With clients like Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, Olesya Kondratyeva is among the most in-demand nail specialists amongst LA’s many bloggers as well as influencers.
With its glitzy star culture, laid-back speed, palm trees and sunshine, Los Angeles is an unlike her birth place Tver, a Russian city of 400,000 northwest of Moscow.
Kondratyeva, 28, studied bookkeeping at university yet never had much passion in pursuing it as a job. She was much more interested in art as well as layout and also ultimately opened up a nail beauty salon in a Moscow suburb.
In 2015, she and also her other half, Igor, saw the U.S. for the very first time as well as quickly ended up being “stressed” with the concept of moving there. After they returned to Russia, Igor won a permit, and the two traveled the nation for months prior to deciding on California.
As soon as they understood they would move to Los Angeles, Kondratyeva, who passes the easier-to-pronounce “Lisa” in the U.S., launched an Instagram for her brand-new nail studio as well as started seeking customers.
LA was topped and prepared for Russian nail techniques, which focus on top quality over reduced costs and fast rates. Russian nail service technicians reduced the follicles, as an example, so they can apply gloss as near the base of the nail as feasible. The result is a longer-lasting, “flawlessly smooth” manicure, Kondratyeva stated.
“In Russia, ladies are extremely picky; they require every little thing to be perfect,” she claimed, adding that ladies in the U.S. are made use of to lower-quality yet extremely rapid service.
“When Americans involve our beauty salon and experiment with the Russian manicure method they are, naturally, surprised: ‘Wow! The shade begins ideal alongside my skin!’ They are after that ready to invest even more time and money due to the fact that they desire great solution.”
With word of mouth both online and also off, Kondratyeva began doing nails for influencers and also blog owners with millions of fans, decorating their fingertips with glossy, elaborate layouts that look even more like works of art than manicures. Whenever an influencer uploaded an Instagram Story of their manicure, Kondratyeva would certainly get brand-new clients as well as brand-new followers.
One day, one of Kondratyeva’s clients from back home, the widely known Ukrainian professional photographer Sasha Samsonova, got her nails done prior to a photoshoot with Kendall as well as Kylie Jenner.
“We did a paw-print layout as well as she mosted likely to do a strive Kendall and also Kylie. When they saw her manicure and really liked it, that’s. As Sasha informed me later on, they claimed: ‘Oh my God! Where did you obtain your nails done?’ And then Kendall’s representative called me and also asked ahead over to do her nails.”
The first time she drove to the supermodel’s residence was stressful, Kondratyeva said, as she ‘d never ever collaborated with A-list celebs before.
“There was a language barrier, which made me a bit unpleasant. They asked me to do a home phone call, as well as I generally work purely in my studio.”
She additionally had no idea what design of manicure Jenner liked, so Kondratyeva brought “everything [she] perhaps might” from her workshop to your house phone call.
“In the end, it ended up that she suches as [her nails] exceptionally basic; she does not do any kind of crazy designs like radiance and crystals,” she claimed.
Nowadays, Jenner is just one of her regular customers, and also Kondratyeva deals with confidence. Jenner even sent her a New Year’s present this year.
“The very first couple of times, we just spoke business– I would certainly ask her what shape as well as length she wanted. Currently, I’m no longer anxious when I most likely to do her nails due to the fact that I know specifically just how she desires them. In some cases we talk, however I can’t state that we talk a whole lot; we never discuss her individual life, as an example. It is simple to work with her, she is not egotistic and extremely down-to-earth.”
Each time Jenner articles an Instagram picture of her nails, Kondratyeva states she obtains 10s of hundreds of web page clicks as well as countless brand-new fans. She is also usually credited as Jenner’s nail artist in the media.
The explosion in popularity has had its drawbacks, she claimed, mainly in the type of unfavorable focus from fellow Russian-speaking women staying in the U.S. One of Kondratyeva’s recent Instagram messages, devoted to her “haters,” shows a polished Jenner offering 2 center fingers.
“When you come to be just a tiny bit renowned and also people begin talking about you, several of them won’t like you,” she said. “Many think: ‘I also came below as well as I do [nails] well, however no person actually recognizes me and also when I increase costs, I lose my customers– so just how can this chick live in LA as well as have every little thing she desires?'”
Kondratyeva doesn’t allow it daunt her.
“Many individuals are unable to be delighted for others. There will certainly be haters if you stand out. That’s totally normal.”
While Kondratyeva misses her household and also particular aspects of Russia, she and also her husband have no strategies to move back anytime quickly.
“Many people pertain to the U.S. with specific assumptions and also obtain disappointed that things have not been handed to them on a silver plate,” she claimed.
“We recognized initially that if we intend to accomplish something, we would certainly have to function a great deal, so every little thing is more or less just how we envisioned it to be.”