The Nail Artist Taking Her Talent Beyond the Salon Chair

It took six hours to complete.

Tiny hand-painted Disney characters. Sculpted elements. Ten favourite films recreated across ten fingernails.

It wasn't for a movie set or fashion campaign, just one client heading to Disneyland.

"Every design begins as a sketch in Procreate before the first brush ever touches a nail."

(Paris' sculptural nail art often combines hand-painted details with three-dimensional elements.)

For Paris, nail art has never been just about beauty. It's storytelling.

Working from her private home studio in Tahmoor, she's built a loyal following of clients who travel from across the Wollondilly region, Wollongong, Western Sydney and the Southern Highlands for her signature style.

Fresh out of high school, Paris wasn't sure what direction she wanted to take. She was studying film and television, knew she wanted to run a business, and after being reminded of how much she had loved doing her own nails as a teenager, decided to enrol in an online nail course. A few months later, Nails By Paris was born.

Choosing creativity over convention

Not everyone understood her decision.

Coming from an academically focused private school, many expected university to be the obvious next step. Instead, she chose to build something of her own.

People often questioned how she was making money, how she already had clients and why people would pay more than $100 for a set of nails.

"I take those comments with a grain of salt because I know exactly what my business is doing and how it's going to benefit me for my future business ventures."

Taking nail art beyond the salon

Alongside her salon work, she has created a space for herself in editorial and film projects, combining her love of visual storytelling with her artistic skills.

She also runs Studio Blue Productions, another creative outlet that combines her love of videography and visual storytelling.

Her first major film project, I Love You So Much And You'll Never Know, involved creating ten custom nail sets for the two lead actresses, each with its own unique theme.

She's also found success in competitive nail art, placing second and twice placing third in her first professional competition after spending two months creating five competition entries.

One of her most memorable projects involved a client preparing for a trip to Disneyland. Over six hours, her longest appointment ever, she hand-painted beloved Disney characters, sculpted custom elements and brought the client's ten favourite Disney films to life across a single set of nails.

(A six-hour Disney-inspired set featuring ten favourite films, all hand-painted across one manicure.)

It's exactly this level of detail and artistic storytelling that has helped open doors into editorial and film work.

Whether she's working from a creative brief or collaborating directly with a client, the process is always about translating an idea into something visual.

More than just nails

Today, Nails By Paris has become known for intricate hand-painted nail art and a highly personalised client experience.

Rather than offering the same service to everyone, she takes a prescription-based approach to nail care, tailoring products and techniques to each client's individual needs.

Her nail rehab program has become particularly popular with chronic nail biters, nail pickers and clients who have struggled to grow their natural nails. Working together over several months, many clients not only achieve longer, healthier nails, but finally break the habit of biting or picking altogether. For many, it's not just about having beautiful nails, it's about finally feeling confident enough to stop hiding their hands.

A private salon with a personal touch

Operating from a private home salon in Tahmoor wasn't originally part of some grand strategy, it was simply the most practical way to start.

Her family had a spare room available, and with no existing client base, it made far more sense than taking on the cost of renting a commercial space.

What she didn't expect was how much clients would value the experience. The privacy of a home-based salon offers a very different atmosphere to sitting in a busy, noisy salon.

Despite receiving multiple offers to work from larger salon spaces, she has chosen to stay exactly where she is.

Her clients love the space, the location and the fact that she's been able to make it completely her own. Being based in a small town has also helped the business grow through word of mouth.

"I've even had people stop me in the shops to say they knew me."

While most of her regular clients are local, others happily travel from Wollongong, Western Sydney and the South**ern Highlands, with one client making an almost one-hour journey every three weeks.

Growing with Ovatu

Building beautiful nails was one thing. Running a business around them was something else entirely. From the very beginning, she knew she wanted her business to run efficiently.

Before opening her doors, she spent months watching discussions from other nail technicians who were struggling to keep up with bookings and client administration.

That's what led her to Ovatu.

"I knew I wanted to automate and simplify my booking process."

She invested time upfront setting up her online bookings, policies, reminder texts and emails, so the business would be ready to scale as her client list grew.

Now, clients simply follow the booking instructions and can manage everything themselves, allowing her to focus on servicing clients or tackling other parts of the business.

"It's saved me a whole lot of hours and potential headaches because everything is so seamless."

Building something bigger than nails

(Every set begins as a concept, with Paris sketching designs digitally before bringing them to life.)

While Nails By Paris continues to grow, she's clear that success isn't about opening multiple salons or building a huge team.

Instead, she wants to continue creating highly artistic, nail art-focused work while expanding further into editorial projects, film productions, brand collaborations and creative competitions.

And for young people thinking about following a similar path?

"Do your research and ensure you understand what it takes to run a business physically, mentally and financially."

"You won't be able to be the best overnight, but if you dedicate lots of time to perfecting your craft, you'll be able to build a very successful business. Find your niche and stick to it, because people will come to you for that."

For Paris, every set of nails is a tiny canvas. Whether it's for a loyal client, a bride or a film production, the goal is always the same: to tell a story.