for any woman, and for someone who spends many of her days and nights on the road touring, finding the time to indulge in a manicure can be even more difficult. For singer Alex Winston, a gel manicure that carries her through many days and nights of traveling and touring is a godsend. We caught up with Alex right after she had returned from London, where she finished recording her second album, and several days before she left for Texas to perform at South by Southwest, to talk to her about her life as a performer and why she loves having her nails painted.
Alex photographed in her Brooklyn apartment.
Why do you paint your nails?
When you're on the road, it's such a chaotic, messy lifestyle. So if you can have one nice thing you don't have to worry about, it makes you feel so much better. Let's face it—when you're in a van or bus with people all day long, you feel gross. A gel manicure that I can rely on looking amazing is the one nice thing I can do for myself that makes me feel so much more put together.
Do you have a favorite polish color or nail look?
I'm usually not fancy with my nails. I like dark colors. I love black, or a matte silver, like a dark gunmetal. This look is actually the most complex I've ever done but I'm so in love with it, I think it's only the beginning for me. Next thing you know, I'll have glitter popping off my nails and be wearing scented nail polish!
Alex wears Cut It Out from the Paintbox SS'15 collection.
What inspires you?
My first record was very fantastical. The lyrics were not about myself. They were outlandish stories about meeting other people and hearing about their lives and telling that through my songs. This record is so different—it's super personal. I wasn't looking outward for inspiration. It really is a kind of walk through the past two years of my life. It's quite weird to go from never writing about yourself to only writing about yourself. It's a vulnerable place to be, but I'm happy to be here. I just finished the record two nights ago, actually. Now that it's finished, I'm sort of like, "What am I supposed to be doing now?"
Alex points to her home state of Michigan.
Listen to Alex's latest single We Got Nothing here, and see her tour schedule and more at IAmAlexWinston.com.