A few months ago, I wrote about how I want to start getting more into beauty with a few things to try. One of the beauty things I wanted to get into were nails. They’ve been long my entire life but getting manicures were never on my radar until a few months ago. Nail art is a growing interest of mine because it’s art and I can go down a rabbit hole looking at any nail art hashtag on Instagram. Earlier this summer when I was looking up nail techs, my friend Delilah suggested a tech to me named Daisy, or Nails By Daisy Le on IG. One of my requirements for nail techs is doing my real nails. I don’t like the way my nails felt after I took acrylic ones off so it was a HUGE deal to find someone who does natural nails.

Daisy’s IG page Nails By Daisy Le is chock full of exciting designs she does herself. I can come with a design inspiration and she can execute it perfectly. She’s really awesome so make an appointment ASAP.

Where did you interest in nail art come from?

Actually, it came from my friend about 4 years ago. I was never into art really; I was a sculptor but I never drew anything. She told me to try it out one day and the interest grew from there. She did nail art and I’d never seen it before so after a brief hiatus I got back in the game. I am where I am now because of her.

Did you go to school for anything art-related?

No, when I was 16, I went to cosmetology school for nails specifically. You can get a license for it very young because in high school, they can start in 9th grade and stick to it all 4 years to graduate with their full cosmetology license when they leave high school. If you want a full cosmetology license, you have to do everything in 4  years and put in so many hours to get out of the program. Nails only takes 6 months and you learn the basics like cuticle cutting, filing, etc. Everything else like nail polish brands, tools, and quality is left up to you to find on your own.

What types of nail art do you specialize in?

I do line work mostly. I’m not really good at ombré yet but I can do character designs. If someone has an idea of their own, we can play with it and make it our own. My first design was cheetah print on some lady when I was visiting my mom’s shop. I sat down, looked up a picture, and tried it out. It came out really nice.

What’s your favorite part about doing nails?

The one thing that’s my favorite is meeting all the people I talk to because everyone is a different experience for me. You’d think I get tired of talking but I don’t because each person likes different things. I like hearing about people’s lives so I’m kind of like a therapist too. People love to tell me how they feel, which I love, because I have an unbiased opinion towards your life.

What’s your least favorite part about doing nails?

I used to do pedicures but I stopped that about a year ago so feet are my least favorite thing to do. Hand-wise, it would probably be soaking off the polish. I like drilling and cleaning people’s cuticles because it’s satisfying to have your nails come out fresh and brand-new.

Where can people find you?

they can find me on Instagram at @NailsByDaisyLe or at Fancy Nails in South Tampa. I’m only there Tuesday-Saturday. DM’s are a lot easier to people can always contact me that way. I don’t do house calls.