The first nail strengths is my nail art skill. I love to create beautiful work of art on the nail. Every time, I do nail art I would forget the time and lose myself in the art work. For this challenge I used PlexiGel to create the nail extensions. As I was creating the nail extensions, I thought the gel reminded me of water. So, I decided to create an ocean and water theme. As a result, I try to create fishes swimming in the water and a pearl in the ocean. The fishes are design to show that it’s swimming in the water because the PlexiGel is so clear. Also, I left a spot on the pinky nail to showcase this feature.

My non-nail related strength is wisdom. I will represent wisdom by creating a pearl. According to history and the myths, pearls are symbolic of wisdom gained through experience. Before being a nail technician, I was a flight attendant. Everyone thought I had a good job including my parents. My parents were really proud of me and were really happy for me. However, I was unhappy inside because the job was not my passion and I felt miserable every day. I could not take it anymore so I decided to quit my job and pursued my passion of being a nail technician. The journey was difficult because I had no mentors or directions to follow. I was like a piece of sand drifting in the vast ocean. As my nail skills improve, I felt more confident and had purpose. Like a piece of sand turning into a beautiful pearl. Now, looking back that was the best decision I’ve ever made. I can’t believe I made it to Top 12 in the competition.