New(ish) in the Studio - Summer 2025

One of the biggest things I have noticed since starting to do nails is that, so many times, I’ll buy a new product or color and think, “clients are going to love this”…only to never end up using it. Part of that, I think, is because people don’t know about everything that’s available, and it’s vaguely difficult to communicate what new products are in or how we can use them to create cool sets of nails—especially if the only time those products are mentioned is in the five-to-ten minutes that we discuss what they’re going to do with their nails that day.

To that end, I want to start updating here about new things I get in the nail room so that my clients know what’s available to them. Here are some of the newest things I’ve gotten in this summer:

1) A new airbrush, a bunch of new paint colors and a bunch of new stencils.

If you’ve come to see me before, you might be thinking, “I thought she always had an airbrush”—and you would be correct. BUT, for my birthday this year, my brother gifted me a new one—the Iwata HP-B Plus—and I am, in a word, obsessed. My first airbrush was an Iwata Neo, and it got the job done for what I mostly needed it for, but it didn’t allow for smaller or more precise lines and detail work. If you wanted a gradient french, an aura nail or a quick ombre, that airbrush could handle it, but for more intricate and layered designs using stencils, it fell short, simply because the nozzle didn’t allow a small enough spray radius.

This new one, though. It’s great. I still need to practice more to really learn the ins and outs, but pictured above are just a few quick trials with it. I used some stencils from What’s Up Beauty and Golden High Flow Acrylic Paint (no aerosolized gel + acetone here!), and for just a few thrown-together ideas, I’m really impressed with what it can do. I’m excited to create some really unique sets of nails. For the next few months, if you tell me ‘do whatever you want’ at your appointment, it’ll probably involve the airbrush.

2) Metal Halloween charms

These have been a hit in the past, and I was running low, so a restock was in order. I found these a couple years ago on Daily Charme, and I really like the quality. Plus, if your nails are medium-length, we can combine the skull charm with the ribcage charm and you can have almost a whole skelly right there on your hand. SPOOKY!

3) DVOK’s “Chilling” collection

I was *heavily* influenced to buy this collection after seeing a few other nail artists posting about it. Most of the magnetic/cateye gels I’ve used and bought have a gray/silver base, but these have a champagne gold base that felt really unique. Plus, just look at how ethereal they all look when they’re next to each other. They’re so pretty!! No regrets.

4) Kokoist Jelly Top

I love little 3D accents, and I’m always game to try the newest product to do them. Kokoist is a heavy hitter in my studio, so I knew if they were putting out something to do 3D elements I wouldn’t be disappointed. I’ve used it a few times since getting it, and I really like it. It does sself-level, but it’s slower to do so than hard gel (which is what I used to use), so I don’t have to flash-cure each little swoop or blob in between—I can do a full nail at once and then send you to the lamp. We all love a time-saver.

5) Pearl embellishments

I’m not sure if I didn’t have these before or if I had just run out and forgot to restock, but let’s just say I won’t be needing to mix pearl chrome powder into top coat to make DIY pearls anytime soon.

6) Sheer red shades from Rozy

I tihnk we’ve all partaken in the “well, I’m paying for shipping, might as well make it worth it” purchases, and admittedly, these were that when I bought the DVOK Chilling collection, but they’re SO PRETTY. It doesn’t show well in the above photo, but these reds are sheer, yet very pigmented, so they look super juicy (for lack of a better word) on your nails. I imagine they’ll get their time in the sun come fall and winter.

Ok, that’s it for now!

As always, if you see something out in the wild that you a) don’t know if I have or b) NEED me to have for your next set of nails, feel free to let me know about it! I’m happy to make sure I’ve got what we need to help you get the nails you’re dreaming about.

What I Read in May and June

Remember when I said I’d post here at least once a month?? Whoops. I could blame the ~lack of content~ here on being too busy from transitioning to doing nails full time, but let’s be real: I kind of just forgot.

