As she keeps a steady hand with her brush, senior Magnolia Miller carefully concentrates on the intricate details of her nail art. During her free time, Miller does the nails of her friends and family in her home.
“I started doing nails years ago,” Miller said. “My step mom ordered a set of gel polishes and since then I have tried just about everything. I started just with plain gel polish and dip powder, and then I wanted to try and add nail tips like they do in the salons. I did that for a few years but the nails would never really last that long. I saw videos on social media of gel-x nails, and I wanted to give that a try because it looked easy and it seemed like a great way to save money. Now that is what I do the most.”
The reason Miller enjoys doing nails and has done it for so long is because it lets her be creative and she sees it as a way to spend time with her friends and family.
“I just love the feeling of having nails done,” Miller said. “It makes me feel very put together and I love that. I also love the creativity behind it. There is a different type of satisfaction that comes with completing a good set of nails. I’m not the most artistic and creative person but seeing my friend’s excitement and joy in the work I do for them is fulfilling. It’s really cool seeing an idea come together, and it’s exciting to see how good each set turns out.”
Although she has been doing nails for years, she never really thought she was that good at it until not too long ago. Recently she started trying new things and figured out quickly how good she really was.
“A few months ago when I started doing gel-x is when I realized I’m pretty good,” Miller said. “My painting skills had already been pretty good, but I started figuring out how to get the nail extensions to last for months at a time. I think that the most important thing when it comes to nails is durability and growth. Being able to find a technique that works for me has helped me master that. I have also learned that prep is very important. Having my friend’s nails last for so long and look good is what helped me realize I was pretty good at it.”
Doing nails often requires lots of time and practice, as it is a skill that requires a huge amount of precision and accuracy. Miller had to dedicate a large amount of time in order to learn the skills needed for doing nails.
“I’ve been doing them since my freshman year, so I’ve become very good at painting,” Miller said. “Usually people struggle more on their own nails because they aren’t as good with their non-dominant hand as they are their dominant hand. But I have become very good with both hands so for me it’s not a problem. I’ve also been doing gel-x for 5 months now so I’ve become really good at that technique as well. I could always improve on my free art though and becoming better at hand drawing things.”
She needs to be able to have good time management in order to get her schoolwork done and practice for golf, and also so she can have time leftover to have hobbies that require attention like doing nails.
“Usually I don’t really have that much time since I’m so busy,” Miller said. “There are so many people I have told I will do their nails but with golf and work it ends up happening weeks later. I always try to make time to do my friend’s nails in between my schedule and make my own last priority. For myself, I just love having them done, so if it means doing a set at midnight, then I will still do it. But either way, I have become obsessed with doing new nails each week so usually I end up doing mine super late at night after I get home from work or after practice is over.”
Although doing nails is a profession for Miller in high school, she plans to focus on her major of criminal and keep nails as a hobby in the future.
“I think it will definitely be a side hobby that I continue to do as I am older,” Miller said. “I’m majoring in criminal justice and pre-law, so the plan is to do people’s nails throughout college to keep making money, then just do my own after that.”
