From tiny strokes to large strokes, junior Tala Abdulrazeq gracefully paints her own canvas on her nails. Abdulrazeq began doing her own nails in the second semester of her sophomore year.
“I started designing nails because every time I went to the nail salon, I kind of felt like I wasn’t getting what I wanted,” Abdulrazeq said. “I wanted something more abstract and more me.”
Abdulrazeq began making nails for herself as a way to save money and express freedom. Through her passion, she expanded by practicing on others and selling custom nails, becoming more social.
“When I first started doing nails, I was just doing them for me. I never thought I would ever start doing nails for other people,” Abdulrazeq said. “I got encouragement from my mom and my aunt and all these people around me. And so once I started, I kind of didn’t stop and it’s just been going since then.”
With nails, Abdulrazeq brings her imagination to life by replicating what design she wants onto her nails.
“I enjoy that I get creative freedom. I feel like it’s really hard to go somewhere and try to get people to understand exactly what you want. And whenever I do my nails, I get to pick whatever I put on there. I can do whatever I want. I don’t have to go based on a specific design,” Abdulrazeq said. “And it’s just really fun because it’s like a painting, I always have them on me, so it’s like I carry my art everywhere I go.”
Abdulrazeq enjoys witnessing the reactions from her clients. Since she recently began her small nail business, her clients do not know her level of experience.
“My favorite part is people’s reaction, like a lot of the time, whenever people contact me to do their nails, they know I can do nails, but they don’t know to what extent I can do them. When I’m done [with their nails], people tend to be surprised,” Abdulrazeq said. “And they’re like, ‘oh my gosh, these are really, really good, especially for the price’. And it just makes me feel good about myself, that people enjoy my art.”
Getting specific colors for clients comes with a challenge for Abdulrazeq. Her art involves the mixing of colors to create a new one, making it important that her measurements for her polishes are consistent.
“Oftentimes, it’s a really tedious process, and sometimes I don’t have all the colors that people want, so I have to mix the colors. If I run out of the color I mix, I have to mix it again,” Abdulrazeq said. “That’s probably my least favorite part.”
Junior Isabella Avalos let Abdulrazeq practice making nails for her. Abdulrazeq’s nails cost from $15 to $40, depending on the extremity of the design. The addition of charms and 3D objects adds to the cost for a set done by Abdulrazeq.
“I was just kind of really sick and tired of paying over 80 bucks for regular nails, so I let her practice on me,” Avalos said. “She’s an artistic person, so I knew that even if she messed up, it still wouldn’t be bad. And she’s my best friend.”
For the nail-making process, Abdulrazeq requests the sizing of her clients’ nails and a reference picture for the design. With diverse options, Abdulrazeq knows how to create a multitude of shapes such as square and almond with different patterns like polka dots, stripes, flowers and even the addition of 3-D charms.
“I don’t wanna say just the creativity, but the way that every nail that she does has a lot of work put into it,” Avalos said. “You can tell every pattern that she does takes a lot of time, and she’s really receptive to what her client wants and I really appreciate that.”
Abdulrazeq’s business spread through word of mouth from her clients. As she continues to gain more attention, she gains new friends and learns about other people through her nails.
“I think I’ve gotten a lot of people who have come and gotten their nails done by me. I made a lot of friends because they really enjoy my designs, and they want to order more,” Abdulrazeq. “And then throughout that process, we do become friends, and I kind of become more socially there.”
Through her nail business, Abdulrazeq found her art and strives to help others find affordable options.
“I’ve always been an artistic person, but I’ve kind of struggled to find an art that really suits me. So it really means a lot that I found something that I like to do, that I can make money off of, that other people enjoy,” Abdulrazeq said. “I can help myself and help other people through the small business. And that’s really how it’s affected me, in an amazing way.”
