L.A. Hair: Episode 4 -- Naja Finally Gets a Nail Area

FINALLY, I get to do what I came here to do at the Kimble Hair Studio...nails! Leslie brought in a temporary "spa" pedicure chair that was filthy, to say the least. I somehow convinced Anthony to help me clean it up. I spoke to Kim and told her in my opinion a conventional spa chair was not the future and not necessary although most non-nail stylists think it may be.

I showed Leslie some great furniture options that would not require pipe hook ups or attached running water. I've never worked with a pedicure throne, and at this point just wanted a space worthy of Kim's and my name. Not to mention how the heck would this loosey goosey management handle ANY kind of plumbing issue. I didn't want to be at the mercy of inefficient people or equipment for another minute longer.

I digress. Anyhow, China was my very first client in that pedicure chair, and it did have a nice massage feature she enjoyed. Her signature color is a kinda muted mustard yellow color that looks great with her skin. She also likes gold and polka dots. I did her hands and feet in Minx black and metallic gold polka dots. I mixed up the polka dot sizes to make it fun.

When Angela came in and started going ham on her toes I kinda just went into deaf-ear celebrity mode --  the mode I'm in 80% of time when I work with high-profile clients who may just be quiet on their phones, tweeting, discussing a secret project, yelling at their kids, arguing with management or their spouse. I just keep doing my job and blank it out and go over my shopping list in my head. Angela went on and on and on and on almost to the point of me jumping in because at that point China was my client and her toes were really not that bad at all.

I also put a deaf ear to all the nosy "what happened in Vegas" inquiries. Ah, a beauty salon -- where gossip was born. I told Kim before that I had a "professional crush" on Dontay, and she said,"It must stay professional." So I did just that. I kept it in Vegas except for slightly telling China, who I believed would keep it to herself and the only person there I felt to befriend. I always root for the underdog. They gang up on her all the time.

I needed to try out my new area and get a little more comfortable, so I invited my long-time client Mindy Kelly. She is always up for a mani. I played around with setting caviar beads in gel to see if it would last longer. Most clients love caviar, especially the multi/color candy ones, but I always asked the dreaded nail art question, "How long does it last?"

My salon clients are different than my editorial or music video clients. (Which btw -- I did get to do Faith Evans' nails. I'm the biggest Biggie Smalls fan, so I was really happy. I did her nails in matte gold. She loved the matte effect.) Anyway, salon clients don't want to come in and pay for something that lasts only one to two days. So I tried out my new area and the longevity of caviar on Mindy. It was a success! Although I still had no cabinet space, drawers, or shelves to house my supplies and was working out of suitcases (which I'm used to on set but do not want that look in a salon), I managed, and her caviar stayed pretty much intact for five days. I also put a 3-D rhinestone bow (people just can't seem to get enough of bows) and some of my custom Minx designs in Jovan (named after my long-time hairstylist).

Mindy is a world-renowned ninji, stunt fighter, and break dancer. She was in the girl fight in Lady Gaga's "Telephone" video. I tried to coax Anthony with these tidbits, so he would stop his garage sale-like tactics of cleaning out Kim's room right in front of my client. Rude! It worked, thought that was due to his poor work ethic, his propensity for never finishing a project, and probably A.D.D.

I've seen Mindy do back flips and land on a tiny railing and break dance off a roof, so I knew she wouldn't miss her mark on top of Anthony's head...but just this one time I wished for a mistake!

Keep filing. Keep Smiling.
xoxo
naja

Editor's Note: We're thrilled that celebrity nail tech Naja Rickette is blogging exclusively for NAILS Magazine during the second season of L.A. Hair. Read her past posts by clicking on the L.A. Hair (We TV Reality Show) link under "Post Categories".