Around last year, sophomore Jette Breese realized how much she loved getting her nails done, but how unaffordable the cost was of constantly getting a manicure. This sparked the idea of learning how to do them herself.
As expected when starting a new skill, Breese found doing nails to be difficult and discouraging at first, but was able to persevere.
“[Doing nails] was hard at first. I had to save up a lot of money to buy supplies, and in the beginning, I wasn’t very good,” Breese said. “I felt like I was wasting money. But over time, I talked to people, learned new techniques, and kept practicing.”
Although Breese considers herself a beginner, she has a wide variety of skills and is willing to do anything the clients ask. Breese is able to do acrylic, Gel, and Gel X.
Only taking about two months to become confident in her skills, Breese was able to stretch her abilities in a short amount of time.
“She has a lot of charms and colors and can do everything, if you just give her the time,” sophomore Sela Kahn said.
Breese doesn’t even need that much time to do the nails, which makes her even more appealing to clients. A basic set of acrylic nails for Breese only takes her around an hour. More intricate designs usually take about an hour and a half. According to Bela Beauty College, this is relatively quick as compared to the 1.5-2 hours it takes for other nail technicians to do.
Starting by only doing her friends’ nails, her first client was Eden Weisberg, a junior at Denver School of the Arts.
“Her artistic skill has definitely helped her, and whenever she does my nails, the design looks exactly how I envisioned it,” Weisberg said. “People should come to her because she’s fun to be around, can do custom designs, and will do a good job executing what you have in mind.”
In addition to being pretty good for a beginner, Breese believes people should come to her because of her prices.
“Nail salons are really expensive now, and an average set at a salon costs about $60–$70,” Breese said. “I’m more affordable, and I’ll do my best to make sure you’re happy with the outcome.”
Photo Courtesy of Jette Breese
Breese understands the financial status of an average high school student, hence why she charges less.
“I get that kids don’t want to pay too much. I have another job as well and understand that,” Breese said. “Since I’m still new, I charge around $20 for a basic set because I don’t want to be too expensive while I’m still growing as a nail tech.”
Rather than just viewing it as a job to make money she truly loves doing nails.
“My favorite part is getting to know people and talking while doing nails,” Breese said. “I also love seeing the different designs people come up with. Every design is unique and interesting.”
Breese is very proud of her growth, and her clients believe she will continue to be great.
“Her willingness to execute exactly what I’ve shown her has been awesome,” Weisberg said.“She has so much potential.”
