Good Morning everyone! Welcome to another fabulous article of Nail Tech Spotlight. I hope your holiday season is festive and bright! Talking about bright we have a lovely bright soul here today! Jessica Briarmoon!!
Madison: Hello! Thanks for joining me, how are you doing this lovely day?
Jessica: Doing ok. Still battling a broken back but taking it a day at a time.
Madison: Oh my goodness, yes I’ve heard! I hope you’ll have a speedy and safe recovery. I’ll try to keep my questions brief so that you can continue to rest up. So you have quite the legacy in the nail world, having an entire nail camp/cruise did you know that?
Jessica: Ummm wow! I guess I never thought of it as a legacy. But I’m just happy I was able to create events that inspired, excited and encourage people.
Madison: Well may I ask, what made you start Nail Camp?
Jessica: It was a few things, But I remember the final straw! It was at a trade show. We saw one girl sitting on her own at dinner because she didn’t know anyone. And a girl who was sitting with us and ordered just water. We were excited to be out at dinner (something I personally rarely get to do) but she was only ordering water! We asked if she wasn’t hungry and she said she’d spent so much on the hotel to just be able to be there that she didn’t have room in her budget for meals. We decided things needed to be different. We wanted multiple days to really make friends and have lodging and meals included so no one had to worry about where they would stay or if they would eat dinner. I grew up going to church camps every year since probably 3rd grade, so it was that atmosphere I was looking for. As a result, every camp location we’ve used has also been a church summer camp.
Madison: Wow! That is incredibly nice of you. From camp to now cruises! How did you think it would go having your first cruise?
Jessica: I’d cruised with Vicki Peters for many years before the first cruise I organized. I love cruising, and cruising with friends makes it just so much better. It had been about 4 years since my last cruise with Vicki when I decided to do the first Nail Camp Cruise in 2018. It was a bit tricky because with Nail Camp we have so many days of classes and workshops, so we really needed a longer cruise. The 2018 Nail Camp Cruise was to Hawaii and we had 5 days at sea for classes. It went terrific! It was much harder doing standard cruises like I did this year. On top of which, I am very focused on making sure everyone has terrific swag bags, which for the last camp took 2 full luggage carts full of massive boxes. Our conference room on this last cruise was a tricky situation and they wouldn’t guarantee the room until I had lots of people booked – which is backwards and stressful! I’ve planned and put on 3 cruises now and while I love cruises, I don’t love to logistics of all that goes into doing it the way I feel like people deserve. So doing cruises is really tricky and I’m not sure I’ll do another unless its just organizing a vacation with nail friends but not camp with swag and classes and conference rooms.
Madison: What is it that excites you about holding these events for nail techs?
Jessica: I get excited for so many reasons! I love seeing old friends of course. I love when new Nail Techs find camp and they tell me their life is forever changed. I love when techs who have been in the business for 25 years find camp and learn all the things they didn’t know existed and get inspired to continue their business when they were on the verge of finding a new career. I love that people make life long friends, amazing memories and that professional companies are supporting the techs with samples and products to try out.
Madison: I love that, you have definitely carved a niche in the community. No one does camp like you do! For you personally, how long have you been a nail technician?
Jessica: 22 years. I started nail school a week after 9-11 (I remember waiting for school to start, working as a temp in a mortgage office and spending that last week just researching relaying all the news to the other office employees), so its easy for me to calculate exactly when I started.
Madison: I see you still work on clients, are you still working full time in addition to organizing your events?
Jessica: Oh yes, planning the events isn’t really a job, it’s more volunteer work. Right now my husband is building our new shop/house so he isn’t doing any other work making an income. I must do clients full time and run my store, LuvNailz, to make sure rent gets paid and everyone gets fed.
Madison: Clients, camps, vacations, how do you keep yourself at zen, and not overwhelmed, if you get overwhelmed at all?
Jessica: Of course I get overwhelmed! But I do try to keep some balance in there as far as work and non-work activities. Jared says “she works hard and plays hard” and I guess thats true. If I don’t have some sort of vacation or trip to look forward to and plan, I get sad. So even if its something months and months away, I will always have something to look forward to. I am a BIG believer in miles. I make sure everything I do gives us miles and I very very very rarely actually purchase plane tickets and I am ALWAYS looking for the best deal!
Madison: I would say I truly enjoying looking at your content on social media, because you’re a nail tech who refuses to sit at a desk and just be stagnant, you go on vacations and really enjoy life, what has been your favorite trip so far?
Jessica: Well thats a tough one. “Laughs out loud* I do love trips and we love to travel and this time of year at Christmas I’m really missing Germany and Austria. We’ve gone 3 times to these countries around Christmas and we absolutely love it, but it will be 2025 before we get to do it again. However, I’d say if I could only repeat 1 place we’ve been to, it would be Egypt.
Madison; The closest I ever get to traveling out the country is going to a restaurant and getting a Belgian waffle, and you’re in full blown Germany! Do you have an upcoming trip you’re excited for?
Jessica: I’m surprising my husband with a week in Wisconsin where he is from and where he still has family and loads of friends. He hasn’t been in a few years and won’t be able to go next year. He doesn’t find out until Chrsitmas, and I know he will be OH so excited. We don’t really get to travel in 2024 because everything will be focused on trying to build the house. So this will be a really nice treat he isn’t expecting. As a bonus, one of my old clients lives out there and we’ll stay with her and her hubby for a few days and its always nice to see her too!
Madison: oh you are just so wonderful! That’s gonna be a great surprise! Are there any special things you’re excited to see for yourself in 2024?
Jessica: Hopefully the house getting done. Its a big project and we are doing it all ourself except for just a few things (like slabs and drywall). Hopefully my broken back will heal well and I can help more.
Madison: I’m very excited to see your house as well, I still linger on how he wants a castle. It’s very Elgin looking forward to your posts. How can nail techs reach you on social media?
Jessica: They can message me on facebook under my name or IG at LuvNailz. I’m terrible at keeping up social media posts but I’m great at answering people quickly.
It has been absolutely wonderful speaking with you! What a journey it has been seeing how you started to where you are now. Makes me even more excited for the future. I do hope you continue to rest up well; and I look forward to seeing all your future endeavors on social media! Thanks everyone for reading and I’ll see you later sweets!
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