Nails by Shelly R.

These are the kinds of nails people stop you to ask about.
I specialise in creating nails that are made for you. ✨️

Sometimes that's detailed hand-painted art. Sometimes it's a clean, wearable set with a little bit of magic hidden in the finish. Either way, the goal is the same: healthy nails that last and designs you'll still be obsessed with three weeks later.

If you're tired of rushed appointments, lifting, or leaving with nails that don't feel like you, my private studio might be exactly what you've been looking for.

📍Forest Lake, Brisbane
💖 One-on-one appointments
✨ Russian E-File Manicures • Hard Gel • Gel-X Extensions • Luxury Nail Art

August appointments are now open. If you've been thinking about booking, now's the time before the month fills up.

What colour would you choose for a magnetic cat-eye? Green, blue, red... or something completely unexpected? 👀



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Five years. 🥹✨

I wish I could go back and tell the version of me who hit "post" on that very first announcement that she'd make it.

She wasn't confident. She didn't know if anyone would book. She just hoped someone, somewhere, would trust her. 🤍

And then someone did.

One booking became another. Then another.

Slowly, strangers became regulars. Regulars became friends. 🫶 Some of you have been here through almost the entire journey. You've trusted me with your holiday nails, engagement nails, wedding nails 💍, and all the appointments in between where life somehow spills out across the nail desk.

You came for your nails.

Somewhere along the way, this became so much more than that. 🤍

There are conversations I'll never forget. The tears we've cried together. The laughs that left us both wiping mascara from under our eyes. 😂 The moments where you've trusted me with things far bigger than your manicure.

That's the part no one tells you about running a business.

You don't just build a client list.

You build relationships. 🫂

These five years have brought opportunities I never imagined. I've studied with incredible educators, worked on campaigns and backstage, been named an ABIA Sole Operator of the Year Finalist 🏆, and even found myself doing nails for Renee Rapp's Australian tour. 🎤

I'm so proud of those moments.

But what means the most is that you keep choosing me.

You recommend me. You trust me. You come back, appointment after appointment, and without even realising it... you've changed my life.

Five years ago, I started a nail business.

What I actually built was a community.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for every appointment, every conversation, every recommendation, and every bit of support. 🌷

You gave one very nervous girl a chance.

Five years later, she's still here.

And she's still just as grateful. 💖✨

—

A huge thank you to the incredible people who helped bring this milestone shoot to life. 🥹

✨ Makeup: Luxe Beauty by Chantal
💇🏼‍♀️ Hair: RENÉE N CHEVEUX | Brisbane luxury colour & scalp specialist
📸 Photography: Brisbane Wedding Photography
🎂 Cake: Peach & Chai | Brisbane Cakes

When Aela first walked into my salon, her biggest goal wasn't nail art. It was finally having natural nails she didn't have to hide.

Her nails weren't strong enough to grow on their own, so we started with Gel-X to protect them while they grew. A few appointments later, we transitioned to hard gel. Now? They're long, healthy, and entirely her own.

The art is the fun part. Watching someone fall in love with their natural nails after years of thinking they couldn't have them... that's the part that stays with me.

Reading reviews like this always stops me for a minute.

"There have honestly been weeks where knowing I had a nail appointment with her was what got me through."

I never forget that people book nails for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it's for an event. Sometimes it's because they love beautiful nail art. Sometimes it's simply one quiet appointment where they know they'll be looked after.

These butterfly nspired nails might catch your eye, but they're only one chapter in the story.

If you're looking for a private nail salon in Forest Lake, Brisbane where healthy natural nails come first, and detailed nail art comes second, I'd love to welcome you.

✨ New clients are always welcome.
📍Forest Lake, Brisbane
💅 Russian E-File Manicures • Hard Gel Overlays • Gel-X Extensions • Luxury Nail Art • Natural Nail Growth Specialist



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When I shared that I was named an ABIA 2026 Sole Operator of the Year Finalist, I was truly overwhelmed by the love and support I received. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 🥹

It also made me realise that most people probably don't know what that recognition really involves.

Yes, the nails are important. But that’s just one piece of the puzzle.

It's the conversations we have before I even start.
The way I clean and sterilise every tool.
The hours I spend learning new techniques.
Making sure you feel comfortable walking through my door, listened to while you're here, and confident when you leave.

These are the things I've cared about since day one. Being a finalist doesn't change how I work. It just reminds me that those behind-the-scenes details are worth obsessing over.

Whether you've been coming to me since 2021 or you've just found my page, thank you for trusting me with your nails. It genuinely means more than you might realise. 💖



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Some clients become part of your story without either of you really noticing.

She came to me before a holiday to Japan. Somewhere That holiday turned into an engagement. 💍

Then came her hens.

Next up? Her wedding.

I've had the privilege of creating nails she'll look at during some of the biggest moments of her life, and I don't take that lightly.

What I love most is the trust we've built. She never arrives with a Pinterest board or a step-by-step plan. Instead, she'll send me the vaguest, most wonderfully chaotic brief imaginable—"mermaid, seashells, pearly, dreamy, a little weird"—and lets me run with it.

That's where I do my best work.

Every shell, flower, pearl and brushstroke is sculpted to tell her story, not recreate someone else's. That's the magic of freestyle nail art. It's collaborative, personal, and impossible to copy.

Relationships like this are why I love what I do. The nails are only part of it. Watching my clients move through life, celebrating alongside them, and getting to leave a tiny piece of myself in those memories... that's the real privilege. 🩷

If you're looking for luxury freestyle nails in Brisbane, my private Forest Lake nail studio specialises in bespoke nail art, structured gel manicures and one-of-a-kind designs that are made just for you.

📍Forest Lake, Brisbane
✨ Bookings available via the link in my bio.



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I thought blending in was the safest way to succeed.

Neutral feeds. Beige branding. "Wearable" nails. Playing small because I thought that's what people wanted.

But the funny thing is... the clients who found me weren't looking for another copy of everyone else. They were looking for someone who wasn't afraid to create.

So I stopped shrinking. I embraced the weird, the colourful, the editorial, the maximalist. Along the way I became an award-winning nail artist, worked with celebrities, and built a business that finally feels like home.

If you're looking for a nail tech who'll encourage you to express yourself instead of playing it safe... welcome. 🫶🏻🪩✨

This room used to look like every Pinterest nail studio.

It was pretty... but it didn't inspire me.

Today, every shelf, every colour, every light and every tiny detail has been chosen because it sparks joy—for me and for the people who sit across from me.

Your nail appointment shouldn't feel like another errand. It should feel like stepping into a space where creativity is celebrated and you can simply exist.

The best salons don't copy trends. They reflect the person behind them.

I had to master the basics.

Not because simple nails are "less than."

But because every extraordinary set starts with the fundamentals.

Healthy nail prep. Clean cuticle work. Thoughtful structure. Product knowledge. Understanding why something works—not just how to copy it.

The wild 3D designs, intricate hand-painted art and editorial sets you see on my page only exist because they're built on a strong foundation.

Anyone can add glitter. Anyone can stick on charms.

But creating nails that are both beautiful and built to last? That starts with mastering the basics.

Because the art gets the likes... The foundation is what keeps your nails looking incredible weeks later. 💖

I had to keep learning.

Because the day you think you know everything is the day you stop growing.

Over the last five years, I've invested in more than 15 advanced courses, workshops and masterclasses, learning from some of Australia's most respected nail educators. Every class challenged me to refine my techniques, question what I thought I knew,