By Laura Medina
Jessica, the Master Manicurist who made manicures, and to a lesser extent, pedicures, de rigueur grooming, has witnessed a lot of changes in the grooming and salon industry.
When she started her manicuring salon business, it was just the established A-list actresses; the socialites viewed it as a treat; and powerful business men, the metrosexual forefathers, treated a polished set of nails as a emblems of power. Back in Jessica's days, having a weekly "mani & pedi" was strictly an A-List affair among the entertainment industry subset.
Soon after, with the emergence of "Power Women," the women development executives, the women studio heads, and the women agents, Jessica's high-end customers grew.
Jessica, "Women executives now view professional, polished manicures, with nail polishes matching their suits, as a sign of power." In other words, "Girl Power."
Jessica, also lives on the other side of the Hills, the Valley where it is more down-to-earth. This is where she sees the real major transformations in the nail business.
The same time she catered to Hollywood's Elite in West Hollywood/Beverly Hills in Sunset Plaza, Jessica also sensed and sees the small-time, mom & pop nail salons offering quick and cheap manicures to the everyday citizens, at cut-rate prices, in her backyard in The Valley.
Ironically, it was among Hollywood's Establishment, Tippi Hedren, who unintentionally ignited the "fast-food-ization" of the nail grooming industry. As a kind-hearted lady who wanted to help Vietnamese War refugees in making a new life in America in the mid-Seventies, Tippi offered them lesson on typing and other clerical skills to help them get an head start. However, those women refugees didn't pay attention. All they cared about and asked, "Where did you get your nails?"
Realizing they aren't paying attention because these refugee women are mesmerized by the most perfect set of nails they ever seen, Tippi gave up then brought her manicurist to explain to them what they are and how to do them because that's where the focus was on.
Tippi...then Jessica, before they knew it, Vietnamese-immigrant mom & pop nail salons doing quick and cheap manicures and pedicures for the masses multiplied like rabbits, to Tippi Hedren's astonishment and Jessica's dismay.
What used to be elite that the masses can only dream about in tabloid glossies, are now literally available to their fingertips in their own neighborhoods.
As Jessica wisely knew, the sudden saturation and spread, dilutes the craft and skills of a proper manicure. With sudden saturation, comes taking of granted or advantage of the manicurist which leads to exploitation of the manicurists and disrespect towards the craft.
On her Sunset Plaza corner, Jessica has also seen, what used to exclusively industry, become available to the masses who want something nice, the makeup/makeover salon, Blushington, and exclusively hairstyling salon, Dry Bar, on the same Sunset Plaza corner.
Jessica is glad that the younger generation is much more accepting having manicures and pedicures as daily grooming but is dismayed by the declining quality, the gaudy glue-0n decorations and the faux talons that sure aren't classy or natural.
Jessica felt it was a time for a revamp and teach these kids what a true manicure is...with additional services they had come to expect...with quality, Jessica the Clinic.
The Master Manicurist, Jessica herself, doing these scribe's nails.
At the Grand Re-Opening of "Jessica the Clinic," the woman herself proved there is "natural" and there is "raw." This scribe's nails were "raw."
Jessica called them "upside-down." She mentioned the nails' health overall, were in good condition but they need to be properly shaped.
To properly shape the nails for a "real manicure," the tips of the nails need to follow the natural curve of the cuticle, no claws, no ovals, or squares.
There's a qualifying reason why Jessica the Clinic's fees are above-average. Her care and services aren't quick & dirty "wham-bam, thank you madam" for cut-rate prices. Jessica and the technicians, she personally trains and oversees (some of them has been with her for twenty-years) analyze the client's natural curvatures of the nail bed and the health of the nail, soft or hard.
She and her staff file along the nail's natural curve determined by the cuticle, not going against according to what's trendy.
The woman herself, used her time shaping this scribe's nails, as a classroom session demonstrating you should file, in one-straight way, not filing back & forth at angle or against the nail grain. File on top, one-way straight.
When it comes to taming the cuticle, Jessica taught her staff, you gently trim the cuticles, not cut them or aggressively push them back with surgical tools, but with a gentle but quick cuticle buffer.
The Classic Manicure by Jessica, the Master Manicurist.
At Jessica the Clinic, don't come in expecting to get glue-on, faux anything, no acrylic talons or claws or geegaw decorations.
What you will get, and this is what her loyal clients expect, is a classic, nothing-weird, manicures and pedicures. The nail polish selection is timeless.
The way Jessica and her staff do manicures is the same way a good hairdresser studies a client's scalp, head shape, and the hair's natural body then cuts, trims, and shapes accordingly. The manicure you get at Jessica the Clinic will grow with you naturally, the same way a good, decent haircut grows with you over weeks, even months. A Jessica manicure is a wise investment.
Jessica is insightful enough to know, that to grow and evolve in the beauty/grooming industry, she has to reset and start anew.
There's more to Jessica, than just classically polished finger nails. She offers pedicures, that this scribe may want to or need to get.
Knowing that quality has to match speed and well-roundness, Jessica the Clinic now offers a makeover salon where you can also shop the makeup they used on you during your makeover.
They a facial room, aahhh.
They also a very discreet waxing room.
But for Jessica, her focus is on the emerging Gen-X establishment and the Millennials young professionals re-discovering the classic manicure, sans the geegaws.
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