Tech Talk: Meet Fashion Week nail stylist, Ella Vivii

The story behind Ella Vivii’s introduction to the nail industry is a heart-warming one.

Her mum, Charlotte Burgess, owns a nail and beauty salon, educates and is a session stylist, so Ella grew up around nails. “But I was always more interested in fashion and studied Styling & Production at the London College of Fashion,” she says. “I used to tag along to Mum’s Fashion Week jobs in Paris and Milan to take street style pictures for university projects. Then during lockdown, I moved home and discovered her chalet full of nail products. It inspired me to train online with Glitterbels, while receiving 24/7 mentoring from my Mum, whose nail knowledge is endless. Once the rules eased, I trained with CND™ and started to document my nail progress on Instagram.”

Ella and her mum, Charlotte Burgess.

Upon doing this, her work gained attention from artists, stylists and photographers and she naturally fell into session nail styling. “I love nail designs inspired by clothing and I think that shows in my work,” Ella reveals. “My favourite way to work is to first see the clothing, then let that inspire the nails I create.”

When asked if she has a signature nail style, the pro shares that she gets excited to trial any new nail ideas, but is particularly enthusiastic about creating chrome and 3D designs, as well as using press-ons to quickly change up nail looks for different outfits. She transfers this concept to her own nail styling, making press-on sets to match her fashion choices. “Although recently, I have been embracing my natural nails, keeping them short and oval and layering a subtle pink shade or a classic French over builder gel,” she details.

“I love that nails are being taken more seriously nowadays. On set, they are no longer an afterthought.”

She tells Scratch that no working day looks the same: “I am either sat in my home office, preparing press-ons or designs for upcoming shoots or events, or I am out and about – whether that be on set or working on private clients. I love the small achievements, but I will always be proud seeing my work in print, as well as collaborating with talented teams and artists.

“It was nice to start my nail career not following my Mum’s direction, so I could establish where I wanted to fit in. However, we have done a few joint projects and found that we work well together, as we offer different skills,” Ella continues.

Sinead Gorey SS24, led by Ella.

At the time of talking to Ella, she shares how excited she is to be leading her first London Fashion Week show for Sinead Gorey spring/summer 2024. She has now accomplished this, using CND™, and comments: “The nails reflected the key concepts of the show: lots of bright shades and lace and bows, whilst remaining sleek and refined. All of the nails featured a lace base, so they were uniform and had a strong story.”

And she had a familiar face by her side on the day: her Mum, who wrote on Instagram after the show: “What an amazing opportunity to be able to say I assisted my daughter on her first show! [She is] the new generation of professional manicurists. Ella, you totally smashed it! I’m super proud of you.”

Do you want to recreate Ella’s London Fashion Week look? Check out a step-by-step…

1. Start with a clear press-on nail, natural nail or nail created with the full clear CND™ Plexigel™ system.

2. Select a :YOURS lace nail plate of your choice, and apply :YOURS Stamping Polish in Light White to the plate, scraping off the excess.

3. Use the stamper to transfer the design to the nail and let dry for 30 seconds.

4. Use a bright shade of your choice, such as CND™ Vinylux Pink Bikini, and a sponge to dab an ombré effect to the cuff of the nail.

5. Finish with CND™ Vinylux Longwear Top Coat and allow to dry.

Follow Ella on Instagram here.

CND™ and :YOURS products are available via www.sweetsquared.com