Congratulations to Louisa for being the winner of the title of Beauty Boss of the Month, after being nominated by one of her clients!

After congratulating her on being a winner, we asked Louisa a few questions about herself so that we could all get to know her better...

How did you get into Nails?

I have always loved to get my own nails done, the self care and ritual of the whole experience. I enjoyed experimenting with shapes and designs on my own hands and press-on nails as well as practicing nail art on myself. My background and education is in art and design so it seemed natural to qualify in all things nails and begin a career painting tiny works of art for a living!

What was the most surprising part of the job?

That it is so much more than just painting nails - while this isn't surprising to me as a qualified nail tech, it IS surprising that some people outside the industry can take it for granted as something simple or 'easy'. It's so much more than what you see on the surface. From nail prep, to health and safety, to understanding nail and skin disorders, building a brand, perfecting your technique, finding the right combination of products, admin, customer service and learning new techniques and trends weekly! The plates you need to juggle are endless.

What has been your favourite client request?

I love that my clients challenge me with variety, one day can be minimal and chic and other days can be all the colours and full of glitter. But some of my favourite requests are the ones where they tell me to go wild. I offer a mystery set where I get to do whatever I like, which gives me the opportunity to try designs I don't get to do that often that are sometimes a little outside the box.

What are your favourite techniques?

I really love to use blooming gel and creating multi-layered designs like crystal/geode looking nails that require a lot of depth and dimension.

Talk us through your average day…

Head to the studio with Tilly and turn on my millions of fairy lights, check everything is clean and ready to go before welcoming my first client. I see 4 clients a day as most clients have detailed nail art so I find that number works best for my creativity and energy levels! Breaks in between clients mean time for dog walks, snacks, stock ordering, updating social media, scrolling through inspiration and sometimes recording daft TikToks to mix up the content a bit.

Where do you get your inspiration?

It can be anything from my talented fellow nail artists or my clients sometimes bring really excellent mood boards and collages they have made full of ideas. I love Pinterest too which is great for inspo that isn't nails; illustrative prints, textile design, book covers, paintings, nature, pets!

What advice or tips would you give others?

My top tip would be to not be afraid to take your time and re-do things! We're only human and I often redo nails, I've sometimes wiped off a design 3 or 4 times because I just can't get it right! Surround yourself with fab friends who let you practice on them and encourage your dreams. Don't rush to commit to a million colours and products or one brand off the bat, learn what you like to use over time and what clients request. Social media is a great free tool to show off your work like a portfolio and connect with other professionals you can network with.

What are your hopes/plans for the future?

I'm really hoping to build my own studio in the future, as well as qualify to teach accredited courses. But I think after these few years we've all been through, it's really important to me just to have balance, boundaries and a job I love. So I'm not here to rush into anything or build an empire. I just want to be happy and make art!