5 Lessons From A Year of Doing My Own Nails
I was never a nail girlie...until I was
Some of you are only here for the pictures, and that’s OK :). Don’t judge my efforts too harshly.
My loves, I took a hiatus for work and personal reasons. Lest you think this is another abandoned Substack blog, launching in a blaze of weekly glory only for posts to trickle out every few weeks, then months, until it peters out altogether… it is not.
But I have been rather emotionally unmoored after my travels. The 4-week schedule for my nails is a commitment that anchors me, no matter what happens in my life. This monthly creative outlet is my number one feeling. Join me as I share pictures and words about my one-year journey and progress with doing my own gel nail manicures.
How it started (2024)
YouTube. It started with YouTube, as so many things that become hobbies of mine do (makeup, baking, sourdough bread, beauty and haircare product making, etc). I love watching things transform, finding beauty, surprise and a fulfilling denouement. Be it segments on Sesame Street showing crayons being made, or a disparate set of ingredients coming together as something tasty, I have loved watching how things get made since I was a wee lass. A nail video made its way into my algorithm, and the next thing I knew, it became part of my routine bedtime watching on silent until my eyes got heavy and closed.
But that love never extended to the manicure or nail extension process on myself. In the last year, my nails have been done more times than in my entire 44 years before that. Long nails get in the way of my everyday life. I also hated nail polish because after all the effort to apply it carefully, it would chip or smudge within hours of putting it on. I saw that as a waste. Plus, there was something about 10 fingers of one solid nail colour that I did not like. The few times I was made to get my nails extended when I was younger, I hated it. Hated the salons (I would always get hurt). Hated the process of taking off acrylic nails. Hate, hate, hate!
After months of watching the creative and technical process on YouTube by professionals and DIY enthusiasts alike, I grew to respect and appreciate nail art (and science). A familiar creative itch started, and I knew I had to try gel nails for myself. The promise of the material lasting longer than varnish appealed to an investment ratio I sought with most things: getting at least twice as much reward out of the time and effort I put in. Doing my nails gave me far more than a 'reward', teaching me new things about myself, gaining technical knowledge, and expanding my curiosity and creativity.
Here's what I learned over the last 13 months.
(1) Patience
I get impatient if something is taking me longer than I think it should. Why is this lecture taking you so long to pull together? It's a simple 1-minute video about best practices for shampooing natural hair, but it's taken you an hour to get right! You used to write 5000-word Tumblr posts in a day, but it's taking you a week to write and edit one fanfic chapter? Girl… But, because there was no one to consume this output but myself, I had no fear of judgment but my own. The only two people who knew I started this venture were my wife (my biggest supporter) and my best friend (an avid nail girlie since we met in high school). The former was happy I had a new creative outlet (more on this later), and the latter was glad I finally saw in nails what she had known for so long: it's fun!
I also learned to be gentle with myself, as I cared for a part of my body that was only ever utilitarian. Soon, I began painting my toes to coordinate with my nails.
The learning process was long. There were many things to be mindful of to prevent damage or skin allergies, and ensure adhesion and long-lasting results. It was hard to manage all that awareness at the same time. I damaged my nail beds as I learned to use a nail drill. Discovering an allergy to certain ingredients in some gel-based products threatened my new hobby mere weeks after I started! I researched ingredients and tested new products to solve the concern (cheapness is not always worth it!).
Most proud of: My knowledge of Latin ingredient names, I gained from years of haircare alchemy in my own studio, helped me navigate my way out of what could have been a permanent allergy. I became cautious with ingredients and quality of nailcare products by June 2024, a month of both severe nail bed damage and extended allergic reaction from May.
(2) Imperfections are Opportunities
I always wanna run before I walk. This applies to everything: writing (academic and creative), cooking and baking, and making haircare products. It's a trait of my overactive mind, which blasts through thoughts, connections across time and space faster than my tongue can move or my hands can write. My physical capabilities are always playing catch-up. Doing my nails was no different. I started in April 2024 by allowing myself to buy an affordable kit from Amazon, limiting myself to trying out the gel polish on my natural nails. You can see that I could not even do a basic wash of colour on all my nails; I had to have a little razzle dazzle, even if it looked janky. I didn't care because following my creative instincts was the most important. I would study how to perfect that colour blending skill later.
