{{Short description|Canadian YouTuber}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox social media personality | name = Simply Nailogical | image = Cristine Rotenberg (Simplynailogical) - February 2025.jpg | caption = Rotenberg in February 2025 | logo = | logo caption = | birth_name = Cristine Raquel Rotenberg<ref name=CRThesis>{{cite web|last=Rotenberg|first=Cristine|title=Cutting Knowledge: The Pathologization of Self-Injury in Correctional Discourse|url=https://curve.carleton.ca/9bd3a11c-4b59-41f3-b33e-6f8b2840b14a|website=Carleton University Research Virtual Environment|year=2014|access-date=August 2, 2017}}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|10|17}} | birth_place = Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada | occupation = {{Flatlist| *YouTuber *entrepreneur}} | partner = Benjamin Mazowita (2012–present) | website = {{URL|holotaco.com}} | pseudonym = {{Flatlist| * Simply Nailogical * Simply Not Logical<ref name=Bloggers>{{cite web|author=semick|title=Bloggers You Should Know: Simply Nailogical|url=http://www.nailitmag.com/bloggers-you-should-know-simply-nailogical|website=Nail It! Magazine|date=November 12, 2015|access-date=August 2, 2017|archive-date=September 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915163349/https://www.nailitmag.com/bloggers-you-should-know-simply-nailogical|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=WCW>{{cite web|last=Lanning|first=Carly|title=Nail artist and #WCW Cristine Rote corners the web with '100 Layer Challenge'|url=https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/cristine-rote-100-layer-challenge-wcw/|website=The Daily Dot|date=August 24, 2016|access-date=August 2, 2017}}</ref>}} | youtube_handle = simplynailogical | youtube_display_name = Simply Nailogical | youtube_id2 = UCnaXc7HBuxqyP5fwOTH58FQ | youtube_display_name2 = Simply Not Logical | youtube_years_active = 2014–present | youtube_genre = {{Hlist|Beauty|comedy|vlog|nail art|satire}} | youtube_subscribers = {{Plainlist| * 7.23 million (Simply Nailogical) * 2.81 million (Simply Not Logical) }} | youtube_views = {{Plainlist| * 1.84 billion (Simply Nailogical) * 488 million (Simply Not Logical) }} | stats_update = December 23, 2025 }}
'''Cristine Raquel Rotenberg''' (born October 17, 1988) is a Canadian YouTuber and entrepreneur. She is primarily known for vlogs involving nail polish products. Rotenberg ran the YouTube channel "Simply Nailogical" from 2014 to 2022, which, as of 2026, has over 7 million subscribers.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 18, 2019|title=A Simply Nailogical Retrospective In Honor of Her New Brand, Holo Taco|url=https://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/simply-nailogical-holo-taco/|access-date=December 8, 2021|website=Study Breaks|language=en-us}}</ref> She currently uploads on the channel "Simply Not Logical". In July 2019, Rotenberg launched her nail polish brand Holo Taco.
== Early life == Cristine Rotenberg was born on October 17, 1988, in Richmond Hill, Ontario.<ref>{{Cite tweet|user=nailogical|last=Rotenberg|first=Cristine|number=1317830019247411200|title=Thank you guys for yesterdays birthday wishes...|url=https://mobile.twitter.com/nailogical/status/1317830019247411200|date=October 18, 2020|access-date=December 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet|user=nailogical|last=Rotenberg|first=Cristine|number=1052759244229902336|date=October 17, 2018|title=Happy 30th birthday to me who else would like to cut my face {{!}} This tweet was made in 2018 when she was thirty therefore it follows that she was born in 1988|url=https://mobile.twitter.com/nailogical/status/1052759244229902336?lang=en}}</ref> From 1996 to 2001, Rotenberg starred in 15 commercials for various children's products including Furby and Fib Finder, as well as an insurance commercial, and a theatrical production of ''Wizard of Oz''.<ref>{{Citation |title=Reacting to my OLD COMMERCIALS as a child before YouTube | date=January 11, 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M232zXAAHN4 |language=en |access-date=March 21, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite news|first=Prajakta|last=Dhopade|url=https://www.macleans.ca/economy/business/simply-nailogical-cristine-statscan/|title=The Canadian YouTube star with a day job at the federal government|work=Maclean's|date=April 15, 2019|access-date=December 10, 2019}}</ref> At age 13, she played the role of Young Sophia in the 2002 film ''Charms for the Easy Life''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Oxman|first=Steven|date=August 15, 2002|title=Charms for the Easy Life|url=https://variety.com/2002/tv/reviews/charms-for-the-easy-life-1200546807/|access-date=December 3, 2020|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref> Following this role, she stopped taking on acting roles to focus on her schooling.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Reacting to my OLD COMMERCIALS as a child before YouTube – YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=M232zXAAHN4 |access-date=December 3, 2020 |website=www.youtube.com| date=January 11, 2017 }}</ref>
