#NowTrending: Gold leaf nails by Lindsey Cunningham
By Callie Iley | 09 March 2021 | Feature, Tech Talk
Scratch chats to Lindsey Cunningham of Lindsey’s Beauty Lounge about her journey into the nail industry and how she created this gorgeous gold leaf nail design…
After working in an office when I finished university, I soon realised it wasn’t for me. I trained in beauty therapy part-time while working full-time, and as soon as I qualified, I quit my job and opened a salon. I’ve been qualified since 2011 and always worked for myself.
During the March 2020 lockdown, I started practising on my own nails, and discovered a massive passion for it! I joined online workshops run by some amazing nail techs and started developing more skills, techniques and growing as a nail tech.
The nails I love to create feature subtle nail art, but I also love to challenge myself and try a variety of new designs and techniques. I trained with Bio Sculpture during the first lockdown, and so far I’m blown away with its products and the brand’s ethos. I always aim to look after and care for the natural nails and what better way than using Navy Pro Tools! Since investing in these tools, my prep has totally changed, and they give the perfect base on which to paint. Another is Brillbird‘s Brush & Go and products from The Nail Stamping Queen, these are perfect for nail art and always has you covered for everything nail art! I also use some of The Gel Bottle products too and love their Blooming Gel.
How-to
To create this set of nails, I applied two coats of The Gel Bottle’s Sepia and cured. I then applied a matte top coat and cured again. I used Lecenté Create Foil Gel to create the design, along with Get Buffed Pro – Brienne Liner Brush from Nail Envy MK Supplies. I then cured the design for 60 seconds and applied Gold Bar Transfer Foil from Nail Stamping Queen to the design. Lastly, I wanted to keep the matte background, so went back over the design with The Gel Bottle’s Extreme Shine Top Coat.
I’ve met some amazing nail techs through Instagram and we all have this shared love for our industry. I just know that we will be friends for life, we all help each other out, share ideas, and most importantly we are there for each other during crazy times. I’m so proud to say that I’m a part of this industry! I’d love for everyone to know that you can reach out to me, no matter who you are, at any time for any help, advise or just a general chit chat.
The highlight of my career so far has got to be successfully building and running my own business, and moving to a bigger premises. I’ve built my client base from scratch and still nearly 10 years on I love going to work every single day. Not everyone can say that.
I hope to keep inspiring other nail techs, to keep pushing myself to do things out of my comfort zone and strive to be the best I can for my amazing clients, and most importantly, continue to grow as a nail tech. Hopefully one day, I’ll be able to work with some of the brands I’m so passionate about. Who knows what the future holds… watch this space!