When you’ve been making press-on nails for as long as I have (going on 4 years now), you learn a few things along the way. If you’d allow me the pleasure, I’d love to give you a little insight into how Prestige Nails evolved into what it is today.
Beginning in 2017, I began to suffer from severe anxiety, which immensely hindered my day to day life. To cut a long story short, I spent the next two years accessing the necessary resources to aid my recovery, in hopes of building the foundations to a successful life. Through this awful period of my life, I had one person by my side throughout - my best friend, my mum. She provided me with everything I could possibly need in order to change my destiny. Most significantly, setting me up with all the nail tools & information I needed to start up my own business.
We both started out by heading down the client route, with her training to carry out in-person treatments, while I practiced with my friends. Going back to the above point earlier about life not being so great, I soon realised that the social interactions that happened throughout appointments was becoming too much for me, and the thought of having to expand my clientele to new people, people I wasn't so comfortable around, was very daunting.
Then, in 2020, the world as we knew it came to an unexpected halt - the pandemic began. By no means was this a pleasant time for anybody, but for me, it was a blessing in disguise. I found myself pulled out of school, with all this free time to dedicate to anything that I wanted. Locking myself in the bedroom of my small two-bed house, I immediately started creating the press-on nail business I envisioned.
Using Etsy as my only sales channel, something crazy happened & I was getting anywhere between 10-20 orders each and every day. Because of my age, this was my first real commitment to a job, and I spent every minute of every day preparing orders, starting at 6 in the morning, working straight through until 10 at night, with my only break being a trip to the Post Office. This was a fruitful time, and it definitely built the foundations of the work ethic I carry today, but working at this capacity was unsustainable.
Throughout the years that followed, Prestige Nails underwent many changes: I re-branded at least 4 times, the ‘office’ location (i.e. my bedroom) changed around 3 times, having to set up in new houses, and most significantly, in 2024, my style of art experienced some major changes.
Inevitably, there were some real tough times in business - whether that was a lack of sales or a lack of motivation - and there were some key points in which I was ready to knock it all on the head.
In December 2023, after experiencing my slowest and hardest year in business to date, I decided that something had to change. Well, it all had to change, and I could give it one last shot, or it needs to end. The formula to a successful press-on nail business that I had been following for years was just not proving to be successful anymore. My level of skill had only improved, as well as my understanding of marketing and other business topics, but the market just kept on evolving, and I was not keeping up with it.
All my life, I’d been obsessed with all things girly: keeping up with fashion trends, maintaining my monthly eyelash & hair appointments, buying insane volumes of makeup and handbags. This, for me, was part of who I was. Pink was a personality trait, not a favourite colour. I am still this person today; you’ll find me taking at least an hour to get ready, with a complex eyeshadow look & a pink Michael Kors over my shoulder. However, my style did evolve, especially when I found myself living in Camden Town, North London.
I might be biased, but Camden is possibly the coolest place ever. Every single day, I’m inspired by what I see; whether it’s the people I meet, the places I visit or the varying cultures, there’s always this buzz that you can’t find anywhere else. Living in London had always been on my bucket list, and to end up right in the heart of it after my first move, I was over the moon.
If you’ve never heard of the place, let me break it down for you. You jump out at the tube station onto Camden high street, and immediately you see shops painted all the colours of the rainbow, with eye-catching graffiti artworks adorning every building. Follow the high street up and you’ll stumble upon Camden Market: a diverse community of creative sellers that you can’t find anywhere else, street food of all kinds, and an incomparable atmosphere. Musicians, artists and individuals built Camden to be what it is today, a hub for alternative culture. The fashions and characters that you see by simply walking down the street are totally inspiring, especially if you came from a conservative small town like myself.
Within the first few months of living here, black became a constant in all my outfits, but most importantly my art. I soon found myself wanting to add my own little piece of alternative fashion to Camden. The baby pink flowers & French tips that I had been painting constantly for the past 3 years just weren’t speaking to my soul anymore.
So, this is when Prestige Nails was re-born. If you’ve brought nails from me in the past, or even if you’ve just been keeping up with my journey, you’ll notice a huge 180 degree turn in the style of nails I make. I now specialise in creating goth, rock & metal inspired nails, creating unique claws for the most unique people. Long stiletto is my absolute go-to, and you can bet I’ll be covering them in chains, studs & metallic silver at any chance I get. The type of nail art I create would cost an arm and a leg at a salon, not to mention the hours you’d have to sit and endure it for.
I hope you continue to follow my journey here, and I’m almost certain you’ll find a set of nails that truly speak to your soul. If my art is all a bit too much for you, I absolutely thrive off creating custom orders, where you’re in charge of your design. There are truly no limits when it comes to expressing yourself, and I hope that I can be a part of that with you through the nails I create.
I have no doubts that Prestige Nails will continue to evolve, and that this new alternative era is just the beginning of something magical.