Clara H. Nails

A quick splatter of painted roses on gel overlays for this lovely lady who is already in the mood for spring pastels.
After all, we are on the cusp of spring here in Melbourne Australia. Very vibes.
All painted with palette, speeding up my work flow since 2023 😂

I am preparing to launch my Spring nail art workshops (in-person) within the next couple of months, sign up to my nail education EOI form on my website link in bio! The more information I collect, the more workshops I can plan based on your requests and preferences!

I'll also be working on online courses as an option for those who can't get to me, or would like learning in their own time! Stay tuned, I'll be back with more updates 🎨🥰

Nerdy nail post 🤓 How many of you play stardew valley?? Players in the room put your hands up 🙋🏻‍♀️
This game is so much more than just a farming sim, it is so cosy and comforting so if you haven't played it I would highly recommend you add it to your cosy games list.

I tried looking up some SDV inspired nail content hoping someone would've smashed this brief. But I couldn't find ANYTHING that comfortably incorporates the ton of amazing elements in the game. My concept covers both day and night as backgrounds on either hand and SDV animals 😍 considered doing an SDV food themed set because that's mega adorbs as well. I feel like this is a brief you can smash if you truly love the game, otherwise you'll just be lost!

Another fun fact I LOVE about this game is that it was written by ONE dude. did everything from design, artwork, coding, music and continues to delight with free updates to the game for extended gameplay. It's just all good vibes!

Also special mention to for the gel palette 🎨 I used to paint these nails. This set would've taken unimaginably longer if I had to pick out individual colours, and the SHEER number of colours i used in this 🤦🏻‍♀️ IYKYK Thanking industry for constant innovation!!

Farmers' market vibes 🥬🥐🍄‍🟫🫛🍝🍯 for my gal

Story time.... It's a long one so buckle up 😅

Hi my name is Clara and I've been doing nails for more than 20 years. This set of photos were dug up from 2008, the furthest back I could go in my albums, and the earliest set of photos I could find of myself doing nails.

See, I've always loved doing nails. How I started is a whole other story in itself, but my interest and passion in nails has never waned over the past 20 years. Sure I've attempted to dabble in other things (hello fashion degree) but I've never strayed too far from nails.

These photos honestly rake up a lot of uncomfortable feelings for me. They are a reminder of a different time in my life, a different person. How insecure, unfocused, inconsistent, materialistic and shallow I was. Harsh on myself I know, but I'm just being honest. I was young and stupid, getting into silly relationships, spending hard-earned money on stupid things to make me feel like I'm worth more than I felt.

If only I knew the person I was to become, the person who is working through the trauma, the important things in life, cutting through all the bu****it, setting boundaries, being kinder to myself and others, feeling true joy from giving other people joy through doing their nails. I have always been told thoughout my career that I'm talented in nails, that I have some insane god bestowed talent that makes me good at my work. I never believed it and I still don't think I have the talent people think I have.

It wasn't a fluke, it didn't come easy and it certainly didn't come without it's struggles. My intense interest in my chosen career pathway (hello audhd!?) gave me a lot of motivation to learn, search and consume every piece of information I could find on doing nails and nail art. From the moment I laid my hands on the first ever nail art book I found at Kinokuniya, that was it. Hook, line, sinker.
I just wanted more, I pushed for more.. I was ravenous. Boyfriends came and left, friendships came and went, but nails never left my life. As much support as I received from people who admired my work, I had detractors too. In the early days of my nail career, my parents never believed in me... Cont in comments

I've posted these nails previously in a reel but videos did them little justice. I forgot I had taken a bunch of stills and rediscovered them while scrolling through my camera roll and I'm more in love with them than ever. I rarely look at a previous piece of work and not rip it to shreds with my inner critic voiceover.
This is one that will always have a special place in my heart.
So tender, so poetic. A truly unforgettable set for my muse 👩🏼‍🎨

No words just vibes and a midweek nail photo dump 😶‍🌫️

No words just vibes 🖼️ Inspiration is all around us

If you could bring me a single photo for your next nail set inspo, describe what it would be 🎨 🎭

