← Beauty with a Twist
Beauty with a Twist
Celebrity Nail Artist Struggles, Working On Bad Bunny Super Bowl Show & Nail Techs Being Undervalued
01:03:00
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- [00:00]
A
In three, two, and one.
- [00:03]
B
Welcome, Joanna.
- [00:05]
A
Hi, guys. I'm Joanna, also known as Master Weenie. I am a nail tech, and I am from Garden Grove OC but my salon right now is based out of Whittier, and I'm all over the place in la.
- [00:19]
B
Yes. Well, thank you so much for being on my. You guys. You don't even know who we have sitting in the chair right now. Okay. Like, this shit crowns to you, girl.
- [00:29]
A
I wanna. Okay.
- [00:30]
B
I always usually start this podcast by, like, saying what the person does, but we obviously know who she does.
- [00:35]
A
We.
- [00:35]
B
You do celebrities, right?
- [00:38]
A
Yes. And.
- [00:40]
B
Okay, so I'm gonna ask you something, Juice. We're just gonna get straight into it. Okay. What's a hard truth? Nail. New nail techs don't want to hear.
- [00:47]
A
I feel like it's a hard truth. I think right now, ever since COVID the industry became, like, really saturated with lots of nail techs.
- [00:55]
B
Yeah.
- [00:55]
A
So I feel like, mind you, there's. There's mean girls and there's nice girls, you know, But a lot of times, because I like to read comments sometimes on Instagram and stuff, a lot of times nail techs are bullies. And I think that a hard truth is that a lot of nail techs will not consider you a real nail tech if you don't know how to do acrylic nails. Because Gel X is so in. Everything is in right now that everything is easier than acrylic. Like, the OGs did acrylic, and a lot of people still do acrylic, but people are, like, brushing it off because there's so many easy products that they could. Easier things to maneuver. Yeah. I mean, so I think that the hard truth is that people are gonna bully you. And I say this because I've seen it happen online, and I'm like, why are they bullying people? Because they can't do acrylic.
- [01:38]
B
Like, but technically, like, Gel X. Right. Because there's, like, a huge thing. Gel X isn't really nails. That's what they say, right?
- [01:46]
A
They always say that, but it's like, art, isn't it?
- [01:48]
B
In a way.
- [01:49]
A
So here's the thing. I. Because I've been doing nails for, again, 20 years, I've been able. I've been able to do everything I learned. Doing acrylic was my only thing that I knew. So now Angelics came out, I'm like, this is awesome. This is so much faster. A lot of people are like, no, that's not a real nail tech. That's high quality. That's. I Call it a high quality press on sometimes. But guess what? They're really good. It works for. Some people work better with Gel X. Like the. The clients. Clients do better.
- [02:16]
B
Yeah.
- [02:17]
A
Last longer with Gel X. Sometimes some people are not good with acrylic. Or sometimes they are. They just don't want to sit in the chair all day. No.
- [02:23]
B
You know, I'm like, severely allergic to monomer.
- [02:26]
A
Okay, there you go. But you know what? Some people are also allergic to the glue, like the extension glue also. It also depends on how you apply it. If you put it. If you put too much. People can get contact dermatitis type stuff. But even when you. I feel like some people, I feel like I've heard that they still, like, have complications with, like, oh, you know, being allergic. So. Yeah.
- [02:46]
B
Well, I want you to know something. Don't look at my nails right now, okay, girl?
- [02:49]
A
Don't look at mine. I'm a nail tech and I look crazy.
- [02:52]
B
You guys. I was like, she walked. I'm like, oh, I forgot same.
- [02:56]
A
I literally look, I am not like, this is embarrassing. I don't love my job that much.
- [03:02]
B
Okay. But yeah, you know, I have heard, like, a lot of people kind of bash Gel X because they're like, that's not really a nail tech. Or also, too. A lot of people are doing, like, really, like, detailed manicures.
- [03:18]
A
Yeah, structured mani. Oh, yes, yes. Structured manicures. Builder manicures.
- [03:22]
B
Yeah.
- [03:23]
A
Gel. Everybody right now. Everyone's in their soft girl era right now. Well, you know what? I hate it. Oh, I love that for everybody. But I hate it because I miss doing long, fun, ratchet nails.
- [03:35]
B
Okay. I love the ratchet now.
- [03:36]
A
I miss doing, like, even, like, there's no more. But you know, out here, like, I don't. I mean, at least I don't got those clients. I miss that. I have a whole. I got my shop. I have like a little section where, like, I. Unused nail charms. Maybe. Maybe they're out of style right now. I mean, everyone's bringing back the Y2K too. So, like, you just never know. Everything just comes and goes. But I have all my clients right now. Mind you, I have a lot of clientele and like, 95% of them right now are all natural nails, builder manicures.
- [04:04]
B
Really?
- [04:04]
A
Yes, yes. And going back to the fact that some people don't know how to do acrylic. My. The booth, like. Well, I work at a. My salon is on top of a restaurant. It's like, it's in uptown Whittier. And so apparently our Vents are connected. I can't smell their food, but apparently it's connected. So when I do acrylic, they were complaining. So I. They. They were like, either you stop doing acrylic or you're gonna have to get out of here. And I love my new location, so. And I just got there not even a year ago, so I'm like, I'm gonna work with them. One of my nail tech friends, she put me on to Polygel, like, sculpt gel by, like, the Tommy Taylor one's my favorite one. And it's literally no smell. And they actually, for me, at least, and all my clients, it lasts longer than acrylic. And it's exactly like acrylic almost.
- [04:46]
B
Oh, my gosh. That's what I get. Is it where they can build it with the gel?
- [04:49]
A
It looks like a toothpaste. Yeah.
- [04:52]
B
I've been doing that, and I actually like it.
- [04:54]
A
Yeah.
- [04:54]
B
And I've had my. So I just took them off, like, two days ago. But I've had the same set since Valentine's Day.
- [04:59]
A
Last so long. Yeah. Like, all my clients, like, I have pretty good retention. Yeah. People usually come back every four to five to six weeks. But when I started doing these, they're like, I like this. I don't know what you're doing, but this is. And it's. It's the product again. So don't let nobody shame me about not knowing how to do acrylic, but if you've never done Polygel, because I feel like it's not a newer thing, but people don't really do it if you've never done Polygel. I do recommend you trying it if you don't want to do acrylic.
- [05:26]
B
Yeah. And, you know, I had two nail techs that work if, you know, if you watch the podcast, and it would smell the entire salon, and it would kind of be like, oh, no. So it's a nail salon. And I'm like, no.
- [05:41]
A
And then you do facials. Yeah. So they don't like that.
- [05:44]
B
It was not a good mix. But then I had people that. They were like some girls that didn't gel X. And I actually really like gel X. For a long time, I was using.
- [05:53]
A
They did on me.
- [05:56]
B
Yeah. Yeah, that one. For a long time.
- [05:58]
A
Well, that's like. Yeah. Appraisal was, like the first gel X system.
- [06:02]
B
Yeah.
- [06:03]
A
You know, I remember when they started to, like. I remember I went to, like, one of those expos, and they had, like, the tiniest booth, and they had, like, nothing. They didn't Even. I don't even know what they had. They had, like, diamond glue. It's all they had. Oh, and it was so cool. That's how they started, I guess. And then they expanded, and now it's like this big thing. And I remember when I. When once I mastered it within, like, a week. Doing it? No, from, like, doing it. The first time I did it, their nails were popping off. My friends were like, why are they coming off the next day? Because I wasn't buffing them correctly. I wasn't prepping them properly. Like, the tip itself.
- [06:30]
B
Yeah, yeah. You really had to dehydrate, hydrate the nail, right?
- [06:32]
A
Yeah. And I didn't know that I had to, like, drill the back of the nail or, like, put the little stuff on it.
- [06:36]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [06:36]
A
So I was like, okay, well, whatever. When I got the hang of it, I didn't ditch completely the acrylic because some of my clients, like, the long, like, they're like, no, these are gonna. They bend or whatever. Everybody's different, so. But I love gel X.
- [06:50]
B
So what do you think is, like, a trend that's happening right now that you see? You obviously said that the soft girl era is in right now, but I really, like you said, I really do miss the ratchet nails.
- [07:00]
A
Like, I'm not even lying because, again, the trend right now is everybody has really nice, natural nails. The trends right now are all the chromes and all that 3D stuff with the molding gels. It's really pretty. It's really pretty, Everybody. I feel like a lot of nail techs, like, everyone. All, like, everyone is so good. Like, my whole feed, I'm always just seeing all this nice info, like, yeah, everyone has their foot on everybody's necks right now. Everybody is so good.
- [07:26]
B
So I feel like, for me, I think I started doing. I stopped doing gems because it would get stuck in my hair or, like, the charms. I'm like, oh, yeah, I got additional this.
- [07:35]
A
I can't do it no more.
- [07:36]
B
And then obviously, because I told you I'm Anastasia, so I can't really work with them, but I know that a lot of people used to get them. But I miss a patron of vibes, too.
- [07:44]
A
I know I miss it. And, like, it's funny, the other day I posted, if you guys reach out to me to let me do some crazy nails, I won't charge you. Just let me do it. And you know what's crazy? One, two people hit me up. I'm like, girl out of 75,0002 people said they were down maybe three. And you know what I did? I was so upset. I didn't get back to none of them.
- [08:07]
B
I was mad.
- [08:08]
A
I was like, no. I'm like, I'm not doing this.
- [08:09]
B
It was good for a minute.
- [08:11]
A
It was a thought. They're gonna be like, what?
- [08:14]
B
Okay, let me ask you another question. What separates a book nail tech from one who's struggling?
- [08:21]
A
Okay. So I actually have seen both sides of that because I've owned a salon before.
- [08:28]
B
Yes.
- [08:28]
A
And I've done like a lot of booth rent and I would always tell the girls, like, I can always give you a little shout out on my Instagram and people will check you out and stuff.
- [08:39]
B
Yeah.
- [08:39]
A
But you have to do your part, you know, you have to do your part at least. When I started, I think it was a little different or maybe because I know a lot of people don't like to do things a certain way. But I used to always, at the beginning, I used to do like little promos, little deals. I don't do a lot of content because I'm, I've always been very busy. So like I said, I feel like I suck at doing it. When I do it, it's really interesting.
- [09:01]
B
Yeah.
- [09:01]
A
But I feel like the way that you like at least if you're like an online nail tech, like a, an Instagram. Yeah, yeah, you, I feel like you, you have to promote yourself a lot more and maybe even throw in a deal or two sometimes. Like a little promo. Yeah, that's what I did. I would do giveaways back then and it was, it would like draw people's attention. Like, oh, like if I don't get in, at least I can just go with her one day.
- [09:25]
B
Yeah.
- [09:25]
A
But that's how I was doing it. But now as the years have gone on, sometimes I'll tell my nail techs, like, don't do a promo because then people are always, they're never going to want to pay you more or pay you your worth. Because sometimes I feel like in this industry, and I think you've heard this before from other people, nail techs always get low balled. Like, nobody likes. People will pay 200 for a lash tech every two weeks, but they can't pay. But why? I don't know. And our products are so expensive, we're breaking our back just as hard as everybody else. Yeah. You know, so. And I've always wondered why that's always been a thing. You know, even like, for example, it could be anything like a wax. Like you do waxing. How Much is a Brazilian?
- [10:06]
B
75.
- [10:06]
A
75. How long? 15 minutes. Okay, girl. Sometimes we gotta. I mean a regular salon, everybody has different prices. But sometimes a salon, we could even be saying it could be like any type of shop. It doesn't have to be high end. Their builder manicures start at like 75 for one color. And how long is that service it takes? It could take an hour. But a detailed nail tech, some people take more than that. Like an hour and a half. Obviously even one color, like the prep is everything. So like why can't we. And then we actually, I don't know about everybody else, but I feel bad to charge sometimes a little more for a solid color when I just like use a hell of good products. I just cleaned the hell out of your cuticles. You know what I mean?
- [10:44]
B
Yeah.
- [10:44]
A
So like it's, it's just harder now, I think. So I always tell people, like, give up. You can do your deals, you can do. You know, I like, I'm all about like, you're down if you're down to promote, like promote, but. Or like also my nail tech at my shop right now, I currently only work with one girl and I always tell her, like, give your clients like, let them know, like if you refer three people, they can get a discount. That's way, yes, that's way better than you posting, oh, 45 nails for this week. Because 45 is crazy. But I've seen people do that. You know what I mean?
- [11:17]
B
So what's your starting? I just want, since you know, I want to know like your starting price.
- [11:23]
A
Like my starting price. Okay, so it's funny because if nail techs are watching this, they might be like, that's all she charged. Because I do, I like, I'm like the worst person when, when it comes to like some advice on pricing, you know what I mean? So, so for example, at my salon, my pricing starts at $75 and $75 is like a manicure.
- [11:45]
B
Okay.
- [11:45]
A
So but that's like a solid manicure. And then obviously when you start adding stuff and you know, it goes up. Acrylics, all that stuff. I've, I think in, in my chair at my salon, I think I've only charged like 250 max for like. And that's like for the, the client, that might be a little bit. Just kidding.
- [12:02]
B
No, but, no, but that is okay, but how long is that work?
- [12:06]
A
So again, because of my 20 year experience, I'm pretty fast. So I get everybody out of my chair in under an hour and 30 minutes and when I do the crazy nails, it takes about two hours, maybe three, depending on like if I'm with my client.
- [12:18]
B
Yeah.
- [12:19]
A
Talk a lot.
- [12:19]
B
Yeah.
- [12:20]
A
So like. But it's usually like I always try to keep everything under two hours and you know, a lot of times I do get. Not that I get told but like sometimes people are like, that's not like there must be like not good quality if you're doing them that fast. No, girl, it's 20 years of practice. Like it comes in handy. Also I work on set a lot, photo shoots and you know, music videos and stuff. And that has also like, I think because of all the experience working at a salon and then working on set, I'm just really fast now. You know what I mean?
- [12:49]
B
Experience and everything.
- [12:50]
A
That's all it is. So I don't think it's it's usually. Honestly every client on the regular usually walks out paying like 110 and because I usually just do five clients a day, four to five clients, which is a pretty good day, you know. And then when I do, when I do longer days when I feel like doing it, because I'm usually like, I do get overbooked sometimes. I'll. I'll have like eight client days, you know, but I, I bust them out really quickly. So it's, I love what I do. So I, it's like my clients, my clients come back every month, guaranteed.
- [13:21]
B
Yeah.
- [13:22]
A
And they refer people to. I don't usually open up my books for new clients, but they still. I'm always like, I'm just blessed to be booked all the time.
- [13:29]
B
Yeah.
- [13:29]
A
And I don't mind it. And then the house, the house calls and all the travel fees, those are a different story. But those definitely are over 350 for sure. Like 350 is like my old four year ago, like house call fee that I would charge that I didn't even know if it was good enough.
- [13:46]
B
Yeah.
- [13:46]
A
Yeah. And then because I was having issues in the industry because I'm too nice and I don't know how to charge, you know, I ended up getting with an agency and they helped me book now with the pricing. But even then I don't really like, I still do stuff on my own and I still, I still struggle sometimes because I there at the end I just think like they're just nails. But then it's also just my time and just that three hour, four hour, five hour traffic that I'm sitting in and my back. The back. Oh my God.
- [14:15]
B
Yeah. Your industry is one out of all the beauty Industries that, like, they're you guys in lash text, like, your backs, your. It's just.
- [14:25]
A
Yeah.
- [14:26]
B
For real. And also, like, if you obviously do acrylic, the scent, the monitor, you know,
- [14:33]
A
you up not only in, like, your system, like, your eyes, your eyes dry out.
- [14:37]
B
That's why I see, like, them, like, shielded for real.
- [14:40]
A
You know what's crazy? I don't even wear a mask. People tell me all the time. And in fact, Kiara sky sent me an ill dust collector. Like, girl, freaking use this. And I was like, I've always wanted one, but I've never had one. And that was a game changer. And guess what? It broke and I haven't gotten it fixed, so I'm dusty again.
- [14:57]
B
Oh.
- [14:58]
A
So that means to send her a new one. Thank you. I literally. No, no.
- [15:02]
B
But it on. In all honesty, like, your guys's industry and. And lash text, like, they really do break their back for their client. And I feel like, you know, your guys's industry and we talk about it with my. With other industries. Like, your guys's industry is not, how should I say, you guys should charge your worth because of what you guys go through.
- [15:25]
A
Yeah. And sometimes I'm like, let's charge like hourly. You know, you should. But like, and then like, people are like, oh, why is she so expensive? Oh. And you know what? It's funny because I. I've even heard. I've been. When it comes to like lash text, for example, too, I've been in situations where I've had clients go like, oh, I go to this girl, she's only 40, and she doesn't like in 30 minutes. And I'm like, okay, go there. You know, like, oh, it's so funny because I. I have a close friends, and it's all my clients, all my
- [15:51]
B
friends that close friends.
- [15:53]
A
That's all my clients. I'll put you in there. Come with your delta. I'm gonna get. No, literally no. But it's funny. I have a close friends and I usually constantly. Like, sometimes I forget that I raise my price and I don't even raise it. I'm just like, I. I still give people a discount.
- [16:07]
B
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [16:10]
A
Today I'm like, I forgot to charge a freaking soak off. Like, I forgot to do this, you know, And I'm like. And then like, sometimes the craziest part is I don't want to, like, again, I don't want to get, like, canceled for this. But, like, people don't have to tip. But it has happened where, like, I give people a discount and then like they don't tip me and it was like a big discount and I'm like,
- [16:30]
B
yeah, yeah.
- [16:31]
A
And not the accident of giving them a discount, but like, you know what I mean? Like, I don't know how it works with you, but like, I feel like it happens to a lot of nail techs too because I've heard like people
- [16:39]
B
tell me, yeah, and you know, again, and tipping is such an optional thing, but when you do a little favor,
- [16:45]
A
like, yeah, when you hook people up, it's nice. I don't expect, you know, like, yeah, it could be nothing. It could even be like just the, the way that you are, you know, you could be a little more appreciative maybe. Sometimes I think it just depends on the person.
- [16:57]
B
But I want to know, like with house calls and like celebrity wise, how, how do I word this? Because we don't want to get too cancelled, but I'm dead. Is there like a certain. So you work with. Obviously you work with celebrities. Are you not working with celebrities? How is it now? You know, I want you to kind of explain that with your whole super bowl with Bad Bunny and the nails, I know that they were pressed on, so yes.
- [17:31]
A
So it's so funny because the super bowl and the way I work with celebrities, they don't even touch. They're completely two different things. So with my celebrities, there was a point again, I've been doing nails forever, but I've been doing celebrities for a total of seven years. In December it'll be eight years. So I've been doing them for a long time. Word of mouth, one after another, everybody books me. So like there was a point that I was doing like four to five house calls a day, like driving it all over la, like leaving my house at four in the morning, sleeping in the car sometimes like getting off on the road just to take a little nap. Also, I had no baby, AKA my dog and I had no boyfriend. So I was just like out and about. Yeah, I was working a lot and I'm. I still work on celebrities and I still do photo shoots here and there. I don't do it. It's not like a huge priority. Obviously if they were to book me, I'll make it a priority. But I mainly based out of my shop right now. I took a little. Not that I took a little break from working with my celebrities, but I, I stepped back a little bit because I was overworking myself and it wasn't worth it for me. It was not worth the pain and the struggle and the Mental. It really gets to your head. Especially, like, again, I don't think anybody could compare what I was going through because of how much I was doing. It was really hard. So I had us take a little step back. I wanted. You know, sometimes the industry, it's a very difficult. I mean, just the beauty industry in general, it could be very overwhelming. And I was doing the most. I. Running a whole shop. I was dealing with problems there. Not with my girls, but just like, you know what it is when you have a place, It's a lot. It's not just the pretty salon.
- [19:12]
B
Yeah.
- [19:12]
A
You also have to make sure that this place is pretty and it's not cheap, you know, so everything. I was going through some stuff. I mean, I was. I've been, you know, always doing stuff, but I was going through some stuff at the same time. As I was working a lot. I had. I was having like a. I can't do this anymore. I. I need to feel a little more valued and I. Feeling it. And it wasn't their fault. It was just like, a lot, you know. So I take a little step back. I still do my celebrities, but I don't see them as often. And all of them are also very. They're very mindful. And they'll be like, you live so far. Because I live like two hours from them. Like, you live so far. Like, I'm just gonna go to the shop and then, like, when I need something, if they have a big event, they call me.
- [19:47]
B
Yeah.
- [19:47]
A
You know, but so that's the nice thing about it. And so also, again, I was overworking, and I was tired of overworking. People were telling me, like, you're gonna burn yourself out. And I'm like, there's no such thing. I don't believe in that, I guess. Well, I still don't believe in that, but I do believe in getting a break and taking days off. I used to never have days off.
- [20:03]
B
You.
- [20:04]
A
So I work like 6am to, like, 3 in the morning. Because I would come because I would work a full day shift at my shop because I love what I do. And then I would still drive. Like, I'm going to give you guys, like, I'm going to just name drop a little bit. Like, Kehlani would, like, like, back in the day, she'll call me, like, we come do my nails. And I'll be like, I'm fully booked, but I'm off at 9pm Are you down? It took me an hour and a half to go to her house. I would pull up to her house. And she would be laying in bed. Like, I remember one time she was laying in bed because I, I don't remember what had happened. Like she was already sleeping or whatever. And she, I had like my phone flashlight and I was doing her nails on my, on her bed. Literally like midnight. And then I went home and I had to, I, I was going to the gym at the time at 4 in the morning. So like, I had no, like, I wouldn't even sleep, you know? So like, it was just like one of those things where like, I don't know how to chill. And because I was so tired of that, I. One day I just randomly wanted a dog. I was like, I wanna, I wanna get a dog. And Cheekies has a really big ass fluffy dog. And I'm like, I want a dog like that. What kind of dog is it? And I did my research. Someone, I asked somebody, they're like, oh, that's a golden doodle, by the way. It wasn't even, she has a different dog, but it looks like a gold.
- [21:11]
B
Yeah.
- [21:12]
A
And I was like, I looked into it. Like, I would never. It's too big. Like, unless somebody gave it to me. Girl, I'm not even lying to you. The next day my friend hit me up like, hey, do you know anybody that wants a golden doodle? They're giving it away. And it was a big ass white dog. Oh my gosh. I was like. And so I got him. And he's a really trained dog. He's really well trained. And guess what? I started taking more time off because I had the dog or I would
- [21:35]
B
take him to work with me because I was your baby.
- [21:36]
A
Yeah. But it's funny because I ended up like, what do you call it? I ended up stopping the house calls. Like I was bringing him to house calls. My clients are like, bring him over. He could stay in the backyard or they would let him in the house. But I'm like, that's not professional. But they didn't care because we're my. All my clients are like my friends and family at this point. That's how I treat everybody. So they were like, you just bring him in? Like I would leave him in the car sometimes because I was quick. I was quick, you know. And I would leave the windows down like, he's cool. But they were, they're like, go bring him in. Like, leave him in the backyard or whatever it was. And I was doing that. But I don't want to bring, bringing my dog, you know?
- [22:10]
B
Yeah.
- [22:10]
A
So I started taking time off and I started saying no to house calls that were late at night because I was living at my mom's house at the time. I don't want to leave my mom, my dog to my mom because she was like this big ass dog. She did not.
- [22:21]
B
Yeah.
- [22:22]
A
You know, she was like cool with him, but she's like, no. So I took a break by getting that dog.
- [22:27]
B
So it was like godsend away.
- [22:28]
A
Yes.
- [22:29]
B
Let me show you something real quick. So this is my son. I have a one year old look at my aunt's dog that we dog sits a golden doodle.
- [22:35]
A
Oh my God, it's so cute. It's little. It's little. No, mine is like this big.
- [22:39]
B
He is only 15 weeks.
- [22:41]
A
That's so. Oh yeah, he's gonna get big. He's gonna look at. Oh yeah, I'll show you mine after. He's huge and he is so.
- [22:47]
B
I love him. He's so cute. But guess what? Allergic to him.
- [22:51]
A
The hair.
- [22:51]
B
Yeah, I'm allergic to cats and dogs.
- [22:54]
A
What the heck? So it's like, no, that sucks. I know. No, yeah, but and that's the thing. So because of my dog, I was, I took a break. I learned to go. Yeah. And then like again, this is so crazy. And maybe this is not part of like the beauty podcast, but like, because I've always worked so much since I was so young, I never really had time to really date date, if you know what date date means. Like, and serious.
