Today we’d like to introduce you to Salma Lozoya
Hi Salma, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Juárez, Chihuahua, for part of my childhood and then moved to El Paso, TX, once I started 2nd grade. Art was always a part of my life. I didn’t grow up with any siblings, so I had to come up with creative things to occupy myself with, drawing definitely being my favorite pastime. I recall being in elementary school, drawing with some chalk on the playground, and having a group of my classmates create a circle around me just to watch me draw. It definitely gave me some confidence at an early age about my art.
I enrolled in my high school’s cosmetology program without thinking much of it. I thought having a career in beauty sounded more enticing than other jobs most people hold during their time in university. Customizing my look was always something I was super into, whether it be hair color, nail art, or makeup—it seemed like an easy choice. I struggled to narrow down what I wanted to specialize in at the beginning. I was juggling university full-time, a part-time internship in my university’s newspaper department, and doing men’s hair for 3 years before I found a job doing nails and instantly fell in love. Luckily, my new boss allowed me to learn the basics by offering dirt cheap manicures ($15-20) until I felt confident enough to charge full price. I went ahead and found a different nail job a year later, which, lucky for me, had just recently opened and offered us all free Russian manicure training. That training made me feel like all the puzzle pieces I was missing from teaching myself through trial and error finally came together and made sense. I fully intended to work in advertising once I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, but once I graduated, I decided to move to Austin and start working at a nail salon—something I thought at the time was temporary.
Moving to Austin was such a gamble. I came with my best friend to help him move into the city and scheduled some job interviews to see if I had a chance in Austin. No advertising jobs replied to my applications, but my top pick for a nail salon did. I worked there for 3 super fun years, starting from scratch clientele-wise. Although having the experience from my previous nail salons helped with basic manicures, I never had people challenge my artistic abilities until I got to Austin. It felt like I had prepared my whole life for this job. I had so much fun every day, surrounded by coworkers who were equally into nails and nail art as I was. Deciding to leave was hard but felt like the natural next step. I had a consistent clientele that I had built up over the last 3 years and really wanted to see what I was capable of doing going solo. I joined one of my old coworkers who went solo before I did for a little while (shoutout to Julia, aka @2goodhandstx), who let me use her supplies while I got my own. By the time I got my feet under me, she left the studio to focus on tattooing, and I was solo for about a year until I joined forces with two of my old coworkers, Scout (@the_yeehawty) and Kendall (@squirrelygirlatx). I’ve been working at my current suite since the beginning of this year. I honestly feel like I don’t have a job sometimes. Having people come to me for their nail art ideas is such a dream come true. I feel like I’m just getting started, and I’m super excited to see what the future holds for me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been bumpy but im so grateful for every second of it. Nails definitely didn’t come naturally to me and i had, oh so many bad experiences with clients when i first started. I didnt know what I was doing and i cringe now thinking of all the people who. had to get their nails fixed by other coworkers of mine. Doing someones nails for 3 hours only to be told all of them came off that same night, ugh, i have some bad experiences from the first year for sure. I do think that i’m social now thanks to this line of work, i learned to talk to anyone that sits in my chair, something that i never thought possible. It’s so bittersweet to think of all the struggles i had before now, I feel so confident and happy with my work, sometimes i wish i could go back in time and tell my younger self its going to be ok.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Nail art is my life. I think about it constantly. It’s really just a medium to get creative with and just like any other form of art, you can get inspired by so many things. Sometimes its the really pretty sunset i saw the day before, an art print i really admire, or even just my client’s love for their pets. All those things can be conceptualized into a unique ten tiny canvas spread that’ll last up to 2 months, which i wouldn’t recommend haha. I try to use different techniques to create different effects, i want people to look at my client’s hands and do a double take or literally just ask ‘what is on your nails??’ I love when people ask me to draw their pets, i remember the first time i was asked to and just thinking ‘how am i going to do this?’. I’ll proudly take any pet portrait now no problem
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
You’ll be surprised to know I love playing sports! I gab all the time about artsy stuff but grew up with my mom being super active in basketball, so I always tried to do some type of sport growing up. Hate watching but love getting to do it. Ive been part of a sand volleyball league in town for 3 years now, we play every tuesday when volleyball season is happening
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