Words by Muna

In today’s world, fashion is no longer confined to the aesthetics of hair, make-up and clothes. Nail art is gaining popularity worldwide as a subtle way of flaunting one’s tastes. It’s amazing how something as minuscule as nails can be a canvas on which we can express ourselves. Apart from making a fashion statement, nail art is also a self-care indulgence many love to pamper themselves with.

Ayaka Iizumi, a Japanese nail artist based in Male’ truly knows the magic of glamorous nails. Born from the land where modern nail art originated, Zumi has always been fascinated in creating art on the fingertips as a kid and she grew up experimenting different designs by drawing on the fingernails of her friends. Driven by passion, she graduated from a prestigious nail academy in Japan. After getting qualified as a nail artist by Japanese Nail Association, she quit her job as an office worker and was about to begin her career in one of the various nail salons in Japan until she got a chance to visit the Maldives.

“So I went to one of the local islands. Its called bodufulhadhoo and it was such a beautiful island that I fell in love. At that time, I have always wanted to work and live abroad somewhere. So after I came back home, I started to search for a job and it could be anywhere but the country surrounded by ocean had a special place in my heart” Zumi’s wish came true when she landed a job in a travel agency operated by a Japanese company in the Maldives called HIS in 2019. Upon arriving Maldives, it wasn’t long before she started her own nail art venture, Z-nails from the cozy ambience of her apartment. “People call me Zumi, that’s where the name Z-nails comes from”, Zumi explains.

According to her, with the exception of getting quality products, starting a business away from home wasn’t that hard for the simple fact that she is doing what she loves the most and has a lot of fun doing it. Although communication sometimes become a hurdle and misunderstandings occur, she tries to overcome those challenges by patiently thinking from their perspective and ensuring that their expectations and her version of it correlates. “They often come up with their own ideas but sometimes change their mind after seeing my designs. They are not always familiar with nails so I have to think from their perspective as well”.

When we inquired about what designs are most in demand, she said that Ombre style, French tips and nudes are the most popular among Maldivian girls and she further added that the increase in number of weddings might be the reason for the high demand of these particular styles. This made me ask what her favorite style was. “I like elegant styles like Ombre but I pretty much like everything” Zumi says with a laugh while showing us her nails that were painted Ombre style with glitter at the tips, by HERSELF. Wow! We were taken by surprise by how perfect her nails looked although it was done all on her own.

Next, we asked her how and where she get her products from, to which she replied, “ I ask my parents to ship some of the products from Japan. I had tons of stuff in Japan and from all over the world, some from UK, some from US and some from China. There are lots of brands that I like, these brands have their own strength, like top coat is from one brand and the gel extension product is from another brand. So I’m using a lots of brands and experimenting combinations like how two products can be compatible with each other”, Zumi explains excitedly.

We were amazed by the diversity of the designs displayed on her wall from matte manicure, French tips, floral art, splatter nails, funky art, marble effect, sunset effect to many more. What captured my gaze the most were the pearly ones looking flawless and vibrant with an ivory effect. I wondered how she was getting these ideas to which she replied, “I’m following so many nail pages on Instagram and I have this Canadian nail artist who inspired me years back so I’m following her page consistently. Sometimes when clients ask me to do a specific design, I practice them beforehand and make my own variations and modifications which I later make my own version of and add to my designs.”

While she was being interviewed, she was attending to a client so we were fortunate enough to see her work personally. “ I first use a special gel to fix the extension, then shape it according to the client’s nails, file it and finally, design it. My sessions generally last 2-3 hours but just for gel manicures it takes only 1-2 hours. If I’m doing a design one, it can take extra time depending on the design.” Zumi further elaborates on extensions “I have noticed that many Maldivian girls have this biting issue which makes them have really short nails so I always recommend tip extensions. Extensions don’t necessarily mean long nails but just appropriate length.”

Despite the struggles she faced while transitioning from a ‘real job’ to the one where she’s following her passion, Zumi was fueled by determination. “My parents didn’t really approve of me doing this as they didn’t think this was a real job. So I was switching between jobs and I didn’t have any confidence in myself at all when I started but my love and passion, they drove me. With the support of my friends, I finally started my Instagram page Z-nails through which I promote my business and get my clients. I’m really thankful for those who supported and encouraged me to do this”

We at Ka Leo hope Zumi’s journey to reach success inspire the readers to achieve their dreams. We hope to see more of her art and wish her good luck and success in all her future endeavors.