Setting the trend when it comes to the nail industry
Nail technician Lebogang Makosho has come a long way to learn the tricks of the trade.
POLOKWANE – The 25-year-old, Lebogang Elizabeth Makosho is bringing glam to the nail industry.
Lebogang is the brains behind Glamnails by Lebo, something she started four years ago. Her desire to learn how to do her nails was inspired by her mother who worked far from home, and barely had time to go to a nail technician to get pampered. “She would be busy with chores and other stuff and wouldn’t get round to doing her nails. When she opted to start using stick-ons, she would ask me to put them on for her,” she explained.
Her mother’s colleagues would enquire about where she got her nails done and her mother would recommend them to Lebogang. “I would tell her to stop doing that because I was only doing her nails, not other people’s as I was still at school, but she insisted that I do it part-time over weekends,” she added. Her mother went the extra mile of getting her a small nail kit and set up prices for friends and colleagues at R80 per set.
The demand soon turned to acrylic nails and she had to up her game. She watched YouTube channels to learn how to do nails and would go through a whole gigabyte of data in a single night. “Whenever there was something that I did not understand, I would go to a nail technician to get my nails done so that I can watch and see what is going on. The nail technicians would give me information and I still thank them for that today,” she said.
She started to buy products for her advancement to acrylic nails and attended a nail workshop by a nail technician called Klichy, which is how she obtained her first certificate as a nail technician. She also started teaching other people how to do nails and soon, she was hosting workshops.
“Breaking into the market was not easy and I would post on social media everyday so people could get to know my work. Another challenge is people not understanding that as a student, I have to operate solely by appointment. I sometimes have people coming to the salon without an appointment and not finding me there,” she said.
Lebogang believes not being afraid of a challenge and pushing boundaries when it comes to trends, is what sets her apart from others. She operates from 63a Plaza Market in salon number 12 in Market Street, opposite McDonald’s. “People can also follow me on Facebook @glamnailsbylebo and Instagram @glamnailsbylebo or call/WhatsApp 081 444 5781”.
