#NOWTRENDING Pink 3D flowers with marble by Gemma Pope
By Callie Iley | 06 October 2020 | Feature, Tech Talk
Reminiscing on her past and all she’s overcome, Gemma Pope of Gemma Pope Nails chats to Scratch about her future goals and her incredible nail art creations.
When I left school, I was unsure of what career path I wanted to follow. I went into hairdressing initially at 16, however I left just short of a year after, as I fell pregnant with my son.
After my son was born, I decided to take on an admin role in childcare, thinking it would be more a more flexible position which would have been better suited to me at the time. I quickly realised that office work wasn’t for me and I missed working with people. I jumped onto a NVQ nail course at Bolton College and complete Level 2 and 3 nail qualifications, which then allowed me to set up properly within the industry.
I decided to work for myself, renting a space at a salon, which then led me to the salon where I’ve been working at since. Since 2011, while I’ve been working as a nail tech, I’ve built up such an amazing clientele, which I’m so grateful for.
My signature nail style to create on my clients is either an all-out nail art design or something super laid back and simple looking. I love 3D flower designs, however a classic French will always be a go-to of mine. For me personally, I love to keep things simple.
You’ll never see me with any sort of bold or crazy nails – I’m not that brave personally, and I much prefer spending time on clients’ nails as opposed to my own.
My favourite products to use are definitely The Gel Bottle Inc’s Builder in a Bottle and Missu Beauty for nail art.
This 3D flower set was a sculpted set I had done on myself during coronavirus lockdown. I wanted to showcase 3D flowers as most clients don’t ask for this kind of nail art, so you don’t always get the chance to show off your talents and everything you can create. I wanted to incorporate marbling into the design with a gold gel, and this was the perfect excuse to use the products that I had received from Missu Beauty, a brand which I have been lucky enough to promote. I love to finish off flowers with caviar beads because it really pulls the look together in my opinion, and I also love adding a few Swarovski crystals too!
Throughout my time in lockdown, I came to the realisation that the nail industry is completely different to how it used to be.
As nail techs, we all support and uplift one another, which I think is so unique to our industry as you don’t see it as much in others.
We are all happy to share and show off each other’s work, and support one another in our growth, sharing tips and always sending messages of congratulations. I’m so overwhelmed on a daily basis from the kindness I see from girls doing the same work as me, the kind messages are so lovely to receive, and it makes me so proud of what I do
Strangely enough, I’d say the highlight of my career was during the lockdown. I’ve never strayed too far from my comfort zone, but this year I’ve really pushed myself to explore outside of what I’m used to. I didn’t want the pandemic to have a negative impact on my business so I took the opportunity to show off my nail art skills and it helped me gain more clients than I could have ever imagined.
My hopes for the future are that I get to continue to showcase my work and be an inspiration for other young mums who are starting out in the industry, because I know just how daunting it can be.
I would never have imagined myself being in the position I am 10 years ago, but it’s been worth every minute of my time. Nails are my passion in life and have become such a strong part of who I am. I wish I could go back in time and tell my 18 year old self that everything would work out the way it has and not to worry, because everything has worked out so well – I’m married with two children, running a successful little business, doing what I love.