We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nina Trespalacios-Paris. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nina below.

Nina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

My love for nails really started back when I was a kid. I was very crafty and always had a love for art and drawing. As I got older, that sort of manifested into a love for beauty where I found myself heavily interested in hair and nails. I experimented with both in high school and college for fun but never had all of the resources to take it seriously, so I eventually gave it up to focus on graduating and career building. After being in the non-profit world for about two years, I was itching to find something new so I began my search for a new job. It wasn’t fruitful; I began feeling discouraged about my career choice and wondered what to do next. One day, I was browsing my Youtube home page and found a video on press-on nails and thought “wow, that seems like something I could do!” The next day, I spent about $200 on the basic supplies I needed to start designing press-ons and the rest is history!

Nina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi! My name is Nina Trespalacios-Paris and I’m a 28 year old Licensed Nail Artist born and raised in Kansas City, MO. I specialize in acrylic nails, natural nails care, press on nails, creative and freehand nail art, and nail education. I also have a Youtube channel (TheeNailQueen) where I post tutorials and other nail content. I have been in the nail industry for three years and since the start of my nail career, I have expanded my business to offering classes and obtaining more certifications to advance my skill set.

I started in the industry by making press-on nails for myself, which then turned into a small business. I launched “NailedByNina” on Etsy in Fall 2019. At the time, I had a full-time job so during the day I would work and at night, I would either fulfill an order or practice a new design. When the pandemic hit, my job went remote and in a way, helped me have more time for nails. Almost overnight, my shop blew up with orders. I went from selling about 3-4 sets a month to getting 3-4 orders a day. I started to feel like I could actually do this as a career, so I used the extra time and money I had and enrolled in nail school in September 2020. After three months, I graduated and shortly thereafter, earned my licensure in two states and began taking clients part-time. I landed an opportunity booth renting at a local black-owned salon and saw my clientele grow. Eventually, I had to make a choice between staying at my full-time job or taking a leap of faith to run my business full-time. I chose the latter.

Being a full-time nail artist has been a very rewarding experience and I’m proud of myself for not being afraid to bet on me and my dream. I have met so many amazing people that inspire me to keep pushing everyday. Despite some of the hang-ups I’ve faced so far, this industry has treated me very well and I’m excited to keep growing and achieving more of my goals as a nail artist and providing the best service to any and everyone that sits in my chair.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being in my field is that I have the “luxury” of freedom. I felt extremely confined in my role at my full-time job. I saw that no matter how hard I worked to showcase my strengths and talents, I would never advance in that field because it wasn’t for me. My trajectory in the nail industry has been positive and I can say that most of it is possible because I have the freedom to structure my career how I want. I can work whenever I want, wear whatever I want, express myself via multiple forms without judgement, and I answer to no one! Well….technically I answer to my clients! My clients are also open to my creative freedom, which makes working even more fun.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Nail education has been a current mission of mine that’s driving my journey as a nail artist. One thing I’ve noticed during my time in the nail industry thus far is a lack of knowledge of proper nail care and services among clients. A lot of the new clients that I’ve met have expressed receiving subpar nail services at local salons or some home-based nail techs and quite honestly, have written off getting their nails done because they’ve only ever had bad experiences. I try to re-educate clients on how a nail service should go and give context to some of the negatives they’ve previously experienced.

Seeing this prompted me to enroll in nail care programs that train me to take better care of clients with certain nail issues or concerns. It’s also encouraged me to begin teaching my own beginner acrylic courses and explore becoming a licensed instructor. A lot of people don’t realize that nail care is health and it’s important to be knowledgable and have safe practices in your business. I just feel it’s important to spread the correct information as much as possible to protect everyone involved.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nailedbynina.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neenthenailqueen
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neenthenailqueen
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKU85gT19GLy1twhc2bQ9LQ
• Other: booking site: booknbn.as.me https://linktr.ee/nailedbynina

Image Credits
N/A. I am the photographer of all photos