Kansas nail artist DaShaunnta Nichols has claimed the title of MISSUS CLAWS 2024, after garnering over 800 votes in two rounds to win the holiday nail art competition held by American Salon and International Beauty Shows.
The contest began with 24 entries in four themed categories — Winter, Festive, Holiday, and Characters — and ended with Nichols racking up the most votes for her nail art, “Tis the Season,” which won the Festive category in the first round.
The three other finalists were Tatiana Hess in the Holiday category, Veronica Vargas in the Winter category, and Shayna Osazuwa in the Characters category. All won prizes from competition sponsors Yazzie Nails, Remote Nail, and Melody Susie.
Nichols’ grand prize includes two 3-day passes to the International Beauty Show 2025 in New York or Las Vegas, a Melody Susie SM200F Plus Rechargable Nail Drill Set, a Le Chat Nails swag bag, and a Pro Master Kit and 9-piece Fall/Winter Gel Collection from Sofgel.
(DaShaunnta Nichols)
It truly took a village to claim the title, as Nichols rallied everyone in her small hometown of Conway Springs, KS to help her squeak out the win by just a couple votes over second-place competitor Hess’ entry, “Christmas Claws.”
“We’re a very close community,” Nichols says. “I couldn’t have done it without the help of my small town.”
Though Nichols has been doing nails on family and friends for 15+ years, she’s only been a licensed nail professional for the past year. “It had always been my dream career,” she says. “I got married and had two kids at a young age, so I was a stay-at-home mom.
“When the opportunity presented itself, I went all in.”
Encouraged by her husband, as well as friends and family who pitched in with child care, Nichols enrolled at Crave Beauty Academy in Wichita. “My husband works out of state for weeks at a time,” she says, “so I was basically a married single parent going to school.
“It was definitely hard, but I had a nice support system. They all were like, ‘this is something you should have been doing a long time ago.’ My husband especially,” she says. “He has always pushed me to chase after my dreams and to try new things.”
(DaShaunnta Nichols)
While in school, Nichols’ instructor encouraged her to take her passion for nail art to the next level.
“My first love is acrylics — that’s what I learned on — but my instructor told me I was good enough to enter competitions,” she says. “That’s when my love of extreme nails became a reality.
“Also, I just love doing Christmas nails. You can do anything and everything.”
After getting a later-than-average start in her career, Nichols is focused on making up for lost time.
“This past year I went from just painting nails to providing a service to clients,” she says. “I thought, ‘people need to know what I can do.’ I wanted to offer the most luxurious manicures and pedicures available at an affordable price. I wanted to offer any kind of nail art they could think of.”
Nichols currently rents a booth in a salon. Her future plans include opening up her own nail salon and pursuing a track as an educator. “My name is very uncommon,” she says, “and I want the world to know it!”
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