- [23:15]
B
Yeah.
- [23:16]
A
Like I would go out and stuff, but I never really dated. And so like, I actually like my first official boyfriend. I got one like a year and a half ago and I'm with him. And that also taught me how to slow down because he was like, you do a lot. Like, you're crazy. And then that's when I realized, like, oh my God, I do. I needed take some time off. And it's really nice to have a regular life now.
- [23:36]
B
So what's your schedule?
- [23:38]
A
Really random. I have. I take Sundays and Tuesdays off even though I work today and it's a Tuesday. I take Sundays and Tuesdays off and Mondays and Fridays I work 8, 10 and 12 only clients. And then Wednesdays and Thursdays I do like 2, 4, 6 and 8. Like that. Like that's it. So I take a lot of time. Saturdays. Yeah, Saturdays I work 6am to like 1pm because I don't like to take days off. So I just do early days so I could go home.
- [24:07]
B
Yeah.
- [24:07]
A
You know what I mean? And also if a house call celebrity of a photo Shoot calls. I rearrange things. My clients are super flexible. They already know the drill, you know. Yeah.
- [24:18]
B
Some.
- [24:18]
A
Like a.
- [24:18]
B
Tea about these celebrities. Okay. Oh, you know. So tell me about the whole super bowl thing, because let me. Let me.
- [24:25]
A
Let me.
- [24:25]
B
Before you start that. That's kind of how we found you, girl. Marlo was the one, right? Marlo. He was the one that we need to get her. Like, we understood the whole thing that you posted about your.
- [24:37]
A
And it was a huge misunderstanding. If you go look at the comments, you'll see what I mean, because I'm not going to talk about nobody. But it was so. It was crazy. And, like, I'm going to. I want to definitely. I have not talked about it at all.
- [24:48]
B
Let's talk about it.
- [24:49]
A
And I've been wanting to talk about it because everyone wanted a story time, and I have not had time for a story time because, believe it or not, the super bowl really up my schedule.
- [24:57]
B
Really.
- [24:58]
A
Because of how everything went down. Like, you guys even, like, for example, even, like one of the. I think it was Pro Nails magazine. They interviewed me. Like, they reached out to me because they wanted to interview just a quick little, you know, and when I did it, when I reached out to them, when they reached out to me, I didn't know that my answer was going to be what they were going to put in the article.
- [25:23]
B
So they asked you a question, and
- [25:25]
A
then they were like. They're like, do you mind if we do this? Is this. And I'm like, yeah. And then I kind of gave them a. I gave them an explanation of what happened. I thought they were going to ask me more. They didn't. They just put that in the article, which is fine. Yeah, it was fine. But I wish I would have given more credit to, like, my helpers type thing. You know what I mean? Yeah. So this is going to be the. Where I'm gonna give everybody credit because it's a really cool story. So I actually. Because it's funny because when the whole super bowl thing happened a lot. I don't know if you saw, but a lot of people were talking about how they got reached out to, like, the people that got married on the Super Bowl. They were like, oh, yeah, yeah. This person reached out to me and this person. So for me, I used to work with Becky G. So I think it's like her creative manager, I believe she reached out to me. She was going to be a part of the creative department for the Super Bowl. I had no idea, by the way, what was going on it was literally on February 2nd. I'm going to go into it. February 2nd was actually the Grammys.
- [26:14]
B
Uh huh.
- [26:15]
A
So. And then the ninth was the Super Bowl. So a day before, a day before the Grammys, I was busy because I was like doing Kehlani and other stuff, you know. Daniela, she reached out to me and she said, hey, Weens, by any chance. I know it's last minute, but this was a Friday by the way, or a Thursday night. She said, by any chance, are you available to make me? She said, I think for no. She said, can you make me eight sets of press ons by Sunday?
- [26:43]
B
So eight sets? So it's four, right?
- [26:45]
A
Yeah. So she reached out to me on, on a Thursday night, like late at night, asking if I can do eight sets of press ons for Sunday. And mind you, I didn't know what it was for. I didn't ask her because whatever, it's just business. I didn't ask her what it was for. And I'm thinking, all I could think of in my head is like, she probably has a client going to the Grammys because it was the weekend of the Grammys. I'm like, if she needs them by Sunday morning, that means she needs them for the Grammys. Maybe there's going to be performers because she asked for double set of the nails. And I was like, look, I'm super booked right now. I'm super booked, but I can make it happen. And she was like, okay, I'll get back to you. Copy. So I was just chilling, minding my life, and I have one of my nail techs at my salon. And I was like, hey, I'm so stressed out. I'm like, are you busy this weekend? And she's like, yeah, I'm booked. But like, what's up? And I'm like, they asked me to do some nails, like some press ons. It's probably for like, for some artists, like nonchalant. I think it's for some artists. Yeah, like, because I don't know why, like I don't know what it's for. And she's like, yeah, I'll help you. And I'm like, they're supposed to be very simple, like very nude with like brown vibes. And I showed her a picture of like what she sent me the reference and she was like, okay. She's like, yeah, I'm down to help you, but okay, we'll just do them tomorrow, like Saturday after work because I was off at 4. I'm like, after sad on Saturday, we'll just make everything. It'll be quick. It's only eight sets, right? So the next day comes and Daniela hits me and she's like, hey, weens, I'm gonna send you the NDA that they approved. Whatever. And then I gave them also, like, my ratings and they approved it. They were like. And I can't really tell you much until you sign the NDA, mind you. I have all sorts of NDAs. Like, if it was legal, I would put them on a wall. Because it. I'm so. I have, like, you. I can't even. I don't want to. You know, I have all kinds of NDAs, and they're no big deal to me. There's just another contract when I go to work, you know. So she sent the NDA, and of course, I'm already used to this. I didn't even read the NDA. I didn't read who it was for. I was just trying to get paid, you know?
- [28:41]
B
Yeah.
- [28:41]
A
So she's like, I'm going to send it to you. And I was busy, so she was kind of blowing me up. Kind of like, winnie, don't forget. Don't forget. So I could tell you. And then she's like, okay. So I signed it really quickly and I sent it over. I didn't read it. I did read, like, the name, but I didn't recognize, like, it was like a label. I didn't think to look it upwards. And so she's like, I'm by. By the. She literally said, well, by reading the contract, you probably already know what it's for. Wink, wink. I still had no idea because I was not paying attention.
- [29:11]
B
Yeah.
- [29:12]
A
Because I was so busy. Yeah. And I'm like, girl, as long as I sign that thing, I don't care, you know? Yeah.
- [29:16]
B
Because you're going to get paid no matter what.
- [29:17]
A
And also, all I'm thinking is, this is for the grant for. This is for the Grammys. Yeah. And I'm thinking, is there a girl band that needs four? Like a four people girl band? Why do they need eight sets? And it's doubles. So then she ends up, like, calling me. So she ends up like, oh, I'm going to jump on a call now that you signed it. And I'm like, okay. So I'm like, cleaning my salon. And she goes, oh, yeah. So Super Bowl. She brings up that it's for the Super Bowl. And I'm like, shining bricks because I haven't again, I took a little break from, like, working a lot, like, in the celebrity industry.
- [29:48]
B
Yeah.
- [29:48]
A
And it's been really slow this year for me, so I've been very, like, chill. Like, oh, nothing big is gonna happen this year.
- [29:54]
B
Like, yeah, yeah.
- [29:55]
A
And next thing you know, it's like, oh. She's like, oh, it's for the Super Bowl. You know, Bad Bunny's gonna be dancing with a few people, and we need these nails to. They're gonna be, like, not cameos. But she's like, they're gonna be, you know, like, we want some good nails for the. Like, these dancers. And I was, like, shook. Like, like, what? It's. Yes, I'm my face. But then things change. I don't want to do basic nails for the freaking Super Bowl.
- [30:20]
B
So now you're, like, have less than 24 hours to get these nails.
