Daily Inspiration: Meet Blair McLurkin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Blair McLurkin

Hi Blair, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, I’ve always had a passion for fashion and a strong work ethic. My journey began early, inspired by my next-door neighbor, who ran her own PR firm and worked with L’oréal. I had the chance to help her with fashion shows, gifting suites, and learning the ropes of a PR agency—an experience that solidified my desire to work in the fashion industry. From a young age, I was eager to work and had a job as soon as I could, starting with babysitting in high school. I attended the University of Arizona, where I majored in Retailing and Consumer Sciences with a minor in Business Administration. I had a lot of various jobs, starting as a line cook my freshman year, working at Forever 21, interning at multiple fashion and accessory showrooms, a selling specialist at Bloomingdales, and a stylist at LF stores.

In college, I co-founded R&B Vintage, a business with my best friend Becca, where we re-worked vintage pieces and sold them through Instagram and campus events. After graduation, I moved back to Los Angeles and worked at the Ted Baker London Showroom where I quickly moved up to a wholesale allocator role. I also went to beauty school after work, where I became a certified makeup artist. It was during the pandemic, with more time to reflect, that the idea of starting my jewelry brand began to take shape. Having always loved jewelry, I did my research, came up with a name that combines mine and my brothers’ names, and launched my brand, Blair Pierce, in November 2020. I didn’t know where it would take me but I knew it was something I wanted to do.

As my jewelry brand started to grow, I worked with influencers and content creators, helping them style, shoot content, and organize their wardrobes while growing my own social media presence—especially on TikTok. Eventually, I took a brand management role for an influencer’s clothing line, learning the ropes of running a brand and managing a team. However, after about 2 years, I realized it was time to return my focus to my own ventures, so I took a job as an Operations/Office Manager at a streetwear distributor, which gave me the space to reignite my creativity and refocus on my social media platforms.

I started getting really creative with my nail designs and my social media platforms started to grow because of it. Since I wear all of my jewelry in my nail videos, which started to go viral, it naturally created a direct connection between my content and my jewelry brand. This organic exposure helped drive success for my brand, with people wanting to purchase the same jewelry they saw in my videos. The connection between my nail content and my jewelry collection played a pivotal role in allowing me to quit my job and focus on turning Blair Pierce into a successful business. The excitement around my nail designs also led to the creation of “Be Impressed Nails,” a line of press-on nails where I collaborate with different nail artists around the world, which I launched in January 2025. Getting fun nails has allowed not only my jewelry brand to grow, but also has opened the doors for me to work with brands on beauty, fashion and lifestyle campaigns. I’m beyond excited to see what the future holds as I continue to build and grow my businesses.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth ride at all, and I don’t think it ever will be. The biggest struggle for me as an entrepreneur has always been the battle with myself. I crave stability and consistency, and I love having a set schedule. Trusting myself to be the only person I need to work for and fully support myself has been and might always be challenging. There have been plenty of failures along the way, like not landing jobs I wanted or projects not turning out as planned. One of the hardest moments came in 2023 when I invested a lot of time and money into developing an app that I was so passionate and excited about. It was almost finished, and I was on the brink of being cast for a TV show about female entrepreneurs, but I later discovered that the app developers weren’t who I thought they were, and the project failed. That was a tough pill to swallow, especially after two years of hard work and dedication.

Blair Pierce also didn’t reach the level of success it has now right away—there was a lot of growth and setbacks before it became what it is today, and I know there’s still so much more to learn and accomplish. But despite the challenges and disappointments, I wouldn’t take back any of it. I truly believe that mistakes are how you grow, and the only way to learn is to fail and keep moving forward. Each setback has only made me stronger and more determined to keep pushing toward my goals.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a full-time jewelry brand owner, press-on nail designer, and social media content creator with a background in fashion, marketing, and operations. I’m known for my unique jewelry and nail designs, which have resonated with people and gained a lot of attention recently. What I’m most proud of is my work ethic and the consistency I’ve maintained in always going after what I want, no matter how many obstacles come my way.

What sets me apart is that I’m not scared to fail and also my ability to tune out the opinions of others. I truly believe that fear of failure and worrying about what others think are the biggest things that hold people back from living the lives they want. Fortunately, I’ve never let those things deter me, and I’ve always been willing to take risks, try new things, and learn from my mistakes. That resilience has been the driving force behind my success and continues to push me forward.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I recently started using the app called Insight Timer, and I use it to do mediations every night and I try to do them in the mornings as well. I really want to get back into reading but some of my all time favorites are The Universe Has Your Back and The Four Agreements.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shopblairpierce.com/ and https://beimpressednails.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blairmclurkin/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@blairmclurkin?lang=en

Image Credits
Brandon Castro