In this Q&A, Nikol opens up about finding strength during a hard season of her life, how modeling rejection built her confidence, her honest views on aging, and why she dedicates her brand to women over 40.
Key takeaways
- Nikol found her sense of purpose by bringing color and positivity into a very difficult personal chapter of her life.
- Her confidence was built over years of facing rejection in the modeling and acting industry and choosing to keep going.
- She sees aging as a beginning, not an end, and believes mental and physical health matter more than material things.
- She focuses her brand entirely on women 40 and up because she wants mature women to feel seen, celebrated, and confident.
- Behind the scenes, she's currently juggling a major renovation and a full relaunch of her makeup line.
How did Nikol find strength during a hard time in her life?
Nikol shares that she found what she calls 'the power in her light' during an unexpected and emotionally difficult chapter of her life. Instead of letting that time feel heavy and dark, she made a decision to bring her love of fashion and beauty into it, writing a blog and focusing on uplifting colors and mantras to keep her spirits up.
She says she wanted to make the experience feel inspirational for other women going through something similar, choosing to put a colorful, hopeful spin on a hard situation rather than staying in the darkness she saw others portraying online.
Does Nikol really dress up for everyday errands?
Nikol laughs about a fun photoshoot where she wore a designer gown to run errands, saying she loves the contrast between high fashion and everyday life. She admits she doesn't dress like that for the grocery store every day, but she does have plenty of real-life occasions, like galas and milestone celebrations, where her more elevated pieces get worn.
She also shares that she keeps her closet in a steady rotation, wearing special pieces for events and then passing them along afterward so she always has room for more.
Who would Nikol want to spend an afternoon with, living or deceased?
When asked who she'd love to spend time with, Nikol names two very different women: one for her compassion and the other for her style. She says she wouldn't need to ask the first anything at all, she'd simply want to sit in her presence and absorb her empathy and the way she cared for people.
For the second, a woman known for her timeless style, Nikol says she'd want to know who she really was behind the cameras and photographs, curious about her genuine thoughts rather than the public image.
How did Nikol build her confidence over the years?
Nikol is honest that her confidence wasn't something she was simply born with. Starting as a teenage model going on castings and auditions, she faced constant rejection, and learning not to take it personally became part of the job.
She credits that repeated process of getting knocked down and getting back up with building real confidence over time. Her takeaway: it doesn't matter what industry you're in, continuing to show up after rejection is what builds lasting self-belief.
What does Nikol love to do in her downtime?
Nikol shares that her favorite way to spend free time is doing DIY manicures. As an esthetician who spends her days touching clients' faces and doing makeup, she's always wanted her hands to look polished and well cared for, and over the years she's gotten quite skilled at doing her own nails.
When asked what she's removed from her life, she says it's less about specific things and more about being intentional, setting clear personal, relationship, and business boundaries as she moves through life.
What is Nikol's perspective on aging?
Nikol speaks candidly about how becoming more intentional with how she eats and lives has come from thinking seriously about her own aging journey. She believes that no matter what you have materially, without your mental and physical health, you truly have nothing.
She also brings up a topic most people avoid: the reality that aging eventually leads to the end of life. Rather than seeing this as frightening, she encourages reframing aging as a beginning rather than an ending, and says talking openly about it is healthier than ignoring it.
Why does Nikol focus her brand on women over 40?
Nikol explains that she doesn't create content for every age group, and that's intentional. She has concentrated on women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond because that's the community she wants to serve and learn from.
She says she doesn't feel there's a generational gap to bridge; she sees the women in her community as her contemporaries and 'big sisters' rather than a separate audience, and she's dedicated to helping mature women feel confident, radiant, and far from finished.
What is Nikol currently working on behind the scenes?
Nikol admits that between a lengthy home and studio renovation and a full rebrand, reformulation, and repackaging of her cosmetic line, this season has been one of her most challenging yet. She describes it as constant problem-solving, with new issues popping up just as others get resolved.
She also shares a lighter personal note: she doesn't have children, sharing that it simply wasn't the path her life took, but she has two French Bulldogs she treats like her own kids and has always been a devoted dog mom.
Shop the look
Explore the face collection for more of the pro-aging makeup she created for women over 40.
Frequently asked questions
Does Nikol have children?
Nikol shares that having children of her own wasn't the path her life took, and she has fully embraced that journey. She treats her two French Bulldogs like her children.
Why does Nikol focus on women over 40?
She feels mature women are underrepresented in beauty and wants to celebrate the experience, confidence, and natural beauty of women in their 40s through 90s.
How did Nikol build her confidence?
She says years of facing rejection as a young model and actress taught her to keep showing up, and that repeated resilience is what built her confidence over time.
What is Nikol's view on aging?
She believes aging should be seen as a beginning rather than an end, and that mental and physical health matter more than anything material.
What does Nikol like to do in her free time?
She enjoys doing DIY manicures and has become quite skilled at keeping her nails polished, something she values highly as an esthetician.
