12 minute read
Shareece "Mz. ReeRee Gregory
-Mz. ReeRee
Advertisement
Every so often in life, we come across some amazingly talented people, and we can’t help but to ask, “Is there anything that you cannot do?” For this beauty, that statement rings true. In between the taping for her upcoming show, the talented “Mz. ReeRee” paused for a minute, allowing us a glimpse into what makes her a gift to all who know her.
X’Treme Nailz International diva, Shareece “Mz. ReeRee’’ Gregory, is single, creative, a successful hairstylist, make-up artist, fashion designer, published personal stylist, abstract artist, interior designer, property rehabber, an amazing cook, talk show host, and Houston, TX resident by way of St. Louis, MO by way of Chicago, IL! Yes, that was a mouthful, but so is the life of this diva!
Inspired by the late and great American and world female track and field record holder, Florence Griffith-Joyner, Mz. ReeRee, as well as those of us in that era, admired ‘Flo Jo’ and her four to six inches of brightly decorated X’Treme nails and fashionable track gear. Soon, Mz. ReeRee would be enjoying the pleasure of donning her own. “The first time I got my nails done, I immediately fell in love with them! I loved the way they made my hands look. I loved the way they made me feel. I just loved everything about them, and I understood what women who had them felt as well. During the pandemic, at one point I took them off and I was like, as soon as everything opens back up, I’m getting out there and my nails will be back, because I couldn’t stand looking at my hands with nubby fingers! (laughing). Although her nails are currently about two and a half inches long, this veteran X’Treme diva, has been in the nail game for well over thirty years where she has sported her own X’Tremes with lengths reaching four to five and a half inches long. Mz. ReeRee was a nail diva when X’treme nails were not so popular. There were no drills, no masks, and no pre-shaped nail tips. These moderately new à la carte were hand sculpted and physically buffed to perfection! A work of art, and unless you were bold enough to showcase them in your everyday life, the only places they were usually seen were worn by entertainers, at the nail shows, or on the track with ‘Flo Jo’! “I remember when I first moved to St. Louis from California,” Mz. ReeRee stated. “This was around 1986 when the Vietnamese were just coming to Los Angeles doing nails. We’re talking about the era when a set of nails cost about $12, and the fill-ins were literally around $5! Literally! The big trend then was the ‘Eagle claws’ with the bright nail polishes and all kinds of designs on them and that’s what I was wearing! Now when I moved from California, my mother was like, “What the hell is going on with these long, curved nails?” Now, not only did I have these ‘long, curved nails’, but I was dark-skinned and rocking ‘blonde’ hair! Completely unheard of! At the time my mother was working for T.W.A., and she told me, “You know you’ll never be able to get a job at T.W.A.!” Now, you already know you didn’t dare talk back to Mama, but under my breath, I sure said, “I’m not trying to get a job with T.W.A.!” (laughing) Hey, I was a stylist doing what a stylists does…..expressing that creative artist within myself!” Trust me as a former stylist myself, I totally understood and agreed, we are a different and unique breed!
Although we’ve come a long way from those days, I wondered if Mz. ReeRee found many pros or cons over the years that accompany the title of being a donner of X’Treme nails. We wanted to know if she has a signature color or shape. Does she, like some divas, coordinate her polish with her outfits? If she has been asked that age-old question: “How do you wipe yourself?” to which she replies, “With toilet paper!” Mz, ReeRee then added, “Think about it. It’s like, come on now. Because I mean, it’s obvious we’re not using our nails on the most sensitive part of our bodies. And, you know what? I tell them, if you scratch yourself, once you do it wrong one time, you will remember and you figure it out! You WILL figure it out! But when you’ve had long nails for so long, they’re like a part of you. I have more problems when my nails are short than when they are long! I took my nails off once for a day or two to get a fresh set, and I couldn’t type on the laptop or computer! I was pecking! My depth perception was completely off because I’m not used to feeling my fingertips. I was typing and none of the words matched! (laughing) It feels weird though, right? Because you are not used to that. You know, and it’s the same for cutting and curling hair. I use my nails, so I don’t need a comb, I can finger the hair with my nails and make the little curly Q’s and all that stuff! Now when I don’t have my nails, I’m burning my fingers, cutting myself, you know, the simple things because I am not used to getting that close!” Boy, can I relate! It’s definitely a weird feeling. We both agreed that it is
more difficult having no nails vs our lives with the long or X’Treme nails. Mz. ReeRee also stated that the only difficulty she has come across with nails was picking up change, but she’s mastered that and has gotten it down to a science! Another relatable challenge, as it seems to always happen at the checkout counter with a line of inquisitive spectators waiting to see what magic will be witnessed, or if they will be asked to step in to assist! But, like Mz. ReeRee stated, “We’ve got this! When you’ve had nails as long as ours, for as long as we have, you learn to adapt to these little hiccups.”
No longer coordinating her outfits with her nails, Mz. ReeRee has settled on wearing nude- colored polishes that match everything or at times opts for no color. There are still those moments or special occasions where she will add colors or designs! Her go-to, favorite, shape these days are the stilettos followed by the coffins. “I love the fact that they are coming up with new inventive things for us to do with our nails. I have like two ‘curly Qs on the end of my nails and when I get the corkscrews, I ‘m always asked, ‘How did they do this’ or ‘Can you open a wine bottle with them?’ I’m currently wearing the stilettos and I love everything about them, they are ‘art’ within themselves, and my customers love it! I can shampoo that hair and get between those wefts with these nails! I make sure that I keep them somewhat thick so that I don’t break them, or accidentally poke, so sometimes. I’ll go home and add a little more acrylic if needed. But for the most part, my nudes go with everything. You know when you get to a particular age, it’s like getting that one good purse that’s just right! That’s what the nude color does for me. Although Mz. ReeRee can maintain her own nails, she does go to a nail technician and reports that she’ll travel as far as an hour to have them done.
