Taking a Love of Nails to the Next Level

Vanessa Cooper eats, sleeps, and breathes nails. And she always has. As a little girl, she loved to play nail salon and apply copious layers of glitter nail polish to her own nails. When she was a bit older, she started to beg her mother to take her to her favorite nail salon, Fabulous Nails. When she realized that she could get her nail tech license at age 16, she immediately jumped at the opportunity. She started her education with the nail tech class at her high school. The following summer she attended Color My Nails School of Nail Technology. After graduation, she began working in salons and continuously practicing nail art and shaping.

Vanessa’s Social Media Tips for Nail Artists

Vanessa thinks that social media has been amazing for the beauty industry. “From Instagram to online reviews, it’s helped so many businesses and independent artists grow their clientele,” she says.

“It also has given us all the tools to share our work, be inspired by others, and really see what we are capable of doing with our craft.”

Since day one, Vanessa has used Instagram to market herself as a nail artist. Nails have always been a big deal in the beauty world, but Instagram has taken them to the next level. With over 50 million posts under #nailart, this platform has succeeded in showing users how detailed and beautiful nails can be. “[Instagram] has helped me push myself on what I think is possible,” Vanessa says.

“It’s also my main source for new clientele…I feel comfortable moving to a new state and starting new because Instagram has helped me reach new people.”

Vanessa’s Instagram Tips and Tricks

For Vanessa, photo quality is the most important thing for a solid Instagram account.

Here are her tips for getting a great photo:

• Make it clear, bright, and eye-catching
• Invest in good lighting
• Buy an up-to-date phone or high-quality camera

A few of Vanessa’s other tips and tricks:

• Use location tags
• Work with hashtags so photos show up in multiple feeds
• Know the best times to post (morning and evening)

“I can’t say I have it completely figured out, it can be tough to know if what you’re doing is working,” Vanessa says. “But I can tell that [through] my work, my page is growing so I just keep posting, engaging, and practicing patience!”

A Little Bit About Vanessa

When Vanessa isn’t obsessing over nails, she loves to read, run, indulge in chocolate, and spend time with her rescue dog, Lady. “To be honest though, nails are a huge part of my life,” she says. “I really do spend most of my time at the salon, looking at nail photos, and thinking about nails. Like I said before, I’m obsessed!”

Vanessa formerly rented a salon suite at Sola Salons in Sugarhouse, a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah, where she worked on practicing and perfecting her craft for two years. As of early 2019, she’s creating fantastic nails in the City of Angels at Salon Republic Hollywood!

You can follow Vanessa on Instagram @nessanails9!