NAIL TECH TALK: Laura Rudge of Snatched By Lulabelles
By Callie Iley | 10 April 2021 | Feature, Tech Talk
Scratch chats to Laura Rudge of Snatched By Lulabelles about her first ever client and the importance of pushing boundaries as a nail tech…
What is your all-time favourite nail product?
My first thought is that I don’t have just one! If I could only choose 5 colours to live with, it would be the classic black and white and the primary colours.
I love my Brillbird brushes – my go to’s are 0 gel brush and 0 brush in Long and Short. Brushes, for me, are the best nail mail.
Also, The Gel Bottle’s Builder in a Bottle for me is a must have that I can’t live without, as they are so versatile. My favourite shades are 17 and Teddy.
Who do you admire in the industry?
There are a few artists that make me go “wow”, such as Mino Vo for his extreme creations, Olga Shvaylikova for her realism and quite frankly insane skill and Devin Strebler for her amazing attention to detail and for keeping the 90s alive!
What designs do you love to create?
I love nature-inspired designs. Anything flowers, plants or animals.
My favourites are bright and bold or very detailed. I studied fine art, so this is probably where my love for intricate detail comes from. I must admit, I sometimes find it hard to stop when doing minimalist work.
How do you keep your own nails?
I am forever changing my mind about my own nails. Rarely do I have a single colour. I normally have completely different designs on each hand, too. I like to test ideas on myself.
Do you have any funny or eventful career stories?
It’s been quite an eventful journey for me to get here! It took me over a decade for me to actually pursue my love of nails, I started my journey many moons ago – before gel colours were even invented.
I never pursued it until a couple of years ago when I decided to retrain. Which leads me to my ever first client…. Wedding nails! My best friend had a nail tech cancel her, 2 days before her wedding, so I had a bride and a bridesmaid to fix up! 6 hours later, I ached all over, but there was no way she wasn’t getting her dream nails.
If you weren’t doing nails, what would you be doing?
I’d like to think I would be working with animals and/or the environment my love for Mother Nature is as strong as my passion for nail art.
Why is it so important for techs to advance their nails skills and artistry?
We as nail techs are artists and I think that is being recognised more and more now. I remember when I had my first set of acrylics with an air brush design – it was game changing!
Now we can build 3D designs, paint fine art, encapsulate real flowers, anything is possible. We need to keep pushing the boundaries and continue to produce mini masterpieces.