There is a new nail tech at the High School! Sophie Hess, a freshman, has been doing the nails of students for low prices with promising results. Clients are usually very content with her work, and have a habit of coming back.
With enough practice, motivation, and support, she hopes continue her passion for doing people’s nails long-term.
“I’ve been doing nails since the summer of 2024,” said Hess.
And for the short amount of time she has had to practice, there has been a stunning increase in her ability to do so. Hess used her hobby of doing nails and turned it into her own business.
“What got me into doing nails was my best friend doing nails and I thought it was really cool,” She said. “She was able to do them herself, so I thought I might as well try and do them, too.”
With little practice at the beginning, Sophie had already proven to have a big talent for doing nails on people. It shows in her work how passionate she is about her hobby.
Hess specializes in two different types of nails: Acrylic nails, which is an artificial nail set created by gel or powder, or she also is able to Gel X extensions, which is a soft gel polish.
“My favorite type to do is acrylics,” Hess said, “ I love when my clients come in with a funky design, they’re a lot more fun to do than just a simple French tip or solid colors.”
Hess also plans on doing the nails of her friends and students for quite a while, and is content with how things are going in her small business so far. She has many happy clients that are very impressed with her work.
“I could definitely see myself doing this long-term if I just continue to practice, get better, and take this seriously,” Hess said.
When being asked how she has time to balance school, her hobby, and extracurricular activities, her answer was more simple than people thought.
“I balance doing school, nails, and my extracurriculars by just scheduling on days that I know I’m free, and I usually don’t have anything to do, honestly,” said Hess.
Hess often schedules people for nails by text message, Gmail, or if you talk to her in person. She has proven to be flexible with her schedule and will do the best she can to get you in.
“It doesn’t cause me a lot of pressure. It’s more of something fun I do than a job. I just like getting to socialize with people so it’s not really hard to balance,” she said.
If that continues to be the case, Hess is hoping to keep on going in the future with support from clients. She is always looking for new people to do nails for.
“It’s something I never thought I would do, but I am extremely proud of what I’ve done,” Hess said.
