This Latina Went Viral for Creating Nail Sets for Labubus
Courtesy of Nailed by Hazel
When Hazel Maradey began painting images on her fingernails as a teenager, her friends and schoolmates began to take notice. Whether it was a random cheetah print, rainbow designs or anime characters, Maradey enjoyed showing off her talent as an artist.
“I’ve always loved painting on nails because I love seeing the reactions of people,” Maradey, 25, told Remezcla during a recent interview. “I started doing my friends’ nails, and then their friends’ nails.”
Today, Maradey, who has Peruvian and Colombian roots, is the owner of Nailed by Hazel, a nail salon located in Bolingbrook, a southwest suburb of Chicago. As a nail technician, Maradey uses her customers’ nails as canvases and turns them into miniature works of art.
Earlier this year, one of Maradey’s clients requested a set of nails she had never designed before. She asked her for a set that would fit the fingers of her Labubu, a small, plush toy manufactured in China that gained widespread attention last year after Lisa, a member of the K-pop group Blackpink, was seen with a Labubu as a bag accessory.
“My client was like, ‘Can you do the nails on this?’” Maradey said. “I didn’t know what it was, but I thought it was interesting.”
Maradey took on the challenge and created a set of nails for the Labubu. She then posted a video of her work online, which quickly went viral. Soon, more people started messaging her about making their own Labubu a set of customized nails.
“Overnight, I created an Etsy shop and posted more videos of the Labubu nails and kept getting more and more orders,” Maradey said.
Since the Labubu nails are much smaller than regular sets, Maradey had to work hard to perfect her design process. Although she initially considered it “tedious,” she said practice helped her refine her technique.
“I literally feel like an open-heart surgeon – trying to get in with tweezers because everything is so small,” Maradey said. “But I love doing it. They’re so cute. I think it’s the funniest thing ever.”
And remember, if you love her work on Labubu nails, then you should also check out her sets on human hands because they’re just as impressive!