In 2014, Rotenberg received a master's degree in sociology with a concentration in criminology from Carleton University.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Dhopade|first=Prajakta|date=April 15, 2019|title=Simply Nailogical: The Canadian YouTube star with a day job at the federal government|url=https://www.macleans.ca/economy/business/simply-nailogical-cristine-statscan/|access-date=July 25, 2020|website=www.macleans.ca}}</ref> Her master's thesis is on the topic of self-injury in prisoners as a result of prison conditions.<ref name="CRThesis" />
== Career == Rotenberg worked as an analyst for Statistics Canada, an agency of the Canadian government. Her work focused on crime statistics and had included analysis of sexual assault reporting amid the #MeToo movement. Despite lucrative success with her other endeavours, Rotenberg expressed her desire to maintain her analyst work for reliability and fulfillment not available in her YouTube career.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 17, 2019|title=Here's Why Simply Nailogical, With 7 Million Subscribers, Still Maintains Day Job At Canadian Government|url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/04/17/simply-nailogical-still-maintains-day-job/|access-date=December 7, 2021|website=Tubefilter|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=These internet-famous women told us how they balance their online and real-life jobs|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/these-internet-famous-women-told-us-how-they-balance-their-online-and-real-life-jobs/|access-date=December 8, 2021|website=Vice.com|date=December 20, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
Rotenberg's Simply Nailogical YouTube channel was launched with her first video on June 18, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|author=Peterson, Ashley|date=July 18, 2019|title=A Simply Nailogical Retrospective In Honor Of Her New Brand, Holo Taco|url=http://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/simply-nailogical-holo-taco/|access-date=October 25, 2021|website=Study Breaks}}</ref> The channel was preceded by her Simply Nailogical blog which launched in February 2014.<ref name="Simply Nailogical Website">{{cite web | title=Simply Nailogical | website=Simply Nailogical | date=June 5, 2016 | url=http://www.simplynailogical.com/ | access-date=October 25, 2021}}</ref> She posted pictures of her nail art on the blog and on Instagram, and actively updated her blog until June 2016.<ref name="Simply Nailogical Website" /> On YouTube, Rotenberg initially created short nail art videos that were less than two minutes long. She later began extending the length of the tutorials and eventually appeared on-camera.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |author=A. O. L. Staff |date=2022-05-16 |title=QVC in the digital age: Tech giants like YouTube embrace livestream shopping |url=https://www.aol.com/qvc-digital-age-tech-giants-135156433.html |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=www.aol.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
In June 2016, Rotenberg posted a video of herself applying over 100 coats of nail polish titled "100+ Coats of Nail Polish #POLISHMOUNTAIN".<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Georgakopoulou|first1=Alexandra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Bf-DwAAQBAJ&q=%22Simply+Nailogical%22&pg=PA2|title=Quantified Storytelling: A Narrative Analysis of Metrics on Social Media|last2=Iversen|first2=Stefan|last3=Stage|first3=Carsten|date=2020|publisher=Springer Nature|isbn=978-3-030-48074-5|pages=2|language=en}}</ref> The video quickly went viral, and influenced other YouTubers such as Jenna Marbles.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mooney|first=Paula|title=The '100 Coats' Challenge Goes From Nail Polish To Eyeliner To Lipstick and Beyond|url=http://www.inquisitr.com/3344962/the-100-coats-challenge-goes-from-nail-polish-to-eye-liner-to-lipstick-and-beyond/|date=July 24, 2016|access-date=August 2, 2017|website=Inquisitr}}</ref> The Daily Dot called it one of 2016's most popular video trends.<ref name=WCW /> Soon after the video was posted, her subscriber count doubled.<ref name=WCW /> Her video was featured in the Fine Brothers's ''College Kids React'' series in August 2016. The following year, ''J-14 magazine'' described her as "the face of nail art in the internet world".