As the potent smell of nail polish and dust from her electric drill fills her garage, junior Alison Lin sits with a client, carefully shaping each nail with a liner brush. Eyes focused and hands steady, she sculpts the 3D gel and lifts the wax pencil to place every shining gemstone. Through her nail business, Acrylicz by A, Lin creates unique and personal acrylic nails for her clients who want to add to their style.
Lin’s passion and curiosity for nail art began with press-on nails which she would often wear on vacation and at school dances. After experimenting with a variety of different sets, she dove into acrylic nails, something she could have more creative freedom with. Through YouTube tutorials, she taught herself the key aspects of nail care, shape and design. Lin purchased a beginner’s acrylic kit in early July that provided her with all the basic tools of acrylic powders and brushes. This set was a stepping stone for her to gain hands-on experience with proper tools instead of simply observing others through a screen. While acrylics were completely different from press-ons, Lin could focus more on precision and each detailed element.
“Getting into nails wasn’t an easy process for me since no one I knew had experience creating them,” Lin said. “I had to rely a lot on online resources and the tips of other nail technicians and continuously practice on myself with a pop offset.”
While Lin had always enjoyed doing her nails, her inspiration to transform a hobby into a business sparked after getting her nails done for her 16th birthday by a nail technician who was around the same age as her. With the help of her mom, Lin purchased more professional tools including a dust collector, cuticle pusher and electric nail drill. In her spare time, she explored different square, almond and lipstick-shaped nails, growing her technical skills. As she expanded her workspace and collection of tools, she outgrew her room and soon moved to the garage, where she would spend most of her time.
“The nail tech that I went to was already running her own business after only starting nails one year ago,” Lin said. “This inspired me to start my own business after thinking about how hard she must have worked and the effort she put in to become successful.”
This summer, Lin jumpstarted Acrylicz by A, a nail business that brings her client’s creative nail designs to life while combining her own flair. She began by only offering her services to a smaller client list, mostly consisting of her close friends. Her first client and closest friend, junior Chloe Chung, would often lend Lin her hands, allowing Lin to practice nail shaping, application and design. Lin was able to further hone her skills with Chung’s consistent support and feedback. She was also the first person to suggest the use of social media like Instagram and TikTok to enhance brand awareness, something Lin had never thought of approaching.
“It was a very trust-the-process situation,” Chung said. “It was mind-blowing to me how something so simple like nails can develop into something really complex.”
Through short-form videos and images on social media, Lin was able to create content and market her work to showcase her different nails and techniques. Amassing over 200,000 views, 40,000 likes and 300 followers across all her platforms, her online presence has grown quickly and has attracted a larger audience interested in her services.
“My social media platform allows me to spread my work online and reaches more people compared to in person,” Lin said.
Looking ahead, Lin hopes to expand her clientele and increase her visibility on social media to eventually move her business online while continuously working in person. She also aims to offer a wider variety of services, including custom press-on nails and gel nails. Through a higher online presence, Lin plans to target clients who don’t have long hours to commit to getting their nails done or clients who live further away.
“Even though starting this business has had its challenges, watching it grow has been extremely rewarding,” Lin said, “ While it originally started as something I do in my free time, it has now blossomed into a small business where I have grown a lot as a nail technician.”
