Pro Spotlight

OPI Pro Spotlight: @thenailsmith

It’s February Pro Spotlight time and Black History Month! Get to know Lia Smith, aka @thenailsmith on IG.

Since entering the biz in the 80s, this pro has built an astounding career that includes being an OPI education manager and working with celebs. In our interview, learn about her journey and amazing insights on women of color in the nail industry.

OPI: Tell us about the start of your journey as a nail artist and what inspired you to begin?

Lia: I was inspired by what I viewed as a necessity. My mom would not let me get manicures when I was a young teen. I would go with her to the hair salon and I was always fascinated by the manicurists with their beautiful, natural, long nails. So, I started doing my own nails. I would use my allowance money for polish, files, really whatever they had for nails at the drugstore. I remember for my 9th grade graduation my mom let me get an actual manicure and I loved every second. In the 80’s when I saw Florence Griffith Joyner's (flo jo) extra long, colorful, nail art covered nails, I decided right then that I wanted to do nail art too. I was hooked. I was a professional dancer and after my first big job, I took some of the money and put myself in the “charles ross hair design school'' in bev hills. The only school I could find that had a dedicated manicurist program. I knew I wanted my manicuring license. If i could change anything today, i should have listened to my mom and gotten the cosmetology license but that would not have detracted from the fact that i love nails!

OPI: How do you feel that the nail industry has been changing for women of color? Are there ways in which you'd like to see it grow further?

Lia:  I am excited by the strides woc have made in the industry. When I started in the 80’s in California I didn’t see women who looked like me really represented. Of course, there was Sheril Bailey, who wrote the book “the Sheril Bailey complete manicuring and nail care handbook”.  At the time she was the only manicurist of color with visibility in the fashion and print scene. Sheril, along with some of my early successful work colleagues helped me develop the vision of nails as a career. Years ago, at the height of beauty trade shows, when I became a brand educator, I would go from show to show, rarely ever seeing manicurists that looked like me. I am thrilled to say that today the diversity, knowledge, skill, and passion for nails is broad. I am also excited to see men in the industry too. When I went to school there was 1 man in my manicuring class and at most of the salons I worked in, there were no male manicurists. I am excited to see that with the rise of social media,  the breadth of products and techniques, the career opportunities are plentiful.

OPI: As an OPI EDUCATION MANAGER, what do you enjoy most about teaching other nail artists and the community about nails?

Lia: One of the biggest areas of passion for me has always been education. I owned a full-service salon for 10 years and 1 of the criteria for my team was to commit to professional education. I made sure i had product, technical and business education in my salon. I enjoyed working as a brand educator for a few product lines. The opportunity to interact with different people of varied skill levels and background invigorates me. I still take classes today, there is always something to learn. When i teach, i definitely learn from those who attend my classes. I’ve been doing nails for a long time and i continue to be inspired by other nail artists and diy’ers too.

OPI: What are the ways you feel that nails tie into your culture as a black woman?

Lia:  Nail care, long nails, nail art are fashion statements that women of color have embraced for decades, since the introduction of acrylic nails in the 1950’s. The 1st black supermodel, donyale luna, sported almond acrylic on her revolutionary vogue in the 60’s, diana ross and donna summer  wore the enhancements in the 70’s, janet jackson wore lavish, pierced, long acrylics for her 80’s album cover and florence griffith joyner, a former nail tech, raced to the top of the 88’ olympics with her vibrant, bejeweled nails and unmatched speed. In the 90’s we saw lil’ kim’s “money manicure” created by nail artist bernadette thompson, which is now the first nail set on exhibit at the museum of modern art. There was a time when the “mainstream” frowned on long nails, nail art and embellishments, as unprofessional or low class. Black women have been unapologetically bold in their choice of self expression with their nails and we see today that what was once looked down upon is sought after across the globe.

OPI: You have done SO much in your career already! What are you most looking forward to in the next few years in nails?

Lia: When I started in nails outside of providing the service, I have always had a passion to learn. With social media it’s exciting to see what nail techs are doing around the globe. I am also really looking forward to a return to trade shows. With covid especially, shows stopped. They are ramping up again and I enjoy the atmosphere of a show because it provides an opportunity for growth, connection, exploration. It’s an opportunity to experience the energy and excitement that are part of our business. Sometimes you just gotta be in person.

OPI: We see that you have celebrity nail clients, ARE AN EDUCATION MANAGER, and a nail tech! How do you juggle so many amazing aspects of your career and what tips do you have for others working toward doing the same?

Lia: I am a wife and mom too; the juggle is real and as I have progressed in my career, some elements stand out:

• Time management is paramount. From scheduling to workflow, time is queen. We’ve heard that early is on time and on time is late. It’s a good rule of thumb to follow. For editorial or set work, there is no being late if you want to be asked back. An entire production team could be waiting and you don’t want it to be for you.

• Same goes for booking clients, as pros we know if a client is late that can throw off our whole day. No magical thinking here, if it takes you 90 mins to do a service today then book that time, don’t think yesterday it took 90 but today i’m gonna do it in 60. You may disappoint yourself and definitely your client.

• There is always something to learn. If you want to increase your speed of service, learn a new technique; experience new products- take a class, repetition and refining your technique are the answers. Learn about nail anatomy, nail product science, explore the aspects of quality customer service,  study good business practices. There are opportunities available for a career in nails but like anything else we have to go after it.

OPI: Your nail art and use of color is stunning! How did you develop such a great understanding of color and style?

Lia: Early in my nail journey there was no social media so we had to use our imagination. The way to build a clientele was to sit in the salon and wait for walk-ins since the other techs were already booked with appointments. It was the perfect time to practice, sometimes on myself or another tech, sometimes on paper. Combining colors, shapes, finishes, I developed a feel for what different shades could do. I used to tell my clients that they could pick a color and I would do the rest. A light color might inspire contrast. A vibrant color might call for silver or gold accents. Overtime I used images around me, cool art with a variety of shades and tones, inspo from fashion magazines. Much like today, anything can help with inspo.

OPI: Where do you draw your inspiration from for nail art?

Lia: The first place I draw my inspiration from is the color chosen. When I started with nail art there were not any examples of nail art looks from which to draw inspo. Sometimes the inspo was a specific holiday, event or the shade of outfit the client was wearing. I was never a portrait artist, which is a serious talent, so my nail art is more abstract than literal most of the time. I used to say the color would tell me what it wants. As an example, a client might be wearing a shade like cajun shrimp for a tropical party so I would start with the shade and create from there, always with the client's approval of course. I loved having clients who allowed me to create from my imagination. Today with ig, tiktok, pinterest many clients show you someone else's art and want you to recreate it. I say I am not a copy machine copying someone else's work. I often ask if I can use the work shown as inspo and create from there. In some cases, I think art can be missed for the sake of copying someone else line for line.

OPI: As a woman of color, in what ways do you hope to inspire other women of color who are looking to start a career in the nail industry?

Lia: I hope that my journey encourages women to see possibilities. When I started, I thought I was getting a job that would allow me to make my own schedule so I could go to college. I had no idea that being a nail tech would allow me to feed my family, express my art, travel, meet amazing people, have a longstanding career and still allow me to learn new things. It started as a job and became my vocation.

OPI: What has been your favorite memory from being a part of the OPI team?

Lia: My first in person training with the entire North America OPI brand education team is my fondest memory. It was the first time to meet the team in person and it was great to see all the educators together as well. The energy over the days of training, the interactions and enthusiasm were very special. Most importantly seeing their creativity, how they encouraged each other and shared nail art techniques was very inspiring. I really love when you get a bunch of pros in a room.

Be sure to follow Lia, AKA @thenailsmith on Instagram!