An Instagram star from Shrewsbury has revealed how she got into self-employment after being fired from her car sales job during the pandemic.
Bryony Howell, 24, didn’t want to compete for jobs in an uncertain market and instead converted to a nail technician.
And she is now working from her home studio in Ruyton-XI-Towns, Shrewsbury, having converted it from a former pigsty with the help of her father.
Bryony said: “I’ve always loved doing nails as a hobby, but losing my job has really helped push me to do something on my own.”
After qualifying in July 2020, she started working from her home studio which her father Roger, 59, helped transform from a 40-year-old pigsty into their home in Shropshire.
“I’m so happy with the way it turned out,†she said. “To think how much that has changed is crazy.
“It’s such a beautiful space now and I couldn’t be happier.
“It just means I can never move too far!” “
Being based in a rural area has its downsides for Bryony’s business and the average time a client spends to get to her house is 40 minutes.
She said: “I am very grateful to each of my clients who have supported me.
“I have a full customer base and I don’t have time for new customers.
“Other nail specialists have told me how fast it is because it usually takes years to build a list of regulars.
“I do an average of thirty sets of nails a week, but I want to trim next month, so I have more time for social media engagements.”
Bryony launched his Instagram nail page in December 2019, when it was just a hobby, and now has over 110,000 followers.
Her work has been shared by publications around the world including Vogue Mexico, Elle India, Cosmopolitan, and Good Morning America.
One of Bryony’s photos inspired singer Lizzo to share her own version with her 16.4 million followers on Tiktok.
The post was viewed 3.4 million times and garnered nearly 600,000 likes.
Bryony said: “The French Gold Tips I did in October 2020 were so popular and I noticed my subscriber count grew rapidly from that point on.
“I never thought about watermarking the photo, so when Lizzo shared it, she had no way of knowing it was my nails!
“But it’s so amazing to see my work shared by so many people – it’s always a real moment that pinches me.”
During each lockdown, Bryony was forced to use her own fingernails for social media content as she couldn’t see customers with coronavirus restrictions.
“It was really great because it gave me something to do,†she said. “It was so difficult in the beauty industry that the opening date kept getting pushed back.
“It was hard not to know when we were all working.
“But I’m so thankful that I can now see my lovely clients and help them feel good about themselves. “
In the future, Bryony would like to travel and work in different cities in the UK.
She said: “It can be difficult to work in such a rural location.
“It will be great to be able to visit bigger cities like London and work there once a month.
“I would also like to work on photoshoots and get really creative.
“I will always be sure to keep my current clients! “
Bryony draws most of her inspiration for fashion nail art.
She said, “I’m addicted to Zara so I love anything that is inspired by their clothes!
“Art meets fashion and it’s a great place to start with ideas. “
You can consult Bryony’s Instagram page here.
