Nailed It

Some people have a love-hate relationship with nail polish. Often, they don’t want to do their nails because of the smell of acetone, the ability to chip easily, or they have a job that uses their hands.  

Casey Crowell (‘25) had that problem, but eventually came across organic nail polish. She says, “I like that it smells better because it’s not as toxic in terms of the acetone feel on my actual nails. Organic polish [just] feels better.” 

The organic polish is also water-based, meaning that it’s easier to take off after it had its time. Crowell likes that she can repaint her nails as frequently as she wants, since the polish is water-based and doesn’t feel heavy on her nails. Especially with her past job, a cashier at Rite Aid, nails can easily get in the way with tasks, such as picking up change or opening up packages. Crowell needs nails that work with her, not against her, at and away from work. 

“Whenever I can, I try to paint them as often as possible. But as soon as they start chipping, I usually repaint them, so I don’t bite them, because that’s a bad habit I have.” 

 Because of this, Crowell has stayed loyal to organic nail polishes, collecting them in different colors and matching them with her day-to-day outfits. The polish she uses is the Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure Polish and is bound to be a nail staple of hers for a lifetime. 

In contrast to others, Odin Whiteley (‘25) got roped into painting his nails for the first time last year and it was an outcome of “peer pressure” by his friends. Before that, he’d never even thought of painting them. He never really had the desire, time, or the materials to do so.  

He recalls, “I didn’t paint my nails, a friend of mine did. She just kind of said it was happening. They were glossy, a little shiny, and as black as my soul.”  

Most people around him were also indifferent, and he didn’t pay attention to those who weren’t. Whiteley didn’t think much of it after painting them, his nails were just…there. He states, “I just kind of went day-to-day not noticing it until I would look down and be like, oh, my nails are painted. I was kind of indifferent about it.” 

Nails can add to a person’s appearance, and they can also strengthen the bond between the people who are doing the nails.  

Zo Copeland’s (‘25) sister, a nail tech, does her nails once a month and the routine has strengthened their bond more. “When my sister’s doing my nails, we just talk and that’s the time that we get to spend together. She doesn’t come over a lot, but the times that she does my nails is our designated time and it’s a common interest that we both have.”  

Copeland usually asks her sister to give her longer nails. Without them, Copeland just feels like something is missing. She states, “If I don’t have them [and I’m] not hearing the tap of my nails on stuff, I’m like, ‘Where did my nails go? Like, where are they?’ I’m just used to having long nails. I really can’t think about life without them.” 

Not only does this strengthen their sisterly bond, but it also strengthens the bond between Copeland’s nails and nail beds. “I work as a dishwasher, which normally would be kind of hard to do with long nails, but my sister is really good at her job. So, usually in the hot water, my nails don’t come off at all.”  

You can find more of her sister’s work on Instagram @autumn_glossnh. 

Some students have taken up the hobby and job of doing other people’s nails, Bridget Hawley (‘26) being one of them. She sees nails as art, and the fact that the art she does on customers’ nails is often shown off to others or at events makes her feel really proud of her work. 

She states, “My favorite nails to do are prom nails. I love seeing pictures of them at prom and that makes me feel really good.” 

Being able to do nails takes practice. Hawley only started doing her own and other people’s nails two years ago. She first started off with doing simple designs and then steadily progressed into more complicated designs and materials. “I started off doing just gel and then later on, for my birthdays and Christmases, I got more products and started doing dip and acrylic.” Gel is her favorite to do on herself and on someone else. 

To get to the point where Hawley could comfortably do nails on other people, it took a lot of work and consistency, qualities that she thinks is important for anyone looking to do nails should have. Her advice is, “At first, my nails sucked, so it’s really just about consistency. If you just do it once and you hate them and think they’re ugly, trust the process, they’re going to be good eventually. And of course, practice makes perfect.” 

Right beside Hawley, Leah Lynskey (‘26) also does nails for others. She wants to make sure that the nails come out as perfect as possible and doing nails can often take her longer to do. “I’m so picky personally. So, it always takes forever if I don’t think it looks good, and I redo the designs all the time.” It’s all worth it for her though when people she did nails for come back with compliments they got from other people. 

“I do my brother’s girlfriend’s nails, and I love it when she comes back to tell me who complimented the nails. There are all these people who said that they look good, and they want me to do theirs,” she says. 

Lynskey has also been experimenting with different types of application for nails for herself, since she plays volleyball and she wants her nails to stay on. She states, “One time I started doing my nail application a different way and got hit with my nail and it didn’t pop off, but it hurt so bad. Sometimes it’s hard for me to do hand-stuff, but it’s also just nice to look down and think, ‘I did that.’” 

-Hannah Klarov