Anyways, let’s check in, in case you’ve been dying to know what I’ve been up to. It finally actually feels like summer here in Chicago (which is to say, every time I go outside I say/think something like, “Wow, it feels like a microwave out here”), and I’m adjusting to a schedule where I’m not working a traditional office 9-5. What this actually means in practice is that I’m trying to learn how to best utilize small chunks of downtime in between appointments. Mostly, I’ve tried to fit in going to the gym during those gaps, but also, I’m trying to get back to reading more. When I worked in an office I had built-in reading time during my morning and evening commutes on the train, and while I don’t miss going to an office, I do miss having that semi-forced time to read.

In May and June, I read five books:

1

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams

So, we can all agree that the people behind Facebook and “Meta” (who even calls it that?) are pretty corrupt and evil, yeah? Yeah. There were some bananas claims made in this book and if I’m being honest, part of the reason I wanted to build a website for my nail stuff was because I wanted a non-Zuckerberg place to put all of my work. Social media has its uses, but it’s so far removed nowadays from what it was when I was younger. Anyways, if you’ve never seen The Social Network, you should probably go watch it. And if you’ve already seen it, a rewatch never hurt anyone because that movie is a banger.

2

Hey Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy and Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emily Lynn Paulson

I feel like the title tells you everything you need to know about this one. So many people who have been involved in MLMs have gone on to write exposes similar to this one and y’all, I will read any and all of them. 

3

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

What you may think, based on the cover art, is that this will be a cutesy little romcom of a book. You would be wrong, however (I sure was). I won’t spoil it for you, but the theme of trying to find a path toward actual happiness was, uh…. A little on the nose for me. Anyways, I liked this one.

4

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

Ok, here is the romcom. It follows an audiobook narrator who decides to take on the reading of a ~romance novel~ alongside another (male) narrator, but this book isn’t just a straightforward romance novel. I liked how it kind of played with the different tropes that are in romance novels, while simultaneously calling out that it was doing just that. I’m not entirely sure how to explain this concept. Anyways, if you’re looking for a fluffy book that isn’t too heavy on the ~sauciness, you’d probably like this one.

5

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

I read this in three days because I could notttttt put it down. It follows four sisters who live in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood and where their lives take them. There were like six different types of heartbreak and loss in this book that I can’t really go into too much detail without ruining plot points, but: I looooved this book.

A lot of other things have happened in the last two months (for instance, I had a birthday), but in an attempt to keep this somewhat brief, I’ll stop here. Check back soon for actual nail content—I bought some new colors, charms and chromes that I’ve been loving and can’t wait to show you!

April in Review

April was busy. While getting everything set up to transition from doing nails part-time to full-time, it felt like my to-do list was self-regenerating. For every task I checked off, I added five more. The notes app on my phone was full of indecipherable half-sentences of things I thought of after waking up at 4am, knowing I’d need a reminder later to ensure I actually did them. My finish line was May 1: when I’d finally publish this website.

Now that we’re here, here’s what I was into in April.

A comedy!

Very much not a comedy!

TV: After The White Lotus ended, I had a Walton Goggins-shaped hole in my heart, so I started watching The Righteous Gemstones and now, I can’t get Uncle Baby Billy’s “Misbehavin’” out of my head. Everyone said this show was hilarious but I had slept on it until now and listen: everyone was right, it’s hilarious. I also binged The Pitt in something like three days (don’t judge me). Loved it, love Noah Wyle, can’t wait for season 2. (Also, no, HBO did not sponsor this paragraph).

Stationery: I’m a paper-planner kinda gal. I can’t do digital calendars. Switching to full-time nails meant I needed to switch from a weekly-overview planner to a daily/hourly one. After entirely too much research and comparison (I know I am far from the only one who does this), I landed on the Sterling Ink Common Planner, and I’m using Zebra Mildliner markers to block out my time and Zebra G301 gel pens (which are so, so smooth). Big fan.

Life: I got back into running this winter after a year or so off and have been enjoying it a lot more than I have in the past. Why didn’t anyone tell me about the Galloway Method (basically run/walk/run interval running) before? Game changer.

WHAT’S NEW IN MY STUDIO:

-A Square reader! Clients can now pay using all major credit cards.

-ICEGEL Sunset Glow Powders. These duochrome-y powders are SO COOL. I don’t know why I waited so long to get these. I mean… look at them!

Alright, that's all for now. Talk soon!