With an eye-catching pink and gold salon hand built by her late father, passionate tech Kerry Delaney has had a lifelong love for nails, qualifying at only 15 years old.

Kerry’s nail journey began with her Christmas list at five years old, requesting nail products as gifts. She celebrated her ninth birthday with a nail painting party, dressing up in pink and recruiting two nail techs to tend to her and her friends’ nails, and even had her dad, who was a carpenter, renovate her childhood bedroom into a nail salon-themed room.

Kerry’s dad built her a small nail table to paint her friend’s nails in their spare room. From there, Kerry trained in nails, qualifying in October 2018. She took on her first client from the same spare room, from which she worked until 2020, when the lockdown hit.

Together, Kerry and her dad took on the task of creating the Nails by Kerry salon, with her dad building the premises himself. “We had so much fun painting and designing the room together,” she remembers.

Kerry and her dad building the salon

“My salon is everything I had ever dreamed of – pink, gold, and sparkles! As a business owner himself, my dad and I always bonded over my small business, from the construction and designing of the salon, to the running of the business itself.”

“My dad helped me pursue my dream career of becoming the best nail tech in any way he could. He could tell I had a passion for nails,” she shares. “Unfortunately, my dad only got to see me live my dream in the perfect salon for a year, as he sadly and unexpectedly passed away in May 2021.”

“The salon is now not only my dream place to work but now holds an extra special place in my heart, as my dad will always be part of the NBK brand and legendary pink salon he built. I love coming to work in my salon, it’s become my happy place.”

“I have no plans of further expansion, but in the future, I can see myself one day owning a chain of Nails by Kerry salons. At this moment in time, it’s just me in the salon – it’s a one-woman show! I do everything myself, and my clients keep me company with great chats.

“I offer acrylic nail extensions, builder gel, gel polish and detailed nail art,” Kerry reveals. “Acrylic nail extensions are the most popular treatment with my clients. Many of my clientele love to get fun nail art, so with acrylic extensions, it’s good to have the added length to have enough space to create cool and detailed nail art sets.”

“My favourite brands to use are The Manicure Company and Glitterbels,” she says. “I love The Manicure Company for its  nail polishes. There are so many colours to choose from and they’re so pigmented. My favourite shade is Party Pink.

“My favourite acrylic brush to use has got to be the Glitterbels Pinched Pastel Glitter Acrylic Brush in Size 12. It’s so pretty! I love that it has sequins and sparkles encapsulated inside the brush, and it’s super high quality, so it lasts a long while if taken care of properly.”

Kerry has a mixed client base, with a variety of ages, gender identities and occupations, priding herself on catering for a wide range of clientele. “They all have different needs and expectations for their nail services. Some clients prefer a more natural nail look, while others may want more elaborate nail art or trendy styles. They all have unique preferences for the colours, designs, and techniques used for their nails.

“Some of my clients are frequent visitors and have a standing appointment scheduled religiously, while others come in just for special occasions or events. I’ve become close with some of my regulars and I look forward to seeing them every few weeks for a catch-up. I’m super lucky to have such a lovely group of people as my clients.”

“NBK salon is unique in many ways. My salon is decorated in pink and gold tones, which creates a luxurious and elegant atmosphere. The main feature of my salon is my personalised gold and pink throne that I sit in while I create nails. I have a pink chandelier with many spotlights to create a welcoming and comfortable environment for my clients.

“My service is unique because I offer detailed, hand-painted nail art and pay close attention to detail. I have a wheel of nail colours to help my clients decide, by putting a different colour on each wheel to help them compare choices. I play music and have a tv set up in my client’s view, so they can relax during their treatment. I also have a padded, quilted waiting area for clients who come as a pair, and sometimes offer complimentary chocolates for my clients to enjoy.”

“Those who know me know that I’m pink-obsessed. From my pink salon to my pink car, everything is pink!” Kerry laughs. “Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve always been drawn to the colour pink, so it was an obvious decision to make when deciding on a colour scheme for my salon. Pink is always on-trend and has always been a popular colour choice in the fashion industry. By pairing pink with gold, it creates a trendy and fashionable space that appeals to a wide range of clients.

“My colour scheme has made my brand identity memorable and distinctive. Clients are more likely to remember my salon, which helps attract and retain clients over time. My pink salon, with my pink throne and pink waiting area, as well as my pink car, are a statement on my page that people remember my salon by.”

“Although I love every detail of my salon, my favourite part of my salon, other than the obvious pink feature throne, has to be my gold sparkly nail bar,” she beams. “My nail bar is pink, with a gold table top. The reason why I love this so much is because of the personalisation I added to it.

“When my dad made my nail bar, he sprayed the table gold. I later bought a box of gold glitter and glue and sprinkled it all over the desk to create the perfect sparkling finishing touch to the table. I recorded the table makeover, which can be seen on my TikTok.”

Follow Nails by Kerry on Instagram and TikTok.