Nail Tech Talk: Sylvia Terelak of Bad Polish Gurl
By Callie Iley | 01 October 2023 | Feature, Tech Talk
Having had a lifelong fascination for long nails and a passion for art and design, Sylvia Terelak of Bad Polish Gurl reflects on her journey from nail enthusiast to accomplished professional nail artist…
Sylvia Terelak
“Ever since I was a young child, I was always extremely drawn to long nails, to the point where I would use metal hair clips and attach them to the ends of my fingers to replicate long nails or use clear tape to attach things to my fingers. ” Sylvia remembers. “This made me try growing my natural nails out as I got older, but I could never seem to grow them as they were always brittle and peeling.
“At some point, I became self-conscious about the length of my fingers, as I thought they were too short for my hands, so the combination of wrecked nails and insecurity was not doing me good. I would try using nail polish, but to this day, I absolutely cannot stand how easily it chips on my nails, so it became too much of a chore to deal with.”
“When I was 16 years old, I convinced my mom to let me get my first set of French manicure L&P acrylic nails, opting for a short square set, as my junior high graduation was approaching. This was truly a life changing experience for me. For the next decade, I would try different salons out and continue having L&P acrylic nail services.
“At the beginning of 2022, I decided to do an online certification class to be a professional nail technician. Although I was not anticipating pursuing nails professionally, I wanted to have a formal education behind a topic that I had spent so much time learning about over the years, so that I could safely do my own nails from home,” she recalls. “I ended up losing my job not long after and although it came as a shock, it was probably the best thing life could have done for me. I started my instagram page and began posting my nail art journey.”
“I absolutely love painting portraits, realism, and cartoon designs on nails, but I’ve never been disappointed by flames, barbed wire and old English lettering,” Sylvia shares.
“A lot of the techniques I use when creating my nail art are based off of what I would do if I was painting a canvas with acrylic paint. I mix a lot of my own colours, blend wet on wet, and I also practice different techniques in advance.
“I think of myself as somewhat of a perfectionist, so I will not stop trying with my nail art until I feel 100% satisfied with it.”
“The inspiration for my nail work comes from all over the place. A lot of my work is inspired by films and television shows that I love, historical paintings, tattoos and other artists.
“My boyfriend is really interested in pinstriping and hand-painted signs, so I end up watching a lot of videos on that as well. I also have to give a lot of credit to Pinterest and Instagram. There is an insane amount of inspo on there and so many other amazingly talented nail artists.”
“I’m working on launching my own website to sell custom press on nails, but it would be amazing to work up to selling Bad Polish Gurl products,” she reveals. “Sustainability is something that is really important to me, so I would really like to find a way to incorporate that into my future business goals and to find a way to incorporate that into the nail industry in general.
“I would love to get more certifications and further my knowledge, and it would also be amazing to collaborate with different brands and companies.”
“It’s amazing to see how much the nail industry has grown as a whole and how many talented individuals there are out there. Many people don’t understand the skill and amount of products it can take to create beautiful, clean and proper sets of nails, be it press-on or in-person.
“I don’t believe many nail artists are able to charge their proper worth because of the misunderstanding surrounding the time it takes, techniques used and products being purchased to create nail sets,” Sylvia explains. “I hope to see this progress for the industry as a whole in the future.”
“There are honestly so many things that I love about working in the nail industry. I’d say that the best part is being able to collide two things I absolutely adore into one – nails and art,” she beams. “I think it’s incredible how many different products exist and the different purposes they serve, and I love that nails can range from extremely simple to extremely intricate.
“It’s very gratifying being able to provide someone with a luxury service that can bring them so much joy. The people in this industry are incredibly talented, smart and kind – it really makes you feel a part of a community and it really makes you grow. I’m also very grateful for social media, as I have been able to connect with nail artists globally.”