These days, it seems that the world is in awe with Japanese nail art—and for good reason. It can hold the power to serve as a conversation starter and a segment of your personality. With social media and the Leafgel seminar, it’s been spreading like wildfire, making it a buzz-worthy topic through and through…and the revolution is only just beginning.
Recently, Leafgel, Japan and China’s No. 1 gel brand (and fast becoming the U.S.’s No. 1 gel brand as well) held its annual education seminar in New York City. I had a chance to check it out and slipped into class on day two of four.
Inside the Leafgel Seminar
To start off, the teacher, Junko Sato (@nail_space_junx) used an emery board to file a nail. A large TV screen showed a close-up of her work in a crystal clear light. Sato thoroughly explained each step, and mentioned to adjust the emery board from 60 to 90 degrees depending on what shape you’re going for. It’s technical.
The students came together from across the globe for the seminar. Their goal is to get training to become a certified educator of the brand. Think of it like boot camp for the fine craft of nail art!
At the Leafgel seminar, I spoke to three students from Australia, Argentina, and Miami. These nail artists opened up on their careers and how social media is playing a pivotal role.
Vivian Marie Wong
Founder of VW Nail Bar in Hurstville, Australia
“Growing up in Australia, I’ve never even known about gel nails until I visited Japan about five years ago,” said Vivian Wong. “It was so rare because it wasn’t like anything I’ve ever seen. We didn’t even have accent styles or French manicures.”
“In Japan, I went for a simple stripe design with Swarovski crystals and even then, when I went back home, people were like, ‘Wow, where did you get them done?!’ I tried to research who specialized in Japanese nail art in Australia and found a lady who had her own studio. She didn’t speak English and her menu was in Japanese.”
After that, Wong noted how Japanese nail art started gaining more of a presence on Facebook then Instagram. This added to the list of reasons why it seemed fitting to pursue it as a career field. She had originally studied interior architecture in college while working full-time at a retail job. After graduation, she went on to become a store manager, then ventured into merchandising for Ralph Lauren.
How she started in the nail industry
The 9-5 desk job filled with excel sheets led to her wonder what her real passion is in life. “I’ve always done nails on the side and never thought I could make a career out of it. It wasn’t until I actually quit my job, moved to Hawaii for three months, then came back and asked myself what I should do with my life.” she said. “It was one of those ‘if not now, when?’ moments. I decided to go to a nail school, got my qualification and launched my business last August.”
Currently, VW Nail Bar only offers Leafgel products. “There were only two nail artists in Australia that I found who used Leafgel. I asked one of them and she told me about her experience with it. That’s when I decided to invest and buy the entire collection. “Especially since I only offer this brand, it’s good to know exactly how to use it and learn the skills directly from an educator. That way, I can provide the best service I can to my clients.”
Vanesa Jaunarena
Co-founder of Penny Nail in Buenos Aires, Argentina
“I was worked for a software company for many years and was the only woman there,” said Vanesa Jaunarena. “Every time I came home, I would do my nails. It was kind of a girl moment for me. I spent so much time making designs and guides for women to learn nail art and realized this is what I want to do.”
How she started in the nail industry
She continued, “A friend I met in university told me she was working on a project for nails. She thought of starting something together. I didn’t want to leave my job yet and was afraid of change. Every time I left the office, I continued doing my nails until midnight. After a year, I decided to at least try it. That was seven years ago and now we have a big store, a group of technicians, and opened up a school five years ago. The salon offers services focused on illustrated nails.” Think: holographic and crystal-embellished Pokémon characters to zombies and Wonder Woman.
Jaunarena was in town with a colleague, Sol Lopez Ferraro, who started working at Penny Nails three years ago. “I used to watch a lot of YouTube videos on nail art. I didn’t know techniques but wanted to learn and combine it with my passion for illustration,” said Lopez Ferraro.
The two came to New York right in time. The Leafgel seminar just so happened to start after their artist in residence stay at the Lower East Side location of the hip nail salon, Vanity Projects.
Rose B.
Nail Artist at Vanity Projects, Miami
Scroll through Rose B.’s Instagram feed and expect to see nail creations of clouds, cherries, florals, and most of all, anime. She said, “I wasn’t very active on social media up until last year. It just took off on its own and I didn’t even know how to keep up with it.”
Her online presence has for sure contributed to the success of her career, which started in graphic design. “I used to work at an agency and would paint my nails at my desk. As soon as I got Japanese gel nail art done and noticed how long it lasted, I quit my job. Then, I went to nail school, and the rest is history.”
How she started in the nail industry
Of course, that’s the story in a nutshell. She has spent years honing the craft and currently works at a top salon, Vanity Projects Miami. “All of my designs are done with Leafgel. When I was at the Tokyo Nail Expo, I bought a few colors in which we still use a lot, especially dreamy shades,” she said, citing the style numbers by heart: 427, 429, 430, and 431.
“I’m very eager to learn and be more involved with Leafgel because I love this brand so much,” she added. The Leafgel seminar wrapped up and they noted Rose B. had one of the highest written exam scores. She’s now an official Leafgel Premium educator, as is Wong, Jaunarena, Lopez Ferraro, and rest of the students in the session.
The future of Japanese nail art & Leafgel
Japanese nail art may feel like it’s been around for a while now, but hearing insight from nail artists worldwide have opened my eyes to the fact that it’s really only just booming. I can’t wait to see how it evolves.
Learn more about Leafgel (and all things nails!) by following @leafgelusa.
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I’m a beginner nail tech and have just begin my journey with japanese nails. Thanks for this article because it gave me more insight and confirmation that I am making a great choice learning to master japanese gel. I hope to attend a seminar in the future.