<ref>{{cite web |date=July 27, 2017 |title=These Nail Art Tutorials Are So Mesmerizing, You'll Be Watching Them For Hours |url=http://www.j-14.com/posts/simply-nailogical-nail-art-cristine-137883 |access-date=August 2, 2017 |website=J-14}}</ref><ref name="Bloggers" /> In 2018, Rotenberg collaborated with F.U.N. Lacquer on a nail polish collection.<ref>{{Cite web |last=LACQUER |first=F.U.N |title=Simplynailogical Collection {{!}} F.U.N LACQUER |url=http://www.funlacquer.com/product/simplynailogical |access-date=April 30, 2018 |website=www.funlacquer.com}}</ref> Rotenberg has since branched out from nail art tutorials to videos about other topics, and in April 2019, Rotenberg's Simply Nailogical channel was the 19th most popular YouTube channel in Canada with over 6.8 million subscribers and 1.2 billion views.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 21, 2019 |title=Canada's top 10 influencers have a following more than four times Canada's population |url=https://www.vicnews.com/news/canadas-top-10-influencers-have-a-following-more-than-four-times-canadas-population/ |access-date=January 6, 2021 |website=Victoria News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Denton-Hurst|first=Tembe|title=Exploding Nail Polish Remover Exists, And No You Shouldn't Try It|url=https://www.nylon.com/exploding-nail-polish-remover-review|access-date=January 6, 2021|website=Nylon|date=August 16, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
Rotenberg has three secondary channels: "Simply Not Logical" was created in September 2015 and primarily contains vlogs and live streams.<ref name=":4" /> The podcast channel "SimplyPodLogical" and its associated highlights channel "SimplyPodLogical Highlights" launched in early 2020. In an April 2020 episode of the podcast, Rotenberg and her partner Benjamin Mazowita interviewed Dr. Howard Njoo, the Canadian government's deputy chief public health officer, about COVID-19.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Blewett|first=Taylor|date=April 28, 2020|title=Popular Ottawa YouTuber featured in collab with Dr. Njoo for COVID-19 Q&A|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/popular-ottawa-youtuber-featured-in-collab-with-dr-njoo-for-covid-19-qa|access-date=July 26, 2020|website=Ottawa Citizen|language=en-CA}}</ref> The podcast was announced as going on hiatus in March 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 5, 2024 |title=Holo everyone! We hope everyone is having a fantastic Taco Tuesday... |url=https://www.instagram.com/simplypodlogical/p/C4I_Y56LuxD/ |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Instagram}}</ref>
On July 17, 2022, Rotenberg announced that she would cease producing videos for her main channel in order to focus on her personal life and Holo Taco. However, she remains active on her secondary channel where she livestreams weekly.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Rotenberg |first=Cristine |date=July 17, 2022 |title=I'm Not A YouTuber Anymore |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIPEDNrnLyM&t=203s |website=YouTube}}</ref>
== Holo Taco == In July 2019, Rotenberg launched her own nail polish brand called Holo Taco.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bines|first=Ari|date=March 26, 2020|title=This YouTuber's holographic nail polish line is like a galaxy in a bottle|url=https://www.aol.com/article/lifestyle/2020/03/26/this-holographic-nail-polish-is-like-a-galaxy-in-a-bottle/23962306/|access-date=July 26, 2020|website=AOL.com|language=en}}</ref> She began brainstorming for the business in 2017 and started prototyping polishes in 2018. The name of the brand stems from her consistent use of holographic top coats of nail polish in YouTube videos and viewers misunderstanding her pronunciation of "top coat" as "taco".<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.holotaco.com/pages/about |access-date=January 6, 2021 |website=Holo Taco |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Simply Nailogical gave herself holographic TEETH.|url=https://www.revelist.com/beauty-news-/holo-teeth/9185|access-date=January 6, 2021|website=Revelist.com|language=en}}</ref> The original Holo Taco launch contained three silver holographic top coats in addition to two opaque polishes ("One Coat Black" and "Royal-Tea Blue").<ref>{{Cite web|last=Weiss|first=Geoff|date=July 8, 2019|title=Simply Nailogical Launches 'Holo Taco' Nail Polish Brand, Selling Out In 2 Hours|url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/07/08/simply-nailogical-launches-holo-taco/|access-date=July 26, 2020|website=www.tubefilter.com}}</ref> The collection sold out within two hours.