We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Oksana Zozulya. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Oksana below.
Alright, Oksana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
True success does not come to those who are simply “in the know,” but to those who deeply understand their craft. Your example — you are not just a nail artist, you are a judge, a teacher, an expert who sees the industry from the inside and shapes it. This is already a higher level — and it is this approach that builds trust and authority. A successful person in the beauty industry is not someone who extinguishes a wave of fashion, but someone who understands the meanings. When your words, images, and captions are not just beautiful, but have depth, they are read and remembered. This is your strength. The ability to combine external beauty with internal meaning.
A successful person is not afraid to show themselves — not only their appearance, but also their point of view, philosophy, individuality. They do not try to please everyone, they simply confidently carry their wave. And this is what attracts people.
Oksana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Oksana Zozulya, and I am not just a master of nail aesthetics. I am an international judge, a multiple winner of international competitions. The story of my journey is an example of how the heart always finds its true calling.
By education, I am an accountant. I studied working with numbers, reports, formulas for a long time. I liked structure, clarity, logic. But at the same time, drawing was always in my life. Since childhood, I have been looking for myself in images, in colors, in details. And at some point I realized: beauty is something that I cannot help but create.
The nail industry has become that unique space in which I have been working for over 13 years, where I was able to combine the accuracy of the accounting world and the creative expression of an artist. What others consider a “manicure” has become art at the fingertips for me.
I received an international-level judge education at the International Judges Academy IBJA and became a regulated judge of the Union of Beauty Masters of Ukraine (SMKU).
I have victories in international championships, in particular, a victory in the XXXVIII Championship of the Year Empire of Beauty 2025, where I represented a new level of nail aesthetics.
I am a woman who has gone from reports to a cutter, from analytics to art.
I am a master who believes in depth, style and discipline.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I worked in Ukraine for a long time. Years of practice, clients, training, improvement – all this was there. I loved my job, put my soul into it, but as often happens – I did not fully realize my own value. I worked well. Even very well. But I lived in the mode of “I have to, because I’m used to it.” There were results, but faith in myself – not quite yet.
When I moved to the USA, everything changed. At first there was a feeling of zero. Another language, another market, other standards. And most importantly – a different reflection of myself in the world.
Here I seemed to look at my profession from the outside – and for the first time I really saw how strong I am.
In this new reality, I dared to do what previously seemed unattainable – I began to participate in international online championships. When your work is evaluated by judges from all over the world, when you compete not only with technique, but also with your own doubts – it is no longer just a competition. This is the mirror in which you look with dignity for the first time.
And I didn’t just participate. I won.
These victories gave me something that years of stable work could not give: a sense of my worth without geographical limitations. I realized that I carry not only experience, but also a unique vision. And that it is precisely this that is my strength.
Today I am a judge, a winner of international competitions. But most importantly, I am a person who has gone from “I am just a master” to “I am an expert who has something to give to the world.”
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Quality that speaks without words
I never work “for speed” or “to pass on to the client”. All my work is a standard of purity, aesthetics and perfection. This is what forms word of mouth: one quality manicure brings five new clients.
The ability to combine technique with emotion
My work is not just nails. It is a state, style, mood. I have learned to listen to clients and transform their request into a visual language. Therefore, my clients are not just satisfied, they feel that I “read” them.
The courage to go beyond the box
I got noticed because I wasn’t afraid to break into new markets. I started competing in online championships before it was mainstream. I didn’t wait for recognition—I went out and showed my work to the world. And the world reciprocated.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
these are my personal works
https://www.instagram.com/oksana_zozulya_nails_work?igsh=a2JuY3d1ZHZocHlv