NAIL TECH TALK: Aubrey Cycenas of The Glossy Spot
By Callie Iley | 27 November 2021 | Feature, Tech Talk
Scratch chats to Aubrey Cycenas of The Glossy Spot about challenging herself to create unique nail designs and the most exciting aspects of the industry…
I’m a fully licensed cosmetologist, but I met my former mentor in hair school. She personally taught me the basics of nails, and I quickly combined my love of art to create sculpted mini masterpieces. I’ve been doing nails professionally since 2017, but I’ve loved painting my own nails with intricate designs since I was 14 years old.
I work exclusively with hard gel and gel polish, working mainly with extensions. Most of my clients come to see me for my hand painted nail art. Almost everything I do all the time is painted by hand.
I love LCN as my hard gel, and for colours I always use The Gel Bottle — they have every colour you could ever need. I love the aesthetic of the bottles, they display so beautifully on my shelves.
I am always inspired by the thousands of other amazing nail artists around the world. I love to get inspiration from other techs work, and then challenge myself to give it my own twist! I really try to give everything a unique twist. I also love working on sets inspired by cartoons. Bold lines have always been a favourite medium of mine, even as a traditional artist.
The colour of my soul, studio, and everything else I love, is light pink. It’s fun, it’s sweet, and it makes everybody smile! I try to always keep my personality pink.
I think the most exciting thing about nails is that it’s completely limitless. You can be whatever kind of artist you’d like, and there will be clients for you. I also love that I’m constantly challenged. I always dreamed of being an artist, but I never thought that it was possible to have a lucrative career. The only starving thing about me is my hunger to push my skills every day. I feel beyond lucky to say I truly love my job.
“I always say that my only competition is myself— I strive to do better than the day before, every day.”
The highlight of my career so far is celebrating one year of successfully running my own business. It’s been my dream to own my own studio space that could offer a private, safe, getaway for each of my clients. I like to think of my room as almost a clubhouse — it’s a place you can escape to.
I really love what I’ve been able to create for myself and my clients, and I can’t wait to see what else the future holds for my baby business as she grows up!
I really hope to someday make a name for myself in the industry. There are so many artists I look up to — someday, I’d like to be one of them for everyone else!