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Peterson|first=Ashley|date=July 18, 2019|title=A Simply Nailogical Retrospective In Honor of Her New Brand, Holo Taco|url=https://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/simply-nailogical-holo-taco/|access-date=July 26, 2020|website=Study Breaks|language=en-US}}</ref> Holo Taco has since released numerous nail polish collections, including collaborations with the YouTubers Julien Solomita and Safiya Nygaard.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hale |first=James |date=2023-09-11 |title=Holo Taco goes goth with Safiya Nygaard |url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/09/11/holo-taco-safiya-nygaard/ |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Tubefilter |language=en-US}}</ref> In October 2024, selected polishes from the brand began being sold at Ulta Beauty in the United States.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVT3W_iAcMs |title=HUGE NEWS🎉 Holo Taco is coming to Ulta Beauty🧡 in select US stores Oct 2024 |date=2024-09-22 |last=Holo Taco |access-date=2025-02-08 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
Rotenberg's aim with Holo Taco is the creation of high-quality nail polishes with a special emphasis on special effects polishes,<ref name="studybreaks.com">{{Cite web|date=July 18, 2019|title=A Simply Nailogical Retrospective In Honor of Her New Brand, Holo Taco|url=https://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/simply-nailogical-holo-taco/|access-date=December 9, 2021|website=Study Breaks|language=en-us}}</ref> including holographic, multi-chrome, and iridescent components and finishes. Despite higher production costs for special effects polishes, Holo Taco's avowed aim is to keep prices as affordable as possible.<ref name="studybreaks.com"/> As of 2022, Holo Taco has sold more than 1 million bottles of nail polish.<ref name=":3" />
== Philanthropic work == Rotenberg has extended financial support to her viewers through tuition giveaways and scholarships. Her annual tuition giveaways have financed post-secondary education for viewers in her home country.<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 12, 2018|title=Nail Guru -- And Education Advocate -- Simply Nailogical Is Hosting Another Tuition Giveaway|url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2018/09/12/simply-nailogical-tuition-giveaway/|access-date=December 14, 2021|website=Tubefilter|language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2021, she founded a permanent annual scholarship, the Cristine Rotenberg Scholarship for Academic and Creative Pursuits, at her alma mater Carleton University.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Allen|first=Shawn|date=October 25, 2021|title=Ottawa Youtuber Simply Nailogical Unveils Carleton University Scholarship|url=https://ottawa.elmntfm.ca/blog/2021/10/25/ottawa-youtuber-simply-nailogical-unveils-carleton-university-scholarship/|access-date=November 9, 2021|website=95.7 ELMNT FM Ottawa|language=en-US}}</ref>
== Personal life == Rotenberg has a long term partner, Benjamin Mazowita.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Why He Won't Propose Marriage – YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZY9ZXokgEM&app=desktop|access-date=December 3, 2020|website=www.youtube.com| date=March 17, 2020 }}</ref> He often appears in her videos and was the co-host of their podcast SimplyPodLogical before it went on hiatus. The couple resides in Ottawa with their two cats, Menchie and Zyler.
== Filmography == {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- |2002 |''Charms for the Easy Life'' |Young Sophia |TV movie |}
== Awards and nominations == {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Award ! Category ! Result |- ||2016 | rowspan="6" |The Streamy Awards |Breakout Creator |{{nom}} |- ||2017 |Best Beauty Program |{{nom}} |- |rowspan="2"|2019 |First Person |{{nom}} |- |Creator of the Year |{{nom}} |- ||2021 |Creator Product (Holo Taco) |{{nom}} |- |2022 |Creator Product (Holo Taco) |{{Nom}} |}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == *{{Official website|http://www.simplynailogical.com/}} *{{IMDb name|1124152|name=Cristine Rotenberg}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rotenberg, Cristine}} Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century Canadian actresses Category:Beauty and makeup YouTubers Category:Canadian child actresses Category:Canadian women sociologists Category:Carleton University alumni Category:Canadian comedy YouTubers Category:People from Richmond Hill, Ontario Category:Canadian video bloggers Category:Canadian women bloggers Category:Nail polish Category:Actresses from Ontario Category:Businesspeople from Ontario Category:YouTube vloggers Category:YouTubers from Ottawa Category:Canadian businesspeople in the cosmetics industry