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Avery Gillett, VP of Lafayette Fashion Society: So Destiny, to start off: what is your major?
Destiny: So I’m a neuroscience major, anthropology, and sociology minor. [...] I originally came in bio, pre-med [...] but now I’m neuroscience, and pre-nursing.
Are you still gonna incorporate some work with nails on the side, or is this just a side hustle?
Destiny: Yeah it is just a side hustle. I’ve entertained the idea of doing it when I get out of college, but I think what makes the most sense to me right now is to do it when I retire and pick it back up again. I don’t want to open a nail salon [...] it’s just fun, like the same way it’s therapeutic and fun for [customers], it’s the same way for me.
Where do you get your supplies?
Destiny: Amazon is my number one, I get a lot of stuff from Amazon. eBay is another one. I have a nail supplies store that I go to back in New York City, ‘cuz that’s where I’m from. Sally’s Beauty Supply. Nail charms you can get at, like, Michael’s or Target. I buy from a variety of places.
How did you get started doing nails?
Destiny: My sophomore year I was going through some financial struggles. So, I had gone home one weekend, and I was hanging out with my aunt and she was doing my nails actually. She’s the person who taught me how to do gel, and then acrylic, I’m entirely self-taught. But we were chatting, and I was telling her that Pennsylvania’s minimum wage sucks, like this is how much I get paid and they still take out taxes... She told me: "Destiny, you can do people’s nails for money, people love gel manicures because they last and are cute and fun," and I was like," Oh my god, yeah there definitely is a market for that." So, she sent me back to campus with my first nail drill, some base coat, and top coat--just some beginner things to get me started--then, I invested some money. I just started giving free manicures to master the technique. Then, I made the Instagram page, because I was like if I’m gonna make a business like this, and I want it to be more than ‘Oh I have a friend who does nails’ I wanted it to have it’s own name without me.
Like a brand?
Destiny: Like a brand! Wow, yes! I mean people know of my nails before they know of me. I introduce myself like ‘Hey, I’m Destiny’ and they’re like ‘Oh my god are you the girl who does nails?!’ Like yeah, that’s me!
What inspired you to start your nail business?
Destiny: Honestly, being broke. I don’t have an artistic bone in my body.
Please, you must have to be… doing nails like this.
Destiny: That’s what people think... They ask me to draw stuff on their nails or whatever, but no. I’m not like an artist. I don't secretly draw for fun. I’m kind of a craftsy person, I like knitting or crocheting, but I’m not artsy.
What is your favorite type of manicure to do?
Destiny: I’m biased to acrylics. I love them. I love long nails. It just gives me a bigger canvas, if you will, to work more magic on, but I’ve grown an appreciation for gel manicures too, they are fun. Builder gel is cool, because it’s a middle ground between gel and acrylic, but it’s finicky because it can run everywhere and you have to build it up a certain way.
Tell me a little more about what builder gel is!
Destiny: There are different types of gel, there’s gel polish. Then there are soft gels which are kind of like builder gel, it doesn’t require me to sculpt it, I just brush it on and build it up from there. Then there are hard gels that come in pots, and those require their own brushes and techniques. [Builder gel] provides the flexibility regular gel provides, and doesn't require tips, but not as invasive as acrylic[...] but gives the same durability. I would recommend gel for anyone whose nails grow long and fast.
How do you balance a small business while being a college student?
Destiny: Girl, I have no idea, honestly. It’s very much a day-by-day thing. I try to be accommodating, because some days I have no appointments, and someone will hit me up last minute and be like "Hey can I come in" and I’ll say of course. There'll be times on my website I have available [...] sometimes they don’t work for people, so [my schedule] is always changing. Today I have you getting a gel manicure, someone after getting a full set [of acrylics], and someone else getting a gel manicure, then some days I only have one client for the entire day, so it changes.
Aside from nails, tell me a little more about working an on-campus job.
Destiny: I respect the hustle [of working a job on campus]. I was working an off-campus job at Giant, and it was the worst work environment I’ve ever experienced. I actively experienced explicit racism, microaggressions, the work environment was just toxic, the pay was terrible. New York City is fifteen dollars, so for a while I just worked my ass off on breaks.
So do you have to plan out time to do school work?
Destiny: use my nail days as a guideline for what my school day is going to look like, so if it’s a day I know I’m gonna have a lot of nail appointments I try to get my work done before that. If anything it provides more structure to my schedule.
** Destiny gave a post-interview shoutout to her roommate, Jose, for being her unofficial “assistant”, who helps her to schedule her appointments, order things and clean up, which relieves her from a lot of stress.
Do you freehand your designs or do you prefer when people come with designs?
Destiny: It depends on the color scheme. If they ask for something I know I like. Like, someone asked if I could do something with blues and oranges, but most of the time people come in and know what they want, so my opportunity to freestyle is actually not as often as I would hope it would be. [...] If I do freestyle I just freestyle other nail designs that I’ve seen that I’ve wanted to recreate”.
Who are your fashion or beauty inspirations?
Destiny: I’m my own inspiration. There are some trends I just can’t hop on. Like cow print, that was not it, or stacked jeans, or when people wear really nice, cute dresses but with sneakers. Like a satin dress, you just wanted to wear your sneakers. But if you think you look good, I support you. I don’t judge people, I just don’t like it on me.
Do you have a favorite celebrity?
Destiny: Jordyn Woods or like Lori Harvey, keep coming to mind. I like people that just look good, but also minimalistic and low effort. It’s not like you’re wearing a head-to-toe designer, and you have a full face [of makeup] on. Simple, but cute.
Check out Destiny's work on her Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/desnaildit/