- [30:25]
A
Because she said by Sunday and it's Saturday. Wait, I'm like, the super bowl is till next week. But she said it's because we. We're gonna. We're gonna go rehearse and stuff. They had to go over there, and we want to rehearse with the nails on. Okay. So now I'm, like, freaking out, but I'm like, well, she still wants these little basic nails. They were for the orchestra. It makes sense now. But orchestra doesn't even get nails because, you know, whatever. So I did. I remember they finally. They wanted me to approve. They wanted to approve the looks before doing them. And I didn't know how to put it into paper. It was like, I need. I have a vision in my head, and I'm going to show it to you. Because we. When we finally got on the call, she told me what the scenes were going to be like. For example, the nails. The nail sets I made for it were for the. You guys probably didn't even pay attention. But when. When Bad Bunny gets to the part where it's like New York, when they're all dancing. Oh, yeah, yeah. Barbershop. And there's.
- [31:19]
B
And then they're. Yeah, yeah. And then there's two ladies sitting right.
- [31:24]
A
Yes.
- [31:25]
B
Okay.
- [31:25]
A
Well, when. When. Yeah, they were braiding hair. Yeah. So, yeah, in that area, if you guys remember, there was three girls that were dancing on him kind of. There was, like, three main girls right outside the barbershop. The nails I made were supposed to be for those three girls. I was also told I was going to make the nails for the nail tech and the, like, the client, which I was super stoked. I'm like, I'm so sorry. I'm like. Because they had originally only booked me for those eight Nails. But they were like, oh, can we actually add. Can we add five more sets? They were like, can you do the three sets for the dancer and the two sets for the nail salon scene? Mind you, I didn't know what nail salon scene meant. I just knew that there was going to be a nail salon.
- [32:01]
B
Yeah.
- [32:02]
A
But me as a nail tech. Oh, we're going to go all out. We need to go all out.
- [32:06]
B
So it went from four to what?
- [32:08]
A
To 13? And mind you, it wasn't four. It was eight.
- [32:12]
B
Oh, my God, let me go.
- [32:13]
A
It was eight sets, and then it was five extras on top. So it was 13.
- [32:18]
B
Wow.
- [32:19]
A
So the. The craziest part was it was a lot. They. Because then they told me what they kind of wanted, like, the vibe that they were going for. And I used to create a direct for other companies before. So I have a vision for the nails, obviously. Yeah. And if you work in the industry with photoshoots, no matter how nice you want to go, they always want to go clean, you know, unfortunately. So they told me this is. They. They sent me some inspo for what they wanted for the orchestra, but they were like, we're going to let you freestyle for the nail techs and for the. They're like, for the dancers, we want to do, like, classy. No, they were like, for the dancers, we want to go, like, very New York, Puerto Rico vibe. Okay. They said. And then for the nail tech scene, they were like, they need to be really long and extravagant. And I said, that's my shit. That's my shit. I'm doing it right. And then I asked colors. I asked for every little detail, because I didn't. Because we didn't have a lot of time, because now you want this all done by Sunday. Okay.
- [33:15]
B
So this is Saturday.
- [33:17]
A
This is Saturday. And they want me. They want to approve the looks. So I'm sending. And I'm like, I can't just draw them out. I need to make them. I'm not kidding, you guys, because a lot of people were talking trash because they don't know the situation. They're like, oh, those are so basic. That's all you did for the Super Bowl. No, I had the most. You guys. I sculpted a whole Statue of Liberty on a nail at some point to show them as one of the samples. Because I was gonna. You just told me it's for the Super Bowl. I'm not about to give you some basic stuff. This is insane. So I sculpted statues. I did the taxi. Like the.
- [33:53]
B
Yeah.
- [33:53]
A
With the.
- [33:55]
B
Can we insert it Somewhere here, Marlo.
- [33:57]
A
Yeah. So I'm going to show you. I actually have pictures of what I originally had made. I was still trying to be because they told me not to go too crazy, but I did, like, a lot of cute little nails. I did. I'm not lying to you guys. I took longer making the samples that. That were not approved after all.
- [34:11]
B
Yeah.
- [34:12]
A
So it was really difficult because they were, like, you know, hurried up a little bit for the nail tech scene. For example, they asked me to do a really extravagantly long set, and I sent them some inspo. And then they. They approved it, like, the. The colors and stuff. So now I was going to make them the sample. And I was smart enough to only do one hand. I should have brought them because I could have flushed you guys. They said they told me to go, like, you know, not tropical, but like the Florida Maga. They really wanted that to be a thing because it's the Puerto Rican flag. They wanted a Florida Maga. I asked them if red was fine. They said yes, and, you know, blinged out whatever the hell. They wanted a fun set. So they told me it was supposed to be a fun set. And in my head, I knew what I wanted to bring. So all the nail techs could be like, those are badass. Yeah. So I made these really nice nails. We're gonna put them so you guys can see them. They were so pretty. Okay. I took, like, two hours on them because I made a really big flower. Not even two hours. I think I did it faster, but I was just so tired. I don't remember. And then for the nail. For the nail tech. For the client. Oh, no, no. Those are for the milk. For the. For the nail that. They're for the client. For the nail tech, I. I wanted to put my own twist with everything going on with, like, ice and stuff. I want it to be more symbolic. And I made these really extra, extra, extra long duct tip nails. And I put melted ice on the top. Oh, and if you go to my page, if you go down to where the. I didn't pin the super bowl, but if you go down, I took three pictures back to back. And the big red nails are the ones I made for the. Originally for the client. And then you'll see the ice nails that I made originally for that. And then you'll see the post. But it's crazy because I did not know they didn't get approved just because they were like you. They're like, you delivered. We didn't think they were gonna look like that extravagant. Like, that's really good. But it's too much for camera. And that was so sad because I feel like everyone would be like, those are bomb. And the nail text would have been like. Because I knew that that scene of the super bowl was gonna be like really iconic, you know, which is cool because also we were told they were just going to be dancers. And it turned out that it was like a real nail tech. So I'm like, oh my God, I'm gonna do the nails for the real nail tech. Like, that's so sick. That was what my mind was, you know, that's the person that was doing
- [36:23]
B
the nails was a real nail tech.
- [36:24]
A
Yeah, she was a real nail tech. Yes. I found out later. I tagged her in my post and everything. But either way I was doing. I was booked to do nails for her and the client. And that's like so big. Like they were going to be on screen. Like, that's huge. You know, so whatever we did that, we ended up. They ended up not approving those nails. They were like, this is too much. They just want like a French tip instead. And they want. For the nail tech. For the nail tech, they want just like a yellow French tip. Like the color of the casita. Yellow.
- [36:53]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [36:54]
A
With like a bunch of piercings. You know, if you're nail tech, you know how long it takes to pierce a nail. There was three piercings on each nail.
- [37:02]
B
So that's like the, the hole in the.
- [37:05]
A
Yeah, yeah, the whole. And we did three nails on we. Three holes on each. Mind you, we have no time. So they. Instead they got like an extra, extra long coffin. Like a square yellow French tip, pastel yellow double coat. You if you know, you know, it was hard, the holes, everything, it was very basic. But it was really nice. Okay. So I did 10 of. So we ended up doing that 10 of 10 nails. And then for the client, they wanted another French tip set. Like a Rosario style. And I. They were really nice. They were super pretty. They just weren't what I was thinking about or like.
- [37:35]
B
Yeah, something that.
- [37:36]
A
Yeah, but it's okay because it was still going to be nice. It was still going to work out. I make these nails. I. I literally slept on the floor at my salon that night because they were not done in my nail techs. All my assistants, I hired three girls. They ended up. They ended up leaving like at three in the morning. We'll come back tomorrow because they are all just as stressed out as I was with these nails. That's what people don't know, I slept on the floor. It was freezing. I had nothing. But I didn't want to go home because I wasn't a waste time because I went to sleep like at 4. I woke up at 6 to keep going, you know, because the nails were not approved yet. And it was now Sunday morning. So when.
- [38:10]
B
When did you have to be one of the.
