Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie Zamarripa
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I began my journey in the nail industry shortly after I graduated high school with my cosmetology license in 2020. Due to the covid lockdown I spent a lot of my nights trying to pass time and used that as an opportunity to teach myself how to do nails through YouTube and TikTok. After about a year of solely practicing on myself and a few of my family members, I decided that I was ready to begin taking clients. Although that first year was really difficult client wise, I stayed consistent about posting and showcasing my work on Instagram and soon enough a couple of my posts reached a high engagement rate. My books got filled up with new clients that quickly became regulars and I was able to make it a full time job and moved into my own nail suite in March of last year.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The first year that I began taking clients was definitely the hardest year for me. Like most people starting out in the beauty industry, I really struggled to build a steady clientele. It’s really hard when there are so many other people doing the exact same thing as you, that’s when I learned the importance of individuality. I quickly realized that I didn’t want to specialize in your typical one color manis, I wanted to create nail sets that you don’t come across every day. Once I started prioritizing certain designs and only posting the sets that I really enjoyed, my social media presence started growing and I quickly attracted the type of clients that I had been looking for.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in creative nail art and work with acrylic, gel-x, and builder gel nail enhancements. Anything from animal print to 3D charms, as long is its unique and fun, I’ll do it!
I’m most known for my “mood-board” freestyles. These freestyles usually begin with my client bringing in a set of multiple non nail related inspo pictures that all have a similar vibe, from there I come up with a surprise set that matches the theme they’re looking for. I really enjoy doing these because it gives me creative freedom and I get to see my clients ideas come to life. It’s simple to just recreate another artists design, but coming up with an entirely new concept based off of something like the pattern of a shirt or an album cover, that requires a lot of creative skill and its what sets me apart from others.
I have a lot to be proud of, but I would say one of those things would definitely have to be the clientele I’ve been able to maintain. The majority of my current clients have been consistently coming to me for the last couple of years and it has been such a privilege to be a small part of their lives for this long. I’m grateful for every client that walks into my studio, however it is just so much fun when it’s one of my regulars. I’m very lucky to have found such an amazing group of loyal clients.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Pinterest has definitely always been a favorite of mine in and out of work. You can find the best inspo pics for literally everything on there, that’s typically where my clients and I pull ideas from. As an introvert, its nice to go on a social media app where you don’t feel obligated to interact with anyone, its just fun pictures of your favorite things, I love it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nailedbyvalz/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@nailedbyvalz
