With her desk split between chemistry homework and a LED nail lamp, Carissa Lin, a student nail artist, creates a space of creativity and comfort.
While students can receive multiple nail services from gel, dip and regular polish at the Simply Nail Bar, a chain salon in the USC Village, many are turning to student nail techs. Student-run nail accounts offer a different consumer experience where clients have their nails painted by classmates, friends or club members.
Lin, a senior studying chemistry, began her nail journey in middle school. Initially, she started with her mom and sister’s small at-home gel nail kit. Doing nails together became a way to avoid the hassle of going into a salon, and so she began first doing nails for friends.
Once she came to USC as a freshman, she began doing her friends’ nails in the Parkside Residence Hall lounges. Soon after, Lin created an Instagram and TikTok account under the username @crystalcharmnailco to display her nail sets, slowly garnering a following and a clientele.
Even with social accounts virtually attracting clients, Lin found that her most consistent visitors have been from word-of-mouth, whether it’s her roommate attracting other friends from USC’s Joint Educational Project or her conversations with alumni who notice Lin’s nails. In fact, while Lin was working out of her apartment, other residents saw her from the third and fourth floors through her window and knocked on her door to find out more.
“When you go to a nail salon, it’s a very chop-chop experience, just not very personalized,” Lin said. “Often it’s like that awkward kind of dynamic. You guys don’t really talk. Me being a student, we’re all relatively similar ages. We’re all USC students, so it’s very easy to connect in that way.”
Lin’s sets have taken anywhere from one to seven hours to complete. For one set, a student gave Lin two separate designs and asked if she would be able to merge the two while matching the colors to her dress. Through their seven hours together, a 3D piece of art came to life, speaking to the deeply personalized experience that Lin describes. Now, Lin also does press-on nails with the same intricacy as her previous sets, limiting the amount of time required when clients visit.
“It’s rare when you have artistic creativity and you’re able to show that because that’s not always possible when you go to a nail salon,” Lin said.
Another student nail artist, Zoe Bertsch (@zoe_nailed_it on Instagram), a freshman studying music industry, said nail artists tend to be more communicative with clients’ needs.
“I feel like nail techs overall are more personal and typically, more gentle too from what I’ve experienced, so less damage to your nails,” Bertsch said. “I’d also say, it’s supporting small businesses.”
Kaylie Wen (@nailsbykdubs), a freshman studying neuroscience, shared that she too enjoyed the flexibility of doing nails on her own schedule. She initially began learning nails because she thought that salons were becoming too expensive, experimenting with different polishes and colors on herself.
Being her own manager, Wen has been able to provide her own availability to clients and match their needs accordingly while reserving time for her own personal activities and accumulating work during midterm season. Even though nail art is a form of work for Wen, she enjoys the social aspect of the practice.
“Back home, most people were my friends, and I had prior experience with them,” Wen said. “Here, everyone who comes to me is basically new, so the conversations are different. I feel like it’s a completely new experience in itself.”
Though Wen does not anticipate continuing her nail business after graduation, she intends to maintain her clientele and schedule during her time at USC. She said that it serves as a consistent, steady income, and she feels no need to find another job, as she finds joy in her personal business.
Bertsch said her nail business, previous education and current studies all work hand-in-hand. She took summer programs in preparation for her major that focused heavily on marketing, which has guided her strategy for her nail business in terms of working the algorithm, knowing what time to post and utilizing hashtags to their full potential.
“As far as learning business skills, it has transferred over to figuring out income, like the balance between saving and spending,” Bertsch said. “I typically don’t have experience with investing, but my parents helped me with that, and also more time management.”
Bertsch also finds that the nail business can feel more repetitive than other art forms, often replicating trends multiple times on clients’ nails. All three nail artists described that simple designs—french tips, polka dots, single color—are more popular with their student clients than complex designs with 3D art and other experimental elements. Looking ahead, each nail tech hopes that 3D styles like small animals, flowers and even lips might become more popular.
For students who are interested in starting their own nail businesses, Lin advises prioritizing safety and leaning into creative drive.
“Just do it,” Lin said. “You can learn everything online. Just be sure to be very safe. In terms of creativity, I would just say expect that you’re going to get a lot more support as a student than you would think. People love getting their nails done.”