- [38:11]
A
Well, I told her, like, girl, you guys are asking for a lot now. Like, I. I'm super down. But it's. It's not. I'm. I'm. I need. Like, I can't. I need more time. She said, okay, well, the. The last person that's traveling to the rehearsal is leaving on Monday, so can you do them by Monday night? And I'm like, yes, but girl, we still hadn't even approved looks until Monday morning. So I ended up telling her, like, they were like, we're gonna fly you out. And I was like, okay, like, now I'm stressing out because now I'm canceling work. I was busy. I was canceling clients because I had to do this. Finally, we get the nails done. We. It took a long time. We get the nails done Tuesday morning. She told me ship. They ended up telling me not to fly out. They were gonna do. They were gonna overnight ship them. So they were like, overnight ship them Tuesday so we can have them by Wednesday. I think that's what they said. And I said, perfect. So again, you guys, this is the part that gets really sad, okay? I made again a total of 13 nail sets. Okay? We busted our ass. After we finished, we made these really cute packaging, like the little for nail. Like the nail glue the nail. Yeah, we made the whole thing. Okay. We shipped them an expensive ass shipment, by the way, because it's overnight. I do the overnight shipping and I let my friend know. Hey, girl, they're sent. You will get them by tomorrow. Mind you, tomorrow is the rehearsal day.
- [39:39]
B
Oh my God.
- [39:39]
A
She said, amazing. You're so fudgeing. Great. We love you because I got this done. You know, we ended up going with basic sets, but I don't think they're that basic. They're cute. You'll see them on my Instagram as well. You guys. I ship them and they were supposed to arrive at 8am the next day. Mind you, I'm still trying to catch up with my sleep because I'm working and I was doing all this.
- [39:59]
B
Yeah.
- [40:00]
A
So now it's Wednesday morning and I woke up like at 1pm and I had to go to work at 3. So I go I got to go. So I was. No. You know what happened? I'm lying to you. After I delivered those nails, Daniela said, did you send extras? Oh, I didn't send extras. I only sent exactly 10. 10, 10, 10, 10. Because I was so overwhelmed. I know that we're supposed to send extras for press ons, but I was so overwhelmed on time.
- [40:25]
B
You forgot.
- [40:26]
A
No, I didn't forget. I was just gonna try to, like, not that I. I was trying to get away with like, okay, well, they're just for staging. We're going to be fine. But then I'm like, they better stick on. Because then I heard that they were going to glue them on on Wednesday and they had to last till Sunday. Oh. And I was like, no. What? Why? I should be there. I should be on set, like, making sure the thing falls off. That's what. You know? Yeah. And so I was freaking out. Like, not only did I. Did I take so long, these nails might fucking fall off because people are doing them themselves. Oh, I was stressing out. You know, Also I did a universal size, what I assume is going to fit them. They might not fit them. You know what I'm saying? So I just. I just worked so much and I might not even like, I. And this might be horrible, but it's still going to work out because they're going to use the nails, right? So as soon as I dropped them off, I went straight. She texted me like, did you make extras? And I'm like, girl, I didn't have time. Like, I wanted to, but I didn't. And I'm like, if you want, I'll make extras tonight and I'll send them. That way you can have them at least. At least you'll have the nails by tomorrow. But then if you need extras, you'll have them before Sunday for sure.
- [41:27]
B
Yeah.
- [41:27]
A
She said, perfect, you guys. I. After I dropped them off, I went to my salon. I deep clean because I had left a mess from doing all the nails. I did clean my shop. I packed my kit and I took it to my. I have another, like a. Another warehouse where I work out of. I took my nail stuff, I pulled an all nighter and all the nails that my assistants helped me make, I doubled up on them myself. All nighter. I started out one at midnight and I was done by 11. By 12pm you in the. I did. I pulled an all nighter and I redid everything because I was like, you know what? They're gonna charge me an arm and a leg again. I'm not about to send them just three nails per set. I made ten again. 10, 10, 10, 10. 10 of all 13 of them.
- [42:11]
B
Oh.
- [42:13]
A
But this second package, I didn't send them extra glues or extra, like, because I had sent that in the first.
- [42:19]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [42:20]
A
So Daniela hits me and she goes, weens, can you track the package? Because we haven't received it. And it was 2:00pm oh, it was 2:00pm and I was like, 2:00pm when? On. On. Technically on Wednesday. On, like, the day that they needed them. Yeah, Rehearsal. The first day of rehearsal.
- [42:36]
B
Okay, so for the first.
- [42:37]
A
Yes. For the first package, supposed to arrive at 8am it had not arrived. And she said, wings are not here. And I'm like, what? So then I'm checking, and they lost the package. They lost the package of the damn super bowl nails. And I'm like, well, you know what the good thing is that I'm sending you a whole 10. Good thing. I made a hole, like, you know what I mean? I made the whole sets of all the nails again.
- [43:06]
B
Yeah.
- [43:06]
A
But now the problem is that that package doesn't have glues. Oh, my.
- [43:12]
B
I was. I would have been in it.
- [43:14]
A
I was. Because I'm like, y' all should have just blown me out.
- [43:17]
B
Yeah. Yeah.
- [43:17]
A
Because now we're spending more money overnight shipping all this that you guys didn't even get. Sorry for my language. I was stressed. So, you guys, that one ends up arriving the next day, which is on Thursday.
- [43:29]
B
So it did arrive.
- [43:30]
A
The second one. The first one lost. Got lost. It never arrived. It never. It arrived, like, after this rule, like, two days later. And I was so angry because, you know, but at this point, I'm like, you know what? I did my part. I did send the nails, but I had no. I was just. I'm like, they're not going to use the nails. They're not going to use them because they don't have the glue. But then I was like, well, what if they have a nail tech? They have to have a nail tech on set. You know, someone has to help them for glam. So I still had a little bit of faith, but I just knew in my heart that they weren't going to use the nails anymore. Because also, things change sometimes. Wardrobe changes sometimes. I mean, nails is a big deal when you're dancing, you don't need a long nail. So maybe, you know, anything can go wrong when it comes to stuff like this. It's not the first time that I get booked for something and I don't end up getting. You know, it doesn't drop or whatever. So she told me, you know, the package never arrived. We got the second one. She's like, I gave it to Glam and that's it. Like, I don't know from here. I don't know if they're going to use them or not. So then I just had to wait until the day of to see if they use them, which they didn't. And so when I posted that, I. I still wanted to. To post what the work that I did, you know, because it was a really hard three to four days.
- [44:44]
B
So they, they used. They used the second.
- [44:48]
A
They didn't use any of them. They used none of them.
- [44:54]
B
What the.
- [44:56]
A
So imagine how it is. And you know what? I get it. It's the biggest stage. Whatever. I. I don't.
- [45:01]
B
So what did you post? That's where people are getting confused.
- [45:03]
A
I know. I. I made it very clear. I posted the nails that I made for the super bowl that were not used. It says clearly in the caption. There were a lot of people were not reading it. A lot of people were not. Actually a lot of people did read it, but some people, I was getting. If you go back, a lot of people, not a lot, but like, some people were sending their people to be like, you're just taking the spotlight, whatever. I'm like, no, if you look at my page, I've been doing this for years. I get booked to do these things. You know what I'm saying? I'm like, mouth dropped, girl. I. I was very. To me, it was more upsetting at the fact that I didn't sleep for days. But things like this happen all the time, you know? But my post was clearly like, you know what? I'm going to give myself credit for working these four damn days. This is the work that I put that I made that did not get used. You know what I'm saying?
- [45:49]
B
So I'm going to show you guys.
- [45:50]
A
I'm going to show you guys. And it was very clear. And a lot of people were posting about it. They're like, oh, master, when you made these nails and they were not used, everybody understood that. But some people did it and they were like, wait, I'm confused. I need a story time. So this is a story time because I feel like it was very important to tell people, like, what, really? Because I saw a lot of. I saw another designer that made clothes for. I think the dancers are for Bad Bunny. He. Which is way more difficult because that's clothing that's like, designer didn't get used no, they booked him, I guess, and he didn't end. They ended up not using it. And he made a post just like mine. He said what could. He said what was supposed to be on the Super Bowl. He made a post like that. And when I saw it, I'm like, okay, so I'm not crazy for posting my work that I did because I was kind of getting for like posting my work that wasn't there. And I'm like, girl, I, you know, I still did the job.
- [46:35]
B
She said it here, folks. She said it here first.
- [46:38]
A
Yeah.
- [46:39]
B
Insane.
- [46:41]
A
That's my super bowl drama because I literally. That was probably the most upsetting thing for me maybe this year. Not literally, but like, things happen all the time. You get double booked, you get. Things can't get canceled. You know, it's not a big deal. But it was. I think it was the fact that it was like bad Bunny and it's like there was a nail scene. It would have been very nice to see my nails on the nail tech and the client, you know, which the ntech ended up bringing gloves, I believe so. Like, wow. Yeah. And I'm like, we're like, wow. All our, we work all these hours,
- [47:10]
B
but do they pay you?
