An interview with Abi Markey – Naileditbeauty!

After being lucky enough to have the wonderful Abi Markey from @naileditbeauty with us for a guest artist tutorial, we seized the opportunity to ask her a few questions too!

Hi Abi, we are so excited to have you as our monthly guest! Firstly, we would love to know a little bit about you?

I’m super excited and honoured to be a guest artist! Thanks so much for asking me. So, I’m Abi 29 from the Rhondda valleys in South Wales (around 40mins from Cardiff) I’ve been doing nails since I was 19years old, I studied art and design at school and when leaving sixth form I was unsure on what I wanted to do, so I picked a course at my local course which was beauty therapy and I found my love of nails from there! I studied Spa therapy and worked at a spa for a few months. But I didn’t enjoy it. I managed to get a job at the NailsInc counter in Debenhams in Cardiff for 3 years, I had a few jobs inbtween including working at Asda cafe, i Burnt my finger on a lasagna and quit 😂 then I started on my own 5 years ago at the back of my house and the rest is history! 😆 

Have you got a highlight to your career, if so what is it?

Oh this is a tricky one! I think maybe the OK! Magazine article on my Easter nails was a shock to me! I was like OK! Mag featured my nails like how, why?! This is mad 🤣 everytime I see my nails being shared or featured – shocks me every single time, I’m like that’s my hands in Vogue or Asos, it’s madness! 

Your nail art is incredible! What made you love nail art?

Aw thankyou so much! I’ve loved art since I was really young, I was never really academic at school. I loved art and design, I studied those two for GCSE and A level. When I was younger I always wanted to be an animator at Disney. ( I was a Disney obsessed child) it’s still my back up plan 😂

What is it that you love about the nail world?

When I first started doing nails especially self employed working by myself. I found it quite lonely, which people think is mad as I see people everyday which I love! But working on your own and dealing with the behind the scenes of running a business can be lonely. Also, it can be really competitive sometimes. Then lockdown happened and I found the nail community really came together as one big girl gang and supported each other, I’ve made so many friends through Instagram – my nail besties 💕the nail community is the lushest! So supportive and welcoming. Also, the opportunities that come your way in the nail world! 

Do you set yourself monthly or yearly goals, if so what are yours for this year?

Do you know what, I’m so unorganised and Organised at the same time. I feel like I’m such a list person, lists for everything and yet I’m still such a last minute rushed person all the time 😂 so, I tend to just wing things, which sometimes is good and sometimes you need a plan or goals to reach. I’m such an over thinker I think sometimes not having a strategic plan is better for me so I don’t panic if I don’t reach them or work myself up. But it’s definitely something I need to work on, setting my self goals! I think this year is to work on myself and my business, grow my Instagram and be open to new opportunities that come my way! 

You’ve been featured by lots of brands/magazines recently on social media, what advice would you give to others in the industry that would love to achieve this?

I still find it crazy that brands and magazines share my work. I’m like it’s just little me from the valleys in my garden 😂 it baffles me everytime and I still can’t take it in that my hands are being featured 🙈 I think my advice would be to stick your own ‘niche’ what you love and enjoy! I found you can get lost sometimes in the Instagram world, that you don’t fit in or not following the latest trends that every other nail tech is doing , which is hard because there’s so many nail techs who are amazing at what they do! I found I’m more creative with my nails, wether It be 3D / food / I find maybe that stands out more or is ‘ different ‘ so it catches people eyes. I’m really not sure 🤣 

If you could go back in time and tell your ‘beginner self’ something.. what would it be?

Oh this is a good one! I think it would be, not to buy every single nail product I see, as I didn’t need it all at the time. Stick to your basics, find a brand you love and invest in their products, don’t be so hard on yourself, everyone starts somewhere, practice makes perfect and it’ll all work out in the end! 

What’s next for Nail It Beauty/Abi Markey!?

Oh this is a good question. I think in this industry you never know what’s going to happen everyday! I’m open to any opportunities that come my way and working on my business/platform. I’m excited to see what’s going to happen in the future!