My Other Life: Nikki Boulton of Nails by Nikki Boulton
By Callie Iley | 25 August 2022 | Feature, Tech Talk
Scratch chats to Nikki Boulton, a nail pro who’s busy juggling her nail career alongside a very different role…
Session manicurist, Nikki Boulton, started a second business; creating beautifully shaped wax crayons for children, while the nail industry was under lockdown restrictions.
Initially keeping her venture under wraps, ColourMe Lincoln rapidly grew in popularity, gaining over 5,500 followers on Instagram in her first year of business.
The business is focused on creating sustainable resources for education and play to help support the development of a child’s fine motor skills.
Products include themed crayons; from custom name sets to farm, weather and woodland animal boxes, alongside stencils, flashcards and counting boards.
“My ColourMe role shares similarities with my nail tech role,” Nikki reveals. “Both require a good eye for colour and plenty of creativity, which I love.”
Both roles have led to exciting magazine opportunities. “I’ve worked on some incredible magazine shoots throughout my nail career, and ColourMe was asked to be featured within The Green Parent magazine. It’s humbling that just a few years ago I was seeing my nails in magazines, and now my crayons are featuring in print, too!”
Nikki is witnessing greater demand for session nail techs on photo shoots now Covid-19 restrictions have lifted, and she is managing her time so she can accommodate this work alongside her ColourMe role and appointments for regular nail clients.
“While my nail role finishes when my last client walks out of the door, I do often find myself packing ColourMe orders until the early hours of the morning,” she admits.
However, the challenges of managing her life as a tech and business owner have not affected Nikki’s positive outlook, as she encourages other nail pros to follow their dreams outside of tekking.
“It’s important to embrace what you love; a role that drives you, but doesn’t need to take up all of your time, so you can manage both businesses,” she advises. “Don’t be scared to do something completely different to nails, there can be enough room for both roles. Always be you!”
www.colourmelincoln.co.uk
Follow Nikki on Instagram, here.
Follow ColourMe on Instagram, here.