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Salon Spotlight: WAH Nails, London

By Hannah Young

While most of the ladies at The Beauty Bean are all about short and snazzy nails, I’ve never really been a fan of nail art. The idea of customised crystals or personalized paint makes me think of Claire’s Accessories (a consuming part of my youth – not in a good way). My distaste, however, quickly turned to lust when I was taken to WAH Nails in East London last month.

Founded in July by Sharmadean, a lovely lady from Northern England with a magazine and blog already under her belt, WAH Nails is all about strong females, fun music, edgy fashion and, of course, nails.

When I arrived, I felt like I’d entered into every girl’s dream. It was filled with everything I loved: back issues of fashion magazines on one wall, vintage clothes racks on the other, and a selection of old-school desks with attached chairs. Don’t even get me started on the nail polish selection.

Sharma, herself, did my nails. After a simple buff and file, she passed over 5 boards covered with nail art designs. The choices seemed endless. What set WAH apart from other nail art salons, however, was that this was actual art. I could literally have anything painted onto my nails: the Coca Cola logo, country flags, leopard, cheetah, tiger or zebra print, Spongebob Square pants, Hello Kitty, even a classic English Breakfast (fried eggs and all!). I was speechless (and extremely indecisive). Sharma decided to take things into her own hands and gave me the WAH “signature,” which was 3 different stripes (neon pink, coral and gold!) overlaid with black leopard print – all painted by hand. It was insane, incredible, fabulous and ridiculous all in one. I managed to keep the art on my nails for two full weeks and I can’t tell you how many compliments I got – let alone the numerous awkward glances on the subway!

I’m going back again; I want the Manhattan skyline painted on my nails. Jay Z would be proud of my ‘Empire State of Mind.’

WAH Nails
420 Kingsland Road
London, E8 4AA, England