Nail Tech Talk: Jo Paylor of The Beauty Garage
By Callie Iley | 03 June 2023 | Feature, Tech Talk
As a long-time beauty lover, Joanna Paylor of The Beauty Garage was instantly drawn to pursuing a career in the industry.
“I never really enjoyed school much and couldn’t wait to get to college and do something practical and creative on my own terms,” Jo explains.
“I love being able to help people feel great about themselves. It’s that time you spend just on you, that allows you to invest in yourself, express yourself, and have a bit of a chatter or therapy session at the same time!
“I’ve met some incredible people in both the nail and beauty industry as well as clients,” she says. “I have incredible clients and most of the time, it doesn’t feel like work – more of a catch up with good friends.”
Qualifying in beauty therapy in 2011, Jo went on to work in various locations, ranging from bustling high street salons to luxury spas, continuing her learning along the way by training in a range of systems and brands.
“In 2020, after my first son was born and mid-pandemic, I decided to convert my garage and open my own home based salon so I could work for myself and around my young family. I did the Magpie Beauty conversion course and totally fell in love with the brand, its ethos and its values. It was really touch and go with everything going on in the world, but when the lockdowns lifted, the salon went crazy. It’s been open three years this summer and I’ve never looked back!”
“My art style changes so much depending on who I’m with. My absolute favourites are bright animal prints and florals, but anything goes in the salon. I can appreciate a classic French or we can mix it up,” Jo enthuses.
“I absolutely love the Nails Luxe art brushes and I use Magpie gels, glitters and Gel Paints for my nail art. Hand-painting nail art means that every single set of nails is unique and designed around that client. You can create each design bespoke to them without any limitation. I have one particular client that needs to have short nails for weight lifting, but loves complex nail art, and she’s always my favourite challenge!”
“Matching my clients energy is my favourite part of my job – I never know what’s next and I like to dabble in all of it!”
Jo reveals that most of her clients enjoy going bright and bold with their nail styles, and that she opts for a builder gel overlay on her own nails, which she uses to try out design ideas and new techniques to encourage her clients. “I’m a mum, so I need all the added strength I can get,” she adds.
“I can adapt any style my clients have found to put a personal twist on it. Most of my clients go for some form of nail art, whether it be a French tip, florals, animal print or abstract. Clients bring inspiration from art, outfits to match, Pinterest, patterns, fabrics, the seasons, and other techs work that they’ve seen on social media. I also use Manicure Roulette, which is a fab option to open up a range of ideas and styles.”
“I love where I’m at in my career, but maybe in the distant future, I’d love to be able to expand and grow with a few incredible women I know across various hair and beauty roles.
“For now, the garage is doing what it does best,” she smiles. “Believing in myself enough to opening my home salon and it being a success is the best thing I’ve ever done, and I’m excited to continue growing and improving as a nail tech. I love to look back and compare old designs, to see how I can recreate them better and what I would do differently now. I really enjoy the self improvement!”
“The thing I love most about the nail industry is that every day is different. I love the uniqueness in every client and being kept on my toes. I feel so privileged to be part of peoples lives and hear the ins and outs of everything.
“The beauty and nail industry itself is so amazing and supportive. Even as a solo worker, you never feel alone, and that’s something really powerful. I finally feel in the last five to ten years we are being taken seriously as an industry and believe this is the start of incredible things.”
“I feel so incredibly proud to be a part of an unbelievably talented industry.”