Manicurist, mentor and trainer, Jenna Lynch shares her advice.

A great nail artist is someone who has a steady hand, patience, and an eye for detail. To master anything, it takes time to refine your skills. Patience is essential in effortlessly creating a client’s desired look. It can be something as simple as the thickness of a line or swirl that takes a design from looking cheap to looking high-end.

When starting out, watching YouTube videos and TikTok tutorials can be a great way to get a general idea of how to execute a design. This helps you to see the process, and understand what materials and equipment you may need. However, to really learn the techniques needed to create neat and long-lasting designs, undertaking bespoke one-to-one training with someone whose work you admire in the industry is the best way to learn all the tricks of the trade. Being able to see it in person and have someone critique specific details like the angle or pressure of your brush is what will set the quality of your work apart from others.

[Bettering your artistry skills] takes practice, practice, practice. Once you understand the process of techniques like chrome, it will become like a second language. I know it’s not the most fun answer, but repetitively doing 100 perfect fine lines, or 100 delicate flowers is how you’re going to be able to achieve a professional finish on every single client.

The duration of a nail art service really depends on the type of art being created. Things that use a dotting tool like mini flowers can be done very quickly and don’t require a lot of detail. Yet, designs with thin neat lines or shapes will take a lot more time. A well-versed nail tech will also speed up the service time. Most clients would assume that a French tip is a quick and easy nail art design, however to get a perfectly crisp, balanced smile line and to ensure all ten nails look harmonious, it actually takes a lot of time; it now takes me half the time it used to. It’s also essential that when doing nail art, the client sits very still and that there is no talking to ensure there is no movement. Even the smallest movement can cause a bump while the artist is working.

Similar to how long a service takes, the cost of nail art depends on what is being done. Some nail techs will charge based on the difficulty of a design and offer ‘levels’ of nail art, like gold, silver and bronze. However, I find these levels to be very confusing for clients as they don’t know what category their desired design will fit into.

I charge my nail art based on how long I estimate it will take. So when a client books, they will let me know the design they want and I will quote them how long I think it will take. This works really well for me because my clients can clearly understand what they are paying for based on my hourly rate. For example, if a design takes 30 minutes, they will pay half my hourly rate for that design and they will be able to see that it takes that long to complete.

I see nail artistry as a very valuable skill for a nail tech to have. Because nail art is creative, it is a great way for you to add your own unique personality to your work. This is a great way to stand out from other nail techs in your area and have a unique selling point. High quality nail art is a great way to stand out on social media when advertising your services. Even if a potential client doesn’t choose nail art for themselves, they can see the quality of your work through the beautiful designs you create. Nail art is also a great way of increasing the amount you can charge per client, thus increasing your total profit in a day. If you offer nail art, you can make more money per day without having to find extra clients or extend your hours to accommodate additional appointments.

“To really learn the techniques needed to create neat and long-lasting designs, undertaking bespoke one-to-one training with someone whose work you admire in the industry is the best way to learn all the tricks of the trade.”

I believe that if you offer everything, you’re an expert in nothing. It’s important then that you find a style of nail art that you personally like and become really good at that style, instead of offering every type of nail art while not mastering any. I exclusively offer (and have mastered) hand-painted nail art because I love the look of neat and detailed hand- painted designs. I personally don’t like the look of 3D gel or embellishments like gems, so I don’t offer that type of art. Having these boundaries around the type of art I will and won’t do means I am proud of the work I produce and creates a strong aesthetic for my brand which helps to attract my dream type of client.

Hero image: supplied by Jenna Lynch

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2024 print issue of Professional Beauty magazine. Read it here.