I started doing nails in eighth grade, but they were not much to speak of. My natural nails only ever had some small designs because they were always too short to do anything I wanted to. Then, I started getting into press on nails, like the kind you get off of Amazon for really cheap. Some were made well without the printed designs but a lot were not. The terrible quality ones were too flimsy or they did not stay on, partly because I never prepped my nails. Over the past year or so, I started doing my nails, painting the actual nails, and gluing the gems exactly where I wanted them. In my Sophomore year, I started to do nail sets for my friends. They sent me the designs they wanted, and I would try my best to replicate them with what I knew how to do.
Most recently, I have started accepting payment for doing nails for other people. I started off charging reasonable prices depending on the difficulty of the design, the length, and if they wanted extras like gems or 3d charms.
Out of every set of nails I’ve done, my favorite set was based around the cartoon cat Garfield for my friend. They took around two or three hours to do because of the details on his face. They were a lot easier to do than expected since you can do a lot more complex designs than you think with the right tools.
I also really love the set I did for myself for my birthday. They were black, blue, and pink with stars on basically every finger. My absolute favorite thing about these nails in particular was the 3d star on my middle finger. Did it stick to everything? Yes. Was it really cute? Also yes. Does it matter if it was an inconvenience even though it was for fashion? I don’t think so. Maybe someday, I’ll do nails like that again. As of right now, I do so many nails like them though; it’s something about the color palette I love. I’ve always been attracted to dark colors that are paired with light colors.
Usually, when I do nails for myself I try to decide on a general theme for them, even if all I know is that I want stars or a certain color combination. I get inspiration from places like Pinterest, TikTok, or Etsy. Then I pick my favorite thing I saw from different sets of nails, and I try to create an accurate representation of it on my nails. The drawing process is probably my least favorite thing about being some sort of “nail tech.” I also end up changing my mind often or the execution of the designs would be limited to the complexity and my materials.
The more nails I do the more love I have for doing this art form, and it often makes me think about what I will do after high school, especially now. I always thought I would be some sort of therapist, but I would not be able to do art all day. That is a definite no in my books. I feel like being a good nail technician means you should feel safe and comfortable enough to sit down, relax, and just complain about your day. I guess you could think of it as a kind of therapy for both people. The client gets to sit, relax, and talk their heads off if they want and the nail tech can practice what they love while doing something relaxing as well. It is a win-win for everyone.
I remember the first time I went to an actual nail salon. To be very honest, as soon as I walked in I was overwhelmed with all the different conversations happening at once. I felt like I had to go at such a fast pace to fit in with the environment. I didn’t like that I couldn’t just tell them what I wanted done and have maybe an hour or so to just relax and have a nice conversation. I feel like where I went I didn’t have the experience I was looking for: the conversation was awkward, and I felt on edge sitting in that chair with the drill going and the heat of the UV lamp stinging my fingers. It wasn’t a good experience for me at all, but in the end, I didn’t even really like the nails. Seventy dollars wasted.
The more I do nails for people for just for myself I become more and more serious about doing this outside of high school and not just as a little side hustle. I do love doing nails. It is calming and a good way to let my creative juices flow.
