#NOWTRENDING: Sunflower nails by Maise Poultney, Maisie Leah Nails

Maisie Poultney, of Maisie Leah Nails, shares her love for the nail industry, her career story so far and how she created these oh-so pretty sunflower nails…

Maisie Poultney

“I have been qualified in Calgel since 2015 but I only really did nails for my friends and family,” explains Maisie. “I started working in a salon in 2018 for a few months and this is where I gained confidence to create more nails and began to build up a clientele. I completed my CND Shellac qualification in 2018. I now have a summer house in my garden, which I use as my salon where I do nails part time alongside my full time job as a catering assistant.

“During lockdown I have been in my salon most days. Most importantly, I have ensured that I have purchased and put in place all of the correct hygiene and PPE equipment ready for my return. I have also been practicing my nail art techniques; from using a liner brush to do the perfect French to finessing acrylic paint techniques so that I can create sunflowers!

“My signature style is anything nail art! Most of my collection consists of products from Izabelle Hammon – the company has recently started offering Gel&Go, which is great for creating nail art.

“I created these sunflower nails by using mainly acrylic paints. I started by painting my nails with a base of Calgel in Baby Blue. After curing, I then used a dotting tool and dotted a blob of brown acrylic paint on each nail in a different place of the nail. I waited for this to dry for a bit and used an angled brush and yellow acrylic paint to create the petal-like shapes around the edge of the brown dot. I then repeated this step with a slightly darker shade of yellow. Once this had dried slightly, I used my smallest dotting tool in the same brown acrylic paint to go around the edge of the first circle to create some depth to the flower. Once dried, topcoat and cure!

“I love everything about the nail industry. I mainly love the people and the way that we all support each other’s small businesses. During lockdown, this has been even more prominent. It feels as though everyone has come together, which is lovely. I love meeting new clients and I have so many clients that I call friends – I am so lucky to paint the hands of so many amazing people! I also love the fact that everyday is different; I see new faces and create new designs.

“In the future I hope to be working full time in the beauty industry, perhaps train in other services and have my own salon that is booked back-to-back. It doesn’t feel like a job because I love it so much and that’s what is so amazing!”

Follow Maisie’s nail journey via her social media, here.