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By Naomi Marshall
Opalulent Nail Studio is the perfect location for persons looking to get their luxury-nail-experience in a tranquil environment.
Located in Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, Opalulent Nail Studio specializes in sculpted acrylic nails and offers outstanding and professional customer service.
Joses Solomon is the skillful and artistic nail technician behind the Opalulent Nail Studio that offers quality and luxurious work at affordable prices.
Solomon is always up-to-date with the newest techniques, styles and products needed to achieve and surpass customer’s expectations.
In an interview with Village Voice News, the 23-year-old who migrated to the USA at a young age explained how she fell in love with the art of doing nails.
“When I was 16 I was working my first job at a restaurant in New York and the girls there always got their nails done every two weeks and I was always a girl that liked my nails done but only with normal nail polish. Being around them I was like I need to be on their level and be that kind of lady and so I got into the habit of getting my nails done every two weeks to the point where I never wanted to have a nail broken or have chipped nails,” she remembered.
In 2018 Solomon would go off to London to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Child Psychology and though attending university is expensive, Solomon still wanted to have her nails done regularly.
Hence, she began doing her own nails which she also found to be very therapeutic. “Then I went off to university and you do not be having money like that anymore so then that is when I decided that I am just going to do my own nails properly in not just normal nail polish but full on acrylic nails and that was strictly just for me, nobody else because it was therapeutic time and self-care time for me,” she recalled.
“When I first started it use to take me like five hours just to finish because I was just learning and there was so many techniques that I had to get right,” Solomon added.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Solomon returned to the USA in 2020. It was during her time at home that she decided to make press-on nails to sell but it did not seem as though many persons were interested in press-on nails.
That said year, the psychologist re-migrated to Guyana to offer her service to her fellow citizens. In March 2021, Solomon decided to officially begin doing people’s nails as a part time job so she launched her business, Opalulent Nail Studio.
Solomon said that what sets her aside from other nail technicians is the fact that she uses nail forms which allows her to sculpt nails instead of using nail tips.
Sculptured nails are acrylic based nails built from scratch that form into a specific shape. The method is esthetically pleasing to look at since the finished look is usually thinner and more natural looking than using nail tips.
“It is very satisfying when people who have very short bitten nails or really big nail beds realise that the forms used for sculpting are really universal whereas tips comes with specific sizes whereas forms you could create whatever size you want so you have nails that naturally look good and suits your hands,” Solomon related.
Although Solomon called sculpting fun, she said that shaping of the nail is her favourite part of the process since obtaining the perfect nail shape is very important to her.
“I am an artist no matter what, I could draw, play music and I like to do nails that can reflect that creative side so it is not just nails but it is actually artwork so that is why when it comes to shaping and designing I take it so serious,” she explained.
Solomon noted that her business has definitely grown over the months and even though she has a full time job that requires her to travel a lot she makes herself available to do what she likes, nails. Solomon said that in the future she would like to empower young women through hosting nail classes that will teach them a new skill which they can use for fun or to acquire a living.
Persons interesting in contacting Joses Solomon could message her on 6863736 or on Instagram @ Opalulentnails.
