Nails by Dem

The tiny canvases we call nails 💅 🎨

And the crazy part? I genuinely thought I’d probably never do anything with the qualification…

I was fed up with working for someone else, having very little freedom with my time and feeling like every week was just the same thing on repeat.

So, completely on a whim, I booked my first nail course.

There was no big business plan behind it. I wasn’t thinking “I’m going to become a full-time nail technician.” I didn’t even know if anything would come from it. I just knew I wanted to try something different.

I started with a little nail desk in my spare room, practising whenever I could and slowly taking on clients. My first sets were FAR from perfect 😂 but I kept practising, learning and improving.

Little by little, I built a regular client base and turned that little spare-room setup into my own nail business.

By the time I finished maternity leave, I’d built my business enough that I could go full-time with nails instead of returning to my old job.

Now I get to work for myself, choose hours that work around my family, have a career I genuinely enjoy AND I’ve taken the next step into becoming a nail educator, teaching other aspiring nail techs the skills I once had to learn from scratch.

All because I randomly decided to book a nail course. 🥲

So if you’re thinking about becoming a nail technician, starting a career in the beauty industry or learning BIAB, gel polish or hard gel, but you’re waiting until you have everything figured out…

You don’t need to know exactly where it’s going to take you before you start.

Sometimes you just need to take the first step and see what happens.

If you’re an aspiring nail tech looking for beginner nail training in Nottingham, DM me COURSE and I’ll send you the details of my 1:1 training.

Want to improve your structure? Here are 5 things I check on every set ↓

1. Apex placement
Your apex shouldn’t just be a bump in the middle of the nail. Its position needs to work with the length and shape of the nail so the enhancement is properly balanced.

2. A thin cuticle area
Keep your application thin and flush around the cuticle. You want the product and strength where it’s actually needed rather than unnecessary bulk at the back of the nail.

3. Flip the hand upside down
Before curing, I turn the hand upside down for a few seconds. Gravity helps bring the product towards the centre of the nail, allowing me to refine my apex and overall structure.

4. Check your ring-light reflection
This is one of my biggest checks before curing. Your line of light should look smooth and consistent. If it’s wavy or distorted, I know there’s an area that needs adjusting before it goes into the lamp.

5. Look from every angle
Don’t only look at the nail from above. Check the side profile and down the barrel too. Something can look perfect from the top but still be unbalanced from another angle.

The better your application and structure are before curing, the less correcting you’ll need to do during your finish file.

Save this and use it as a little checklist on your next set. 🤍

Funny how one decision can completely change the direction of your life.

What started as something I thought I’d just give a go has given me a career I love, more freedom with my time and opportunities I never expected.

Still building, still learning, but very grateful I took that first step. 🤍

Sometimes you don’t need to have the whole plan figured out. You just need to start.

I spent years working jobs that were never going to be my forever, and I honestly thought that was just normal.

Now I get to do something I genuinely enjoy, build something that’s mine, have time with my family, travel and actually look forward to the week ahead.

I’m still ambitious and there’s SO much more I want to achieve, but I’m also learning that there’s no point building your dream life if you’re too busy to actually enjoy it.

Success looks very different to me these days. 🤍

Something I never really thought about when becoming a nail tech… the relationships you build along the way 🥹

Some of my clients have been with me for years now, and our appointments are basically one big catch-up with some nails thrown in 😂

The nails are obviously the job, but the people are such a huge part of why I still love what I do.

Nail techs, did you expect this part of the job when you started? 🤍