March is Women's History Month!
All month long, we'll be spotlighting remarkable women in the nail industry for their contributions in artistry, innovation, and entrepreneurship. These are the trailblazers who have shaped the industry we know and love today. We couldn't think of a better way to kick things off than by celebrating one of our very own — Albee Chen!
Albee is the founder and creator of Aprés and Gel-X®. Her story is one of grit, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to elevating the craft, and it's one that continues to inspire nail professionals around the world.
From Humble Beginnings to an Entire Empire
Albee's journey didn't begin in a gleaming studio or a corporate boardroom. Nope, she started it all in her garage. With just a modest folding table and her tools, her talent and verve, honed through dedicated study in Japan, set her modest nail station up for major success. What she lacked in square footage, she more than made up for in skill, precision, and an exceptional eye for detail that made her an essential part of her clients’ self-care routine.
Word spread quickly. Her client base grew from a handful of loyal regulars into a thriving community of people who trusted Albee's technical abilities and creative vision. That little garage salon became something of a destination. It was proof that Albee’s passion for nails would be what carried her to reach her goals and live her dreams. As demand grew, Albee expanded, bringing on more technicians and transforming what had started as a one-woman operation into a full-fledged business, complete with employees that shared her passion. The brand that would become Aprés was beginning to take shape.
Through every stage of that growth, Albee held fast to a guiding principle: find solutions that support and amplify both the nail tech's professional aspirations and the client's overall experience, from getting the exact nail art they wanted to having unbeatable gel retention. Albee understood better than anyone that the relationship between a nail tech and their client is built on artistry, results and most of all, trust. She wanted to create products that honored all three, and rooted her winning philosophy in the latter.
The Top Gelcoat That Started It All
Like many great innovations, the spark that ignited Aprés came from a simple, recurring request. During her years behind the nail station, Albee heard it constantly: clients and technicians alike were searching for a super high-shine finish. What they were asking for was the shiniest top coat. Period. Clients wanted nails that gleamed, that turned heads, that held up beautifully against the demands of daily life. And techs wanted their work to look just as brilliant on day ten as it did on day one — there’s no better advertisement!
It was a tall order, but Albee took that feedback and her client’s wishes seriously. She got to work experimenting and refining, driven by the question she would return to again and again: What’s best for both clients and nail techs? The result of that effort was what would later become the Non-Wipe Top Gelcoat, a formula that delivered the hyper high-shine finish that everyone had been looking for. The response was major. Rave reviews poured in from both sides of the nail station, and it became clear that Albee was onto something much bigger than a booming salon or even a single product.
That moment marked the true beginning of Aprés; not just as a business, but as a brand built on listening, problem-solving, and optimizing, as well as a deep respect for the artistry of professionals as they hone their craft, supporting them throughout their careers, and the desires of clients who want the best for their nails.
The Birth of Gel-X®
If the Non-Wipe Top Gelcoat planted the seed, Gel-X® was the innovation that changed everything. After countless prototypes, wear tests, and refinements, Albee and the Aprés team developed the first full-coverage soft gel nail extension system, a product that didn't just improve on existing options, but redefined what nail extensions could be.
Gel-X® Tips are crafted to be flexible without breaking, arriving pre-perfected in structure, length, and shape so they're ready for application right out of the box. When applied with Extend Gel, they deliver consistently even, long-lasting results that eliminate the guesswork and manual shaping that had long been considered an annoying but necessary part of the extension process, and that was the real game-changer. For nail technicians, this innovation meant less time spent on prep and more time available for artistry. For clients, it meant a flawless, durable result they could count on.
The impact was immediate and lasting. Today, Gel-X® services are among the most requested in salons across the country and around the world. What began as one woman's desire to make the process easier and the results better has grown into a movement. It set the standard.
And it all started with Albee standing over that folding table, asking questions because she cared, and refusing to settle for anything less than the best for her clients and techs.
A Legacy Worth Celebrating
Today, Aprés is one of the most in-demand, widely respected brands in the nail industry. It's a brand built from scratch, shaped by experience, and driven by a genuine desire to uplift the professionals and clients who make this industry so ever-inspiring. Albee's dedication to the craft, to her community, and to continuous innovation has earned Aprés its place as the gold standard, and earned Albee her place among the most influential figures in nail history.
We are so honored to celebrate Albee this Women's History Month. Her story is a reminder that the most powerful innovations often start small — with nothing but the basics, some big ideas, and the passionate determination to see it through.
Stay tuned throughout the rest of March as we continue to spotlight the incredible women across our network who inspire and innovate the nail industry every day.
Author: Sarah Velk