Taking inspiration from a unique blend of street style and art, Wah Nails founder Shermadean Reid created the go-to place for cool girls doing cool things. The hipster nail salon in East London has been credited with bringing bold tips to the masses by translating fashionable trends to the talons of edgy clients with taste and attitude. In this boutique salon, fashion-forward nail art fans can get whatever they want.
A collaged wall featuring cutouts from fashion magazines adorn the nail salon providing major eye candy and trendy inspiration.
> Inside one of the busiest and coolest shopping places I’ve ever been to, the boutique nail salon is located on the second lower-level of the British-born mega apparel retailer, Topshop in Oxford Circus. Fashionistas on the prowl for their next outfit can stop by a designated beauty hub for prima-perfect pampering. Wah Nails is nestled next to other beauty rooms including a blow-dry bar, a piercing and tattoo parlor, a brow tailoring and lash extension bar, a bleach bar, and a waxing room called Strip.
Don’t let the small space fool you. These three manicure tables get a lot of action while staff shuffles through a loyal clientele of nail art fans and mani-mavens. 
> Open for about five years, the nail salon has a funky flair suitable for its bold ideas and daring personalities that get personified on nails. The salon is known for its offerings of wild, bright, and graphic custom Wah Nails nail art designs. A giant service menu takes up an entire wall of the salon to show off 100 custom nail art designs to choose from. Clients can mix and match or request their own personalized look.
Here’s a close-up on the massive service menu that takes up an entire wall and shows off 100 signature Wah Nails design options.
> On the search for the next best thing, Wah Nails calls for talent via its website to recruit creative individuals who fancy nail art and are good at it. Prospective Wah Girls are asked to submit resumes and a nail wheel painted with at least 10 Wah Nails designs for consideration.
That’s me (right) and Wah Girl Chiizzii. Check out the size of the nail art menu!
> In honor of my first visit to London, I requested a custom blend of Mix’N’Match nail art (from £5 for each design) to commemorate the Euro trip. Wah Girl Chiizii decked out my nails with The Union Jack on the accent. She coupled the iconic symbol with a prismatic mix of popular designs including cheetah print and paint splatter on the thumbs. Wah Girls use a range of nail polish brands including Models Own, OPI, Essie, Marc Jacobs, and Orly, among others to hand paint bold nail art looks. The only gel-polish brand the salon carries is Gelish.
Wah Girl Chiizii hand painted a Union Jack accent and paired it with a prismatic set of classic and popular nail art designs. 
> With a nail art book on stands now, Reid extended the brand by launching a line of nail care products called Wah London. The product line is made up of an assortment of nail polishes, nail art pens, press-on nails, nail art kits, and nail tools. They are retailed in-house and in Boots, a drugstore chain in the United Kingdom and Ireland with outlets in bustling streets, shopping centers, and airport terminals.
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