- [47:11]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're going to get paid. So that's a good thing. Good.
- [47:14]
B
At least that. Wow. That was, that was a long story. That was some tea. Okay, well, let's, let's move on from that, okay. Because shit, girl, let's get into like the business side of nails because, you know, there's a lot of controversy of like, do they charge their worth or, you know. Yeah. How much can a nail tech realistically make if they're serious?
- [47:40]
A
Realistically?
- [47:41]
B
Realistically.
- [47:42]
A
I mean, they can make a lot of money. I mean, they can make a lot of money. It's just. You just have to kind of know where you're putting your money. Like, you know, like, you have to write. You have to be fast, you said.
- [47:53]
B
Yeah, like as in like some nail techs take four hours.
- [47:57]
A
Yes. And you need to be fast for sure. I'm not going to lie. If you're taking more than three to four hours, I'll give you three. If you're taking more than four hours on a client, you're not, you're not going to make the money that you want to make, especially if you're not charged. If you're charging what. What people are paying. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, I think that's. And it's also like, I get it if you Take long. Like, you're doing it perfectly. You have to, you have to practice a lot. You need to, you need to perfect it so you can be fast and you don't have to worry about no retention or none of that. You know what I'm saying? But I feel like if you have a, you know, a fully booked clientele, like, you can make a lot of money. Like, I know a lot of. I mean, I have a lot of friends that they, you know, they own houses, they own cars. They ever, you know, like, they have every. You can be very successful. You can make good money if you have a stable clientele. And if you keep, if you're, if you organize yourself and you just, like, you
- [48:53]
B
become an expert into your craft.
- [48:55]
A
Yes.
- [48:56]
B
Right.
- [48:56]
A
I think the more that you, the more you practice, the better you're going to get at it and then the easier it's going to be for you. You know, I, I don't want to give. Everybody makes different amount of. Amounts of money, you know, but you can make, you can make a good amount of money. I know that.
- [49:11]
B
You also like mentioned the whole booth renting thing too, right?
- [49:15]
A
Yes.
- [49:17]
B
So I, you know, a lot of people get kind of discouraged when, you know, they don't really know what to do after school.
- [49:27]
A
Like. Yes. You know, also a lot of p. This depends. There's two types of nail techs out of school. The one that went to school because she's been waiting to get her license, and the one that just went for fun because she wanted to try something new. You know what I'm saying? And when you're, when you're, when you already went with that mentality of like, I just, that, that was me. Like, I just needed my license so I can get going. Those are the ones that usually do very well. Because when you come in, you have to have a mindset of, like, I'm gonna kill it, I'm gonna do this. Like, you have to have a mindset of everything you want to get done. Because if you don't, a lot of times I have newbies because I, I do classes and they'll be like, I don't know, like, how do I start? Or what do I do? I'm like, you just have to be really focused and you have to, you know, you can't give up on this. Yeah.
- [50:11]
B
Yeah.
- [50:12]
A
A lot of times I actually tell people because everyone. A lot of girls are independent based. Everybody wants to do booth rental or they have their own suite, which is cool, but a lot of people can do that. Because they don't have the clientele yet. I always tell people this is my advice.
- [50:25]
B
Is this is what you recommend?
- [50:26]
A
Like yes. My advice is always like I always tell them go work at a salon that takes walk ins. We're going to the volunteer walk ins. That way you can, you can practice your pace and you can actually gain some clients out of that. Especially if there's walk ins, you know, and there's new people. That's like the best thing to do for a beginner. I always say that at least because you're not going to grow. Just, you know, I mean you can make content and you can get some followers and you can get some clients off of that. But I think the practice is really important. When I started I was working at a salon. My mom's a hairstylist so I grew up in the industry so I would, after school I would sit and do nails. And then at some point she was at a, she worked at a swap meet, like a hair salon and a swap meet. So like all my little friends that would go with their moms to work, I would do their nails. That's how I, I really got the practice, you know. And because I started so young, it was a little easier back then. So in high school all my friends would come get their nails done by me. So if you're young, you're still a perfect time to like, I mean, even if you're older. But when you're younger I feel like it's easier for you to. Because you have all these friends. Yeah. You know, and there's more opportunity also when in general in life, when you're younger, you have more opportunities to do everything. It is what it is, you know what I'm saying? That's just it. So when you're younger, if you're young, do the most. I think that's why I'm like step like I sit back a little bit now because I saw, yeah, I remember my 16 year old self like that was like my, no, my prime was probably when I was like 20, I was wild in like house calls and everything. But yeah, I think just you know, focus on, on what you really want to do which is like the nails and yeah. Get good at it.
- [52:03]
B
And I feel like also too like you see a lot of, you know, for example, I opened up my salon when I was 24 because I was so driven. You know, there's some 20 year olds or younger crowds that are kind of younger people. I should say that you just have to be the right person in A way, like, you do either one or you don't.
- [52:22]
A
I always say that. That's why it's hard, because you just said that you were 24. I opened my first salon at 19. Dang. Yes. And then I. I didn't open another one. I relocated it, like, later. I had, like, little sweets out to myself, and then I opened it again because I'm, like, in and out of, like, you know, working with girls is a lot. And so my first salon, I had a lot of girls, and I was also very young, so I learned my lessons there. And then I closed it. I had suites. I just. I love to move. So I was always, like, sweet to sweet, like, cute. Decorating different locations. I'm all over the place. And then I opened up another one in 2023, I believe. And because of my landlord, I had to shut it. But that one was very less girls as well. So I think it just depends if you really want it. I always say that. Like, sometimes I used to. I used to stress out so much because owning a salon is a lot of responsibility.
- [53:11]
B
The overhead is ridiculous.
- [53:12]
A
And, like, I'm not going to lie. In the past, I've had, like, I used to have, like, you girls are mean. Girls are just. They have attitudes. And I would get people that would be like, oh, you. You know, you wanted to do this. And it's like, well, yeah, there's. There's always going to be girls that want to be renters, and there's girls that want to be salon owners, but, you know, chop them up and just. Just like you. We want to be salon owners.
- [53:33]
B
Yeah.
- [53:33]
A
And, you know, it's okay to be a renter. Yeah, it is. No, but not the same. You cannot, like, you need to give credit to a business owner, like a salon owner. And so I'm giving you that credit right now, in case no one ever tells you. Because I know what it's like to run a shop. It's hard, and it's hard, you know?
- [53:49]
B
Yeah. The overhead and just, like, I have AP8 girls here. Oh, yeah. So, you know, dealing with, like, not only, like, their personalities, I got to make sure that everyone. So when they come and they want to work here. Right. And they want to booth rent, you kind of have to, like, not interview them, but without, like, having them, like, oh, you're.
- [54:11]
A
No, I get, like, hiring them, you know, but you kind of got to
- [54:14]
B
get the vibe of, like, are they going to get along with not only me, but with everybody, you know, so I've had so many girls There was a time that I was open up for booth rental, and I was like, we have a room available, X, Y, and Z or whatever. And, you know, a lot of girls hit me up, and I went through multiple girls, and I was like, you know, I'll let you know, kind of we'll talk about it. But I already knew from the moment. I just need the first 15. 15 seconds of me. I can already tie, like, know the vibe if it's gonna work out or
- [54:44]
A
not, you know, and it's very important, especially with when you have a business, because the energy is like, it carries everything. Yeah. So, yeah, what was the question that brought us here? I'm like, I got a lot. I talk a lot.
- [54:58]
B
Let's move on. No, we're gonna move on. We're gonna move on. What's something clients do that secretly annoy?
- [55:02]
A
Nail, text. You know what's funny? I was just thinking about this the other day, and now I forgot. But I do have something that annoys me, so. And it might not be a big deal, but I was. I was actually telling my client the other day, I'm like, you know what I hate? Sometimes a lot of my clients will get here a little earlier or they'll get here right on time. And my next client is barely leaving, so all I need is like a minute to like, disinfect my section. Oh, yeah.
- [55:29]
B
I hate when they're early too.
