A career in nail art and in highly competitive salon and spa circuit is never a cakewalk for the aspirant, but designer Shilpi Patnaik has fashion running in her sinews and knew just what was best for her
Rashmi Rekha Das
Back in 1998-2000 when there was no such term called nail art, she used to mix two shades of nail polish and apply the mixture in a slanting diagonal design on her nails. She took care, however, so that mom didn’t come to know about it. She was a Class V student at that time. Not once she was reprimanded and even bashed up at home and school for painting her nails. Her parents told her to concentrate on studies, not on fashion. But fashion was in her veins and nail designer Silpi Patnaik’s story shows you need the guts to stand your ground to achieve what you dream in life.
There is more to the dusky beauty than meets the eye. When she was a kid she used to keep a diary in which she kept sticking all trendy stuff (beauty tips, fashion trends, photographs of beautiful apparel) in it. From that day a tiny little dream she started nursing in her bosom – the dream of becoming a fashion designer one day. She discovered her artsy side of her when she was in her teens and has constantly battled to establish herself in a highly competitive circuit.
Once Silpi was given to write an essay on her aim in life. As expected her friends expressed their desire to become engineers, teachers and doctors; she was the only one who wanted to be a style diva. She got four marks out of ten. Today the fashion-cum-nail designer owns a nail spa and make-up station, the first of its kind in the state.
What inspires her to focus on nail art? The sweet lady said, “Women are conscious of the nitty-gritty of fashion but often neglect the 10 beautiful nails –sites for fantastic decoration. Nail design is a micro art. Single colours on nails are elegant and gentle, but in order to give them a stylish look, multiple colours are applied in the 10 different nails. Thinking out of box, we have introduced the first nail spa in Bhubaneswar. I decorate nails using sparkle, velvet, foil, strips, piercing and try to focus on innovative designs to attract customers. It takes lots of concentration and sharp eyesight for art on a three cm space. I use varieties of colour and nail enamel to design with brushes and nail art tools. Apart from nail art, I am also interested in sculpture, painting, embroidery, fabric painting and quelling.”
“I just love the smell of nail polish. I cannot resist myself from enjoying the smell of nail polish all the time. I want to take nail art to the next level so that every girl gets glued to this aspect of fashion,” she added.
Hailing from Nabarangpur, the small town girl was always a good student. She joined an IT job in Chennai after MCA. But her desire to become a fashion designer made her quit the job and shift to Orissa. Meanwhile, she had attained mastery over the art. A self-taught artiste, Silpi learned nail art by watching YouTube videos. Initially, she faced criticism because very few people were aware of nail art at that time.
When asked what were the methods she had employed to reach out to clients not aware of nail art, she said, “I created a web video channel and started uploading videos which were appreciated by many people around the globe who shared an interest in nail art. Time passed. I got married. My brother came up with the idea to start a salon named make-up station. So when I got this opportunity I grabbed it with both hands.
It was a chance for me to do what I really wanted. And now I am what I had always wanted to be. I got appreciation as well as de-motivating advice sometimes when I started my business. But an optimist, I never stopped providing best service to my customers and dreaming big. I can vouch that once a customer visits my salon, she would never opt for any other salon for nail spa.”
Naturally, there is a lot of curiosity about the entire procedure of nail art. Silp explained: “Nail art does not solely mean designing the nails by applying colours. The first procedure is a mini manicure, which includes trimming the nails into proper shape, filing them, pushing the cuticle, removing hair from fingers and a simple massage on the nails and finger tip area. This manicure is intended to give nourishment to the nails and fingers. Nail is a vestigial organ and grows faster than any other body part. So this mini manicure is a must for those who apply nail polish on a regular basis. When you apply a new colour you have to remove the old one; the remover that people use contains acetone, which affects the cuticles by blackening them. After the mini manicure we apply a base coat (natural colour). Then according to the client’s wants we choose the colour to be applied. Nail designs can be done by acrylic colours by using brushes. You don’t have to grow nails for nail art. Nail extension is also a part of designing. Using 3D moulds and UV light fake nails can be created, and shapes can be given accordingly. For parties and DJ nights we give sparkle and studs on nails. For birthdays we have Fimo cakes and candles among the designs. On the occasion of a marriage bridal nails are designed to give a girly look to nails.”
