What started as an at-home side hustle in 2021 has turned into a fully fledged career for Vivii, who has been represented by The Only Agency since June 2024. She made over 500 individual 3D nails inspired by 2000s silicone spike jewellery for Sinead Gorey’s Autumn/Winter 2024 London Fashion Week show. She also created the chrome 3D nails worn by singer Stefflon Don on her Wonderland cover in 2021.
However as requests become more outlandish and specialist, there’s pressure on technicians and salons to keep up. Vivii self-teaches with dedicated research and development time. “After my [basic nail technician] training, I never took any nail art masterclasses as they only really offer classics like glitter, foils or flowers,” she explains.
Bringing 3D nails to the mass market
The required training or self-teaching time and the use of specialist products have an impact on pricing, too. Average prices for one-off 3D nails in the UK range from around £60 to £170, while in the US it’s $300 to $750. 3D nails also take much longer to apply; up to five hours, versus around 45 minutes for a standard gel manicure.
To overcome these restraints, some nail technicians and brands have begun offering press-on nails that can be mass-produced and applied more easily.
During the pandemic, makeup artist Sammy Does started using a 3D printer to create custom press-on sets, which she shared via Instagram. Originally, she had no intention to sell them, but before long brands started getting in touch, commissioning her futuristic, video-game inspired 3D nails for commercial projects. Everything changed when, last April, Does posted a nail set she made for the H&M x Mugler collaboration. The post now has 44,000 likes. “It blew up,” she says. A friend put her in touch with online specialist retailer APOC, which commissioned a collection of Does’s nails, kick-starting her brand in the process.
“The genius thing is that once you have designed them, you can just reprint the file,” explains Does. A set retails for €350, factoring in APOC’s 40 per cent fee. She plans to launch her own direct-to-consumer site in due course.
In 2016, nail technician and educator Jerri Cook began selling 3D press-ons via her brand Dippy Cow Nails. Priced between £30 and £90, she’s so far sold over 20,000 custom sets. “I can create anywhere between five to 10 sets of press-on nails in a day, but that number of clients would be impossible,” she says, adding that press-on nails enable a global client base.
