Nails Swedish Style

Impressed by a friend’s beautiful nails, Najet Hamila took an eight-week course, learned acrylic and fiberglass techniques, and got her nail license. Nothing unusual about that story, except that Hamila lives in Stockholm, Sweden, where there are just two nail schools in the whole country. “Artificial nails have been steadily gaining in popularity in Sweden over the last six years,” explains Hamila.

With two years’ experience under her belt, she entered a nail competition in Norway and last year wound up champion of all Scandinavia. For Hamila, the title was a thrill, but just as exciting was the opportunity it gave her to compete at the Long Beach International Beauty Expo.

The competition in Norway also introduced her to EZ Flow products. What followed was a trip to Stanton, Calif., EZ Flow’s headquarters, where she trained to be the company’s first Swedish educator. “She does wonderful work,” says company president Danny Haile. During her visit, Hamila was awed by the selection of nail products in the U.S. “Nails are so big here — they’re all over the place and they’re inexpensive by Swedish standards, where a top-of-the-line full set goes for the equivalent of $100 and a fill costs $40.”