- [55:30]
A
And they. As soon as my client gets up, they walk over and they sit and they put their. Their tumbler down Their. Their Stanley. I'm like, I'm cleaning the table. That bothers me so much. It's like my biggest pet peeve. Like, let me clean the damn table. Like, you can sit there, but don't put your stuff on the table yet. I have to disinfect it. That irritates me. I. I probably crushed out a little bit, but I'm like, let me clean that. I know. It's so stupid, but that's like the. The. That's like something that bothers me so much, you know? Or like when they. I don't care when they're on their phone, but, like, just don't move. I'm. I'm really good. I'm really good at doing art. And, like, you can move. I'm really good at it, but there's extents weird. When I drink coffee, I'm not shaky at all. But when I don't drink coffee, I could feel all your movements.
- [56:20]
B
That's crazy.
- [56:20]
A
I know. I'm like the opposite. I Could feel everything when I don't drink coffee.
- [56:24]
B
No. That's so funny they said that because I just. That one thing that drives me insane. I have a client. I have a couple clients. Okay. That arrived 40 minutes before their appointment.
- [56:35]
A
40. Well, the good thing is you have a waiting area.
- [56:37]
B
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I'm like, you're going to wait the full 40?
- [56:41]
A
Like, it's in your. It's like a. I can.
- [56:44]
B
I can understand 10 minutes early, you know, But I have my. You know, I just have my clients. I love to be 40 minutes or 30 minutes early. 40. And I'm like, I really am so
- [56:53]
A
still with the client. That's a lot. Yeah.
- [56:55]
B
So, yeah, I can understand you on that one.
- [56:56]
A
Yeah. And I don't usually. Again, there's times where I'm like, not on time. Maybe it's okay, but just don't sit in the chair if it's not disinfected yet. It's so stupid. I know.
- [57:05]
B
Yeah, but, you know, if you get.
- [57:07]
A
If, you know, you know. Okay, let.
- [57:09]
B
We're gonna. We're almost done here, so we're gonna get into our last two juicy questions. What's the biggest red flag when a client sits in your chair?
- [57:18]
A
My biggest red flag is when a new client comes in and it's like, oh, my other nail tech charged me this much, and they didn't even last. Or they didn't. Oh, I hate old talking shit. Yes. And one. You know what? I. I didn't want to bring it up, but one time, someone actually was like, how much is it gonna cost me? Because this other person charges me this much, and, like, I thought it was too much, and they came off, like, right away. And. But you were going to this person for so long, and all of a sudden, don't talk. Because, you know what? Now I don't want to do your nails because they're gonna.
- [57:49]
B
Maybe they're gonna talk bad about you.
- [57:51]
A
I don't want to do your nails anymore. You shouldn't talk like, no, that. That's. That's the biggest red flag for me at least, because it's happened. It's happened a few times, only with potential new people. Like, I. You know, they'll recognize me on the street sometimes, and they'll be like, oh, like, how much do you charge? And I'll be like, well, I mean, I can't really give you a price, but, you know, and then that when they start saying, oh, I. When they. When they talk bad about another service provider, it's like, I Don't want to take you. You're about it. You're about to talk about me too. Like, yeah, that's. That's my number one top one. I hate it.
- [58:22]
B
Yeah, I know. I've interacted with clients like that, and I'm like, oh, I don't even know, kind of. I just know you're gonna be talking about me, and sometimes I don't even see them again, so I'm like, oh, you really talking about me?
- [58:34]
A
Not that you never saw them again. I just. I've. I've dodged a few bullets. I'm like, damn. I want to do it because. I want to do it because I love my job. Yeah, but you got. Again, how many times did I say that? But. But I'm not gonna. Like, it's just. It's giving bad energy. It's not even about. You're gonna talk about me. It's just bad energy.
- [58:52]
B
Yeah.
- [58:53]
A
That's all.
- [58:54]
B
Well, we're almost done with this podcast, and I want to thank you so much.
- [58:56]
A
Thank you.
- [58:57]
B
But before we end, I'm gonna. I'm gonna hit it with you guys. I'm gonna. I'm gonna give the best question, one of the best questions. Okay. This is for all the newbies. Okay. If someone wants to start today, what would be your advice for step one?
- [59:10]
A
My advice would be get started. First of all, get your stuff. Do it on your own. But when you decide to go professional and when you decide to go to school, don't do your research on finding the best school, because all the schools teach the exact same thing, and they teach all the basic stuff. You're gonna have to, like. If you really want to perfect your craft, you're gonna have to go to, like, those classes that they do. Like, you know, a lot of nail tech class certifications. Go to certifications. You can learn online. You can actually learn on YouTube. You can take courses with people. If you really, really want to get started and you want to get good. That's my recommendation for getting started, going, taking classes and find a school. Find, like, the cheapest school, because a lot of times they're overpriced and they're all the same.
- [59:54]
B
Yeah. And you don't really. You just get.
- [59:56]
A
You just need your license. You just. Yeah, don't. Don't do all that. Yeah. And then as soon as. As soon as you can again, I said it earlier, but my advice to people that want to get clientele that are very, very beginners. Very, very beginners, Very, very early into their journey, you guys should look into maybe working at a salon that has high foot traffic so you guys can gain practice and clientele. People are not salty if you take clients, but. Yeah, you know what I mean?
- [60:22]
B
Yeah.
- [60:23]
A
I don't know. That sounds weird, but it's true, though,
- [60:25]
B
because a lot of the times it's like, you know, they. They hire.
- [60:30]
A
What.
- [60:31]
B
What's the say? Like, we can't hire you because you don't have experience. Well, how the am I gonna get
- [60:36]
A
experience if I can't even get a job? No.
- [60:40]
B
In the first place.
- [60:40]
A
Yeah, experience. Yeah. And that's the thing. Like, I know. I think it happens more like in the Vietnamese shop communities where, like, sometimes they'll get up, they'll be upset if, like, if. If they fire you, for example, and like, you, you. They'll be like, telling the clients, oh, we don't know where she went. Why do that? There's enough for everybody. So that's what I'm saying. If the world is a better place, hopefully you could take your clients from doing that. And even it's not about taking them, they're going to go with you regardless. You know, that's just what it is. So that's my advice, you know.
- [61:10]
B
You know that that's a really good way to end this podcast because a lot of people that are, you know, joining the beauty industry in general, they just don't know where to start. And that's kind of why, like, I made this podcast in the first place. And I always interview everybody from different industries to get everyone's perspective on this industry and of someone that's thinking about joining it on the behind the scenes of it.
- [61:34]
A
Yeah, no, for sure. No, it's good. It's a good. You know, hopefully people, like, if they. When somebody really wants to start, like, it's really important that you just go with your gut and you just do what you want to do. Because you never know. You could be watching this right now, thinking about doing nails, and then, like, next month you'll be going to school like, you don't even know. And then next year you'll have a salon. Yeah, yeah. It happens so quickly. I've seen it happen for a lot of people, you know, so.
- [61:59]
B
Well, we always used to end this podcast with a quote, but we don't do that anymore. And we usually end it with like an if you have any questions for
- [62:05]
A
me or if there anything that you
- [62:07]
B
want to leave behind. What does Joanna think?
- [62:10]
A
What does she think? You know, I actually have no idea because before we started, I got to know her, and she's awesome. And we were just laughing and just, you know, I was traumatizing her with some stories. Dude, you don't even want to know.
- [62:21]
B
There's so.
- [62:22]
A
I think she gets cancer. No.
- [62:24]
B
Yeah.
- [62:24]
A
But that was the real hot tea. But I had a really good time, and I really feel like we covered a lot of this stuff.
- [62:31]
B
Yeah, I had a great time. I wish that we can go over the stuff that she told me, because I kind of got my heart broken on one person. And I'm never gonna share it, because obviously we can't, but it was.
- [62:41]
A
I don't know if I could ever
- [62:42]
B
see her the same.
- [62:43]
A
I'm dead.
- [62:46]
B
Well, thank you so much.
- [62:47]
A
Wait, the one you told me or the one I told you? You see, everything is a secret here. We're going to keep it like that.
- [62:54]
B
Well, thank you for so much for
- [62:55]
A
being on my podcast, for having me,
- [62:56]
B
and I hope to see you again. Me, too.
- [62:58]
A
Thank you.
- [62:59]
B
Bye.
- [62:59]
A
Bye.