Nail Tech Talk: Emily Jones of Nailed By Emily
North Yorkshire-based tech, Emily Jones of Nailed By Emily, chats to Scratch about mobile tekking alongside her studies at university and her passion for creating nail art.
“My nail journey began in summer 2020. As a university student who lives at home, I was looking for a part time job I could manage alongside my studies.
“We were still in lockdown, and still had all the Covid restrictions ahead of us,” Emily remembers. “With this uncertainty and my university timetable, mobile seemed the perfect solution, with the added benefit of no commitment to rent while building up my clientele.”
“Being mobile means I can offer daytime, but also evening, appointments. This really suits my clients needs, being able to have a pamper and very needed time for them when the kids are in bed, or even during their lunch break when working from home.
“But of course mobile isn’t for everyone, and I’m not sure I could do it full time,” she notes. “I have nearly 300 colours, meaning I have heavy bags, which are not cheap, especially when they eventually break. You have to be really organised, planning your days by location and ensuing you are stocked up on consumable supplies like hygiene wipes and PPE.”
“No two days or weeks are the same for me. Some are full of nail art, and others plain gel polish. I love how different this makes my days and how creative you can be,” Emily smiles. “My appointments typically take an hour to an hour 30 minutes. On days where I don’t have to go to university, I usually start seeing clients from 9am or 10am, and work until around 1pm or 2pm. I will have a break, see my dog, and do some uni work, before starting clients around 5pm or 6pm, working as late as 9:30pm. On the days I have uni, I see clients around my timetable.
“Something that happens every day is my social media management. My Instagram is my baby and I really enjoy posting and engaging on there.”
“My passion for nail art grew throughout the lockdowns where I had my own nails to practice on and perfect my skills. My signature design that carries throughout every season has to be abstract tips. I am yet to find a colour combination that doesn’t suit this design. Other than my abstract designs, trends that are popular with my clients changes every few weeks.
“My favourite products are Bluesky Cosmetics, because they are highly pigmented and long lasting. All my clients nails are still perfect two, three, four weeks, and in some cases, although I don’t recommend it, even longer! The colour range is also huge, with new innovative products constantly being released,” she enthuses. “They have made me a nail mail addict. I go through bottles and bottles of Bluesky Cosmetics in the shade Stoned Rose. It’s the perfect nude that suits all my clients skin tones, and is the perfect base for every nail art design, meaning the possibilities are endless.”
“I always try to have my own nails looking good, as it’s the first thing my clients look at and sometimes copy.”
“Social media means there’s always a new viral trend everyone wants. I think it’s really important to be comfortable with trying new designs and bring able to act on the spot to any inspiration your clients have found, as it’s impossible to keep track of every new trend. I find all of my inspiration on social media. I follow so many talented techs on Instagram who inspire me every day. I would love to achieve some of the things they have,” Emily says. “I find TikTok is great for spotting trends early. I am love using Pinterest to source other forms of inspiration.
“My career highlight so far is building my Instagram following to 10k, and being a friend of the brand for Bluesky I am obsessed with. They have helped me develop so much by pushing me out of my comfort zone. I am also very lucky to have such lovely clients that keep me so busy. ”
“Moving forward, I hope to keep improving my skills. I believe you can never stop learning. I also hope to continue to grow my social media across all platforms.
“I would love to do nails full time one day. I enjoy it so much and love the difference I can make to my clients day,” she beams. “One goal of mine would to be to assist at London Fashion Week. But, I also feel it’s important to see where my degree takes me at the end of this year, exploring fashion buying or merchandising more.”
Follow Emily on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest.