Precision and art are what come to mind when one views nails done by Ebony Grenville and there is little wonder that people have been raving about her work.
Ebony is located in Linden and clients travel from near and far to have her work her magic on their nails because the result is always exotic. When you love what you do, people can tell. One of her most recent nail art featured honey bees.
A former Mackenzie High School student who was in the Science stream more than a decade ago, Ebony once had aspirations of becoming a doctor. The nail artist shared that after she completed her secondary education, she stayed at home for two years. During that time, she applied for numerous jobs, but was never hired. “I don’t regret that today. I’m very happy with the way things turned out. I see it now as performing surgery on people’s nails,” she enthused.
According to Ebony, her love for doing nails had started long before this and she had acquired her own set of acrylic liquid and powder, brushes and primer. In her free time, she took pride in doing her own nails. Ebony shared that her mother had long realized her talent and had sent her to do a nail technology course with a woman named Debbie, who operated a salon in the Plaza on Mackenzie Shore.
She later began working at another salon where she stayed for two years. While there, Ebony also learnt to do hair and makeup but she was not passionate about those things. In 2013, she began doing nails on her own and by 2015, she had established her first salon.
“As much as I was a Science student, I had a talent for drawing. Both my mother and father can draw also. I got my art skills from them. What also helped with being a nail artist was watching YouTube tutorials so I can perfect my craft. My mom is absolutely proud. She is happy she recognized my talent and led me in that direction,” the artist said.
A closer look at the nail artist’s work reveals that it is one-of-a-kind for every client. She never repeats the same design. Being a nail artist, according to Ebony, is exciting, more so because in most cases she never knows what the result will be. As such, it is always a surprise for both her and her clients.
So appreciated is her talent, that some clients do not even bother telling Ebony what they want their nails to look like. They trust her and are usually giddy with excitement to see what she comes up with.
“There is this one particular client who never has an idea of what she wants and I never know what I’m going to do so the end result is always an ‘ooh ahh’ moment”, Ebony said.
Today there is nothing Ebony cannot do when it comes to nails, but she recalled that doing ombre nails was once one of her most challenging techniques to learn. For this technique, the nail artist uses nail poilish or acrylic in two colours and blends them in such a way that it is impossible to tell where one colour ends and the other begins.
While many of her customers praise her nail art as the best they have ever seen, others are all too relieved that they do not have to worry about their cuticles bruising as occurs with some nail artists which is why they travel from their homes in Georgetown, Berbice, West Demerara, and East Demerara to Linden.
Owing to the demand for her work, Ebony works by appointment only. On Tuesdays to Saturdays when her salon is opened, she has an average of three or four clients. She tries to not book more people as some nail designs are more intricate and take longer. Her acrylic work, according to the artist, lasts at least six weeks. Some of her clients’ nails may only last for a month as their nails tend to grow fast.
Sundays and Mondays are her designated rest days and she also uses this time to restock her supplies which she does every two weeks from Odessa Morgan at OP Creative Nail Supply in Georgetown. Supplies like acrylic and nail files, she is able to purchase right in her hometown but the embellishments she uses for her work, she gets at OP.
Aside from being a nail artist, Ebony often finds herself giving advice to her clients who confide in her about their problems. She said she usually shares with them inspirational messages from books she has read or might be reading at the time.
The talented artist plans on providing nail technology courses in the future. She is still unsure when exactly this will be but having had many people reach out to her for classes, she hopes to do this eventually. Ebony is also working towards constructing a modernized studio.
“Being a nail tech, I get to control my time and I also get to create new designs every day as I don’t repeat designs,” Ebony said.
Sharing a tip for the best nails, Ebony noted that keeping cuticles oiled keeps them healthy. However, she does not sell cuticle oil.
An avid reader, the artist is just finishing a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki. “These books have changed my mentality and when you change your mentality, your life changes as well. I also like to read books on the law of attraction as they teach you how to change your perception. Another one of my favourite authors is Rhonda Byrne,” she said.
A favourite quote she came across in Bryne’s book, Magic is, “gratitude is the great multiplier”.
Ebony recommends that clients book weeks in advance and especially during the Christmas season, they would need to book at least a month in advance to secure a spot. The cost of Ebony’s nail art starts at $6,000.
When this Taurus is not working, sleeping or reading, she also enjoys singing, cooking and swimming.
For a nail artist who deals with colours on a daily basis, she has no favourite colour, but shared that she loves working with hues of blue on her clients.
Ebony can be followed on Instagram @ebonys_creative_hands or on Facebook at Ebony Grenville. For bookings she can be contacted on 667-0213.