Learning to discern between a 'mistake' and an 'unintentional outcome' saved my self-esteem while learning and growing into this new hobby.
Most proud of: learning how to do a Russian manicure to eliminate cuticle debris and clip my proximal nail fold (eponychium—that little ridge mistakenly called the cuticle) for a clean looking manicure.
(3) Zoning Out + Locking In
I adore falling in love with new pursuits. I love a geek-out, a hyper-obsession with a world new to me. I want to know everything about my new love. Diving deep into a rabbit hole of knowledge and beauty is so fun and rewarding! Learning how to do my nails allowed me to lock in with technical, scientific application and zone out the world as I embraced the hours I would spend removing an old set and creating a new one.
Best of all was watching the transformation every three weeks (now four since 2025) and knowing I was entirely responsible for it. During this creative process (which I split over two days because…responsibilities), nothing else matters while I focus on my nails. I'm in a place of complete mental clarity.
Most proud of: using my existing knowledge and obsession with colour theory to use acrylic art paints and mixing them with existing gel polish to create specific colours and opacities! Sure, I could buy them (sometimes), but where's the fun in that? This way is much more affordable.
(4) Style Repertoire
As I gained an appreciation for nail design, I recognised differences between Western aesthetics (led by the USA) and East Asian aesthetics. Japan, Korea, and China all have their own distinct artistic flair for nail design. My personal taste blends American(October 2024), Korean (March 2025), and Japanese (April 2025) in varying degrees.
As for nail shapes, I know almond is 'trending' these days in the US and UK, but just like fashion and hair, my instincts matter more than the changing whims of social acceptance. What do I look like, being over 40, but changing my preference because some 25 year-old says "coffin nails are so 2016". Especially when I know some 22 year-old influencer could come along next week and convince most of TikTok that trapezoidal nails are hot in 2025. I love a tapered square, coffin, or ballet shape. And if I can't get my lines sharp, then oval will do!
Best of all is the inspiration and planning process I pursue about 1-2 weeks before changing sets, or doing a refill.
Most proud of: I can be such a last-minute Lisa with plenty of things, but I plan ahead for my nail sets. Sometimes I'll know what I want for September before March's design comes into focus. This year, because of the June Cowboy Carter concert in London, I had that plan in mind from March, but May was harder to envision. Refusing to just settle for plain polish on 10 fingers (no shade to those who do!), I lovingly challenge myself every month.
(5) Just for Fun
This little hobby is wholly mine! I do not post to social media my every creation, no matter how much I'm internally screaming about the great job I did. I'm looking for no one else's validation (or critique) but mine. These nails are on display to anyone who interacts with me, but unless they bring up the subject or grab my hand and ogle them, I keep them to myself. Because why? It's just for me. For my consumption. For my enjoyment. I love the simple pleasure of just admiring my fingers, which is something my best friend used to say, and I never understood until recently. The joy of doing your own nails and the pain of pursuing a PhD are both things I've done after she was well acquainted. Both times, I told her, "I get it now. I get what you were feeling." Where the PhD threatened to compromise my sanity, doing my nails is part of my mental health hygiene.
A hobby is not a business because eventually, business becomes less and less fun. That is what happened when I turned hair and skincare product-making into a business. By 2023, I was not having fun anymore. Even the alchemy I performed in my studio became less satisfying, less fulfilling. It's a slippery slope when you monetise a hobby. It's why I have delayed requiring a subscription for this Substack until I feel sure. The only hobby I successfully monetised (for a limited run) without regret was a piece of fan fiction I printed as a hardcover book for commemorative copies. The price mostly covered the cost of printing and design.
When I decided to wind down the BB Naturals business in 2024, I was in a creative vacuum and nail design came into my life at the right time. I was determined to keep a hobby as just that. So far, I am succeeding. Even if I became 'good enough', I would not do anyone's nails as a favour or for practice. Go me! What a way to show restraint.
Most proud of: I love femininity in many of its forms. What a freeing and productive space, no matter your gender.