We asked if Mz. ReeRee had anyone in the entertainment field whose nails she admired as well as what her thoughts were regarding the platform X’Treme Nailz International has given to other X’Treme nail divas. To no surprise, we discovered that Cardi B., Megan the Stallion and Lizzo rounded off as her top three selections! “I am loving this platform because you just never know where you’ll find like-minded people and now to be able to communicate and connect with divas all over the world, this platform is awesome! In the late nineties, my nails were probably about the longest in the St. Louis area that we lived in. I would go to the store and people would gawk. I was soon known as “Shareece from California with the long nails”. (laughing) Now, I am seeing X’Tremes all over social media and I love the creativity! I appreciate that the nail industry has come around, and we are being emulated and accepted but it’s crazy that it has taken 25-30 years… but I believe that now with women of all ages enjoying the creativity, look and feel of having their nails done, it’s here to stay for a while! Now these eyelashes? (laughing)
As we were nearing the end of our interview, we decided to switch gears and briefly talk about the pandemic and the effect, if any, it may have had on her businesses. It would be during the pandemic that Mz. ReeRee discovered she had a hidden talent that had yet to be uncovered. Like most entrepreneurs, she was forced to sit still for a minute, refocus and allow creativity to blossom, and blossom it did! She found that she was an amazing abstract artist! As an interior designer, property rehabber, make-up artist and fashion designer/stylist, she has always loved color! Why not try her hand at being an artist? She started painting and found her niche in abstract artistry! To her list of ever-growing talent, now an array of acrylic/polymer coated abstract artwork has been added! She also utilized this downtime to tap back into her love of interior designing and re-decorated her studio and other projects. Always up for a new venture, she and her now co-host, Darrin Baker, share the spotlight in their new 30-minute podcast, “Make it Make Sense.” which will be airing soon on the female Black-owned streaming network, “Promote Her TV.” This free app can be found on, iPhone, Androids, Netflix, Roku, Firestick or any of the streaming platforms. “The key to success is to keep people around you that want to see you succeed and are there to help you! This is why I enjoy the podcast. We get to give and receive this energy.”
Mz. ReeRee’s energy continues to pour as not only is she working on her podcast, but she was adding the final touches for her annual fashion show, “Curves on Purpose, Unmasking Alopecia.” Alopecia, commonly known as hair loss or baldness, is an autoimmune disorder that can occur in men and women causing them to lose their hair in patches (alopecia areata) or completely (alopecia) on any part
of the head or body. Male or female pattern baldness can leave lifelong, debilitating psychological effects on this that suffer from it. Mz. ReeRee decided after looking for foundations to support (none of which she could personally relate), to bring not only awareness to this disorder, but empowerment to those that suffer from it. As one that personally experiences the effect of alopecia areata, Mz. ReeRee exudes genuine passion to make sure that these men and women feel like kings and queens, with a Labor Day weekend filled with various workshops such as, self-love and empowerment, finding inner strength, introduction to modeling/runways, there are health and wellness sessions, understanding your finances, networking opportunities and more, finally ending with a fabulous fashion show where all are styled from head to toe with fashions from Mz. ReeRee’s clothing boutique, All 4 You Boutique!
Yes, she also has a boutique! At All 4 You Boutique, Mz. ReeRee styles and can personally design one-ofa-kind fashions for all shapes and sizes, men and women! “I love making people feel good. Some of these models have never had a makeover! I want them to leave this weekend feeling fully empowered and beautiful inside and out! My fashions cover all sizes, but my favorite are the plus sized men and women! I love the plus-sized men, preferably with an average waist of 44-48”! Yes, the big men are normally forgotten, and they love to look good, too and I enjoy styling them!” This annual fundraiser is in its 5th year and each year it has grown to be bigger and better. We are close to selling out with people coming to Houston from all over the country! You should come, it’s held every Labor Day weekend, with the meet-andgreet receptions on Friday night, workshops, fittings and rehearsals for the models on Saturday and closing with the fashion show on Sunday!” Now those that know me, know that I absolutely love fashion shows and this one is now marked on my yearly calendar!
As I ended our interview, allowing Mz. ReeRee to return to her taping, I remembered an earlier conversation where she stated that she was once told that the things she found to be her gifts were all over the place, and that each had nothing to do with each other. Well, I beg to differ as if you are a hairstylist, make-up artistry and nails are a branch of this art. If you love designing fashions, styling others, interior designing, rehabbing a home, and abstract painting, all are artistically connected to the aforementioned. Co-hosting a motivational talk show and fundraising for a cause through fashion, is yet another ‘verbal’ extension to her creative craft as she shares and encourages her listeners and participants with much needed and inspirational information. Each area truly falls within her realm of her appointed gifts of serving others. To be this versatile is not to be viewed as “scattered”, but as living life to its fullest while enjoying and unifying all of the gifts that have been granted to us! I salute you, Queen as it has truly been an honor and a pleasure to share time and energy with you as you continue to enjoy this journey called life!
Next year, and every year after, don’t forget to join X’Treme Nailz International and Mz. ReeRee during her fun and informational filled Labor Day weekend fashion show extravaganza, Curves on Purpose, Unmasking Alopecia, as she celebrates those and brings awareness to others the beauty unmasked behind those with alopecia. When you see her, remember that her nails are an extension of her, and she is an extension of her nails!
Find Mz. ReeRee on:
Facebook:
Alll4youboutique
Facebook public figure:
Mz. ReeRee
Instagram:
@alll4youboutique
