AMID all the stress of everyday life–from work, acads, men–sometimes, all we want to do is sit down and look pretty. Women’s ways of self-care, like going to the salon to get a haircut or have their nails painted have been proven to be highly relaxing and calming.
Aside from helping people to relax, manicures and pedicures are also ways to keep our nails healthy. Without them, we may be more prone to developing nail fungus or having broken, chipped nails.
But some tend to steer clear of getting their nails done because of how much they cost at nail salons; why pay thousands of pesos if a bottle of nail polish at the grocery store will cost less than P20?
However, it can’t be denied that going to a professional to get your nails done really just hits differently. And truth be told, getting our nails done doesn’t have to break the bank every time.
Here are a few home-based nail technicians from all over the Philippines that prove just that.
Location: Pacific Skyloft, Lacson Avenue
This business of 19-year-old Celine Villarojas, who studies at the University of Santo Tomas, started out as a hobby.
“I liked doing nail art on myself, and loved how it made me look,” she shared. “I then realized my passion could be bigger, and I could spread it with other people and make them feel confident, too. That’s how Hue and Me PH was started.”
At present, Villarojas offers both gel polish and nail extension services, with prices ranging from P222 to P888. Her favorite kind of design to do at the moment is chrome polish and Y2K-inspired nail art.
Location: Angeles City, Pampanga; also accepting clients in Taft Avenue, Makati, and Diliman
20-year-old Jasmine Kate Mendoza, a 2nd-year student at the Angeles University Foundation, considers TikTok and YouTube to be her first-ever mentors. At the start of her career, she would often watch videos of nail technicians working on their clients so that she could learn the craft.
Her hobby turned into a press-on nail business in 2021, and then later on, she decided that she wanted to work on real people, and not just on nail stands. From there, she started doing free nail extensions for her family and friends, posting them on TikTok, where they then blew up. Now, thanks to TikTok, she’s fully booked practically every month.
Her starting price for plain extensions is P1000, and for more intricate designs P1,600.
For clients in Metro Manila, she charges an additional P500 for transportation, Airbnb fees, and other living expenses whenever she’s there.
Even though polygel extensions take the longest, Mendoza admits that these are her favorite kind of nails to do.
“The process is just so satisfying compared to softgel,” she said.
And for designs, she loves working with any chrome, 3D, and airbrush accents. These are what she considers to be her specialties.
Location: West Avenue, Quezon City
Marga Garcia, an 18-year-old De La Salle University student, first put up her business in October of 2022. She taught herself to do nails through videos on TikTok and YouTube, and then slowly started to branch out by doing paid nail sets for her friends, who supported her in her new career path.
Garcia offers a variety of services such as gel polish, structured gel overlay, polygel overlay, polygel and softgel extensions, as well as polygel and softgel removal. Her prices range from P150 to P2,000 and up depending on the service and the intricacy of the design to be done.
When it comes to doing nails, her specialty is in softgel extensions. Meanwhile, her favorite designs to do are 3D nails filled with aurora flakes and shimmering charms, rhinestones, and pearls.
Location: Manila Residences Tower 1, Taft Avenue
Set by Sia was started by 19-year-old Aseanna Denise Salvador, who taught herself how to do her nails largely by watching TikTok videos. She started her business back in March and she offers services for softgel extensions.
Her prices range from P1,000 to P1,600 depending on the given design. While she’s open to pretty much any kind of design, her specialty lies in futuristic and 3D nails.
Location: Baguio City
For 32-year-old Hazle Remiendo, doing nails has been her thing since 2018. She started by practicing on herself after she fell in love with the craft, but couldn’t afford to go to a nail salon for professional services as she was just a student at the time.
As nail extensions grew more popular in the Philippines, Remiendo started taking clients in 2022. To constantly improve, she watches YouTube and TikTok tutorials and brainstorms with other nail technicians about techniques to learn so she can get better at what she does. And above all: practice, practice, practice.
Remiendo offers softgel extensions as well as gel polish manicures. Her rates for gel polish manicures start at P500, and for softgel extensions, P900. Her specialty is working on softgel extensions, and her favorite kind to do are those that are Japanese and Korean-inspired.
