Meet Beverly Hills Nails Artist:Karla Morales

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karla Morales.  She has worked with Gwen Stefani, Jessica Alba, Drew Barrymore, Emilia Clarke, Lena Dunham, Maisie Williams and more. Below you’ll find edited excerpts of our interview with Karla.

Karla, please share your story with us.  How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up I always knew I wanted to be part of the beauty industry. I was reaching to become a hairstylist, but after graduating school I realized it was just not for me. Beauty school taught us the basics of hair, nails, skin and make-up. Nails were my second option if all else failed. My classmates always asked for me to do their nails and I knew I was good at it, but it never crossed my mind that I would ever become a manicutist since I was so focused on being a hairstylist.

One day I received an email from an individual named Sarah Tuttle, the email stated that she was opening a nail salon in a few months and that she had seen some of my nail art work on Styleseat and she was interested in interviewing me, I hesitated to reply because doing nails would be a new thing for me and working in a nail salon as a bigger could be pretty tough, but I put my fear to the side, met up with Sarah and interviewed. Two months later I was working my first day at Olive & June in Beverly Hills. I now have been a manicutist for almost 3 years and I truly love it, I was a natural at it and have been able to be part of great opportunities and experience some of my biggest dreams.

Has it been a smooth road?
Being a manicurist is simple, but not every day will be full of sunshine. Working backstage, in studio and doing house calls, I do have to deal with different people and different attitudes, you/they won’t always be your cup of tea. Another struggle that comes with working outside of the salon is that you won’t always have your manicuring table, lighting and you will definitely be put to the test with timing.

What are your plans for the future?
In the future I would like to have my own clientele and work out of my own house or studio.

Let’s dig a little deeper into your story.  What was the hardest time you’ve had?
One of the struggles in my career was learning how to not be nervous with my clients and how to talk to them. When I first started working In a salon I would over think about how my manicure would come out, if my client was nice or not or because I simply wanted it to be perfect that I would make myself so nervous my hand would shake during my service. It took me a while to realize that clients are more like friends and that there was nothing to be nervous about.

Contact Info:

• Cell: (562) 418 8785
• E-mail: [email protected]
• Instagram: karla_morales91

Check out her work below: