If you have ever gotten your nails done or taken a friend to get their nails done, you know how expensive it can be. Everything is an upcharge — longer nails, designs, nail removal — and it can become tiresome. Some students at CBU have taken it upon themselves to correct this issue by creating their own businesses and marketing to students.
The word has spread that many students are nail artists on campus. This means no more driving far, paying too much or not getting exactly what you want.
Rachel Bolinger, senior communications major, is one of the students who created her own business, which can be found on Instagram @raesmariebeauty. She has been doing people’s nails for a little over a year and charges $20 for gel, acrylic, poly gel or drugstore cremes.
“I’m self-taught,” Bolinger said. “I didn’t want to pay over $60. Why pay so much when you can buy a kit for under $30 and do it yourself many times?”
Another CBU nail artist is Wiktoria Klębowska, junior business major. She has been doing nails for about six months and has had 55 customers so far. As someone who was always fascinated by art and nails, she took it upon herself to learn and start doing other people’s nails. She charges $15 for gel nails and $30 for hard gel extended nails; she can also be found on Instagram, @wiki.nails.cbu.
“I promote my business by getting new colors and posting and messaging people about it,” Klębowska said. “I just started to do design this semester as well.”
Pinja Kotinurmi, freshman psychology major, is one of Klebowska’s customers.
“It supports the nail technician and it also supports me because it’s cheaper,” Kotinurmi said.
Grace Hernandez, freshman elementary education major, also does nails at CBU. She does custom press on sets and gel manicures. She charges $25 for a basic set, $28 with the kit (nail file, glue, cuticle pusher) and up to $33 for a more detailed design. She decided to do her own nails during the first COVID-19 lockdown. After discovering she could do her own successfully, she decided to turn it into a business, @touchofgrace.x.
“I would see cute nail designs and wonder if I could do them and then eventually found out I could,” Hernandez said.
These nail technicians have saved many people money and time by offering nail services on campus, one hand at a time.