I have left off posting for almost 2 months since the last, that I have no idea where to begin so I'll just post some 🔥🏀 Lakers nails I did for recently before she left for the States to watch the game in person.
It's been a while since I've stayed up till 2am for a set of nails, all hand-painted, almost blinded myself from exhaustion ngl. Sheesh I'm not young anymore as my body likes to remind me everyday.
This was done in my mad nail lab at home where people are crazy enough to stay up with me till 2am watching me sculpt and paint an iddy bitty basketball charm from scratch. Yes she's a LeBron fan, also yes her thumbs are a combo of bling and fuzz, like actually furry. I still don't know if the Lakers won, did they win?

ALSO just because I'm silencio on here doesn't mean nothing is going on in the background alright. As a matter of fact there is A LOT of planning running in the background and I have some v exciting news to share soon! Some big changes to come to Clara H Nails!

It's the last work day of 2023 for me tomorrow before I leave for Singapore and Taiwan, so to commemorate my upcoming well-deserved break, 😅😂 here's a part 1 recap of the notable sets I've done this year! There are far too many to post so I'll just have to do it in parts. So far these are up to June, and I'm having such a hard time picking my favourite ones!!

Which set is your fav from this compilation?

I've tried to be more active on Instagram, but between juggling a young child, personal life and my business, there just isn't enough hours in a day to be consistently feeding the social media machine. So, you'll get what you get when I find the time to update my socials!

Hope everyone has had a peaceful holiday season, because I sure didn't 😂😂😂 I mean is peace possible at home when you live with a 5 year old overstimulated, talkative monkey??

Here are a few airbrushed nail sets for your perusal before I go 😴 it's been a lonnnnnnnng day looking after a sick child, cleaning up hairballs the cat chucked and attending to a high needs dog that only 2 peanuts clinking around in his skull. 🐶😺

Night night friends 🌃

Anyone here a Mahjong enthusiast? I can't even remember the last time I played MJ tbh 🤣 these nails were painted on a Mahjong club girl, I was verrrry impressed at her dedication to the game 🤠

#打麻将

SAYING IT LOUDER FOR EVERYONE IN THE BACK 🗣️ 🔊📢

Just an update for my regulars who hold the old booking link, in case you miss this post in stories! 🥰

I'm still in disbelief that it's 2023.

I haven't been on here that much because I am exhausted. And... .my brain is lagging? 😂....
I am at a stage of my life where the arrogance of my youth has faded away and I've realised.. how little I actually know and understand of this world and how much there is to learn out there.

2022 completely exhausted me. It was a conflicting year of wonderful yet worrying/troubling events. Towards the end of this year, I also found out that I am very likely neuro*spicy*. And that just unlocked the floodgates. Suddenly all my complicated thought processes, my entire childhood, and never having 'normal' reactions to things made so much sense.
I'm learning to take things as they come, learning to really care for myself, trying to unlearn unhealthy coping mechanisms I have picked up over the years to mask my weirdness. I don't know yet if I have resolutions for this year, I kinda do, but one year is blurring into another, and I lack any consistency anyway 🤪 so until then, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my lovely people who have supported me and my little business! You have no idea how appreciated you are, I still pinch myself at the fact that people want me to do their nails 😆 and have so much respect for my work. 🙏🏼🙌🏼

Big thanks to and for being such wonderful workmates/friends. I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of people to hang out with at work everyday. They push and motivate me and honestly this has been the healthiest work relationship I've experienced. I love all of you! Much love, clarity and kindness for 2023 💖✨️🎊🍹🍾✨️💖

😍OBSESSED😍

These are her natural nails too! See what you can achieve with Gel Overlays?! I'll do a post very soon, explaining why gel Overlays are great for growing your nails out 🥰

Good golly I haven't made a post in a while have I? I've just been posting reels but sometimes a still just feels better than videos whizzing away. Overwhelming sometimes.

We live in some seriously complicated times right now and I'm honestly overwhelmed most of the time. I can't watch the news without feeling triggered and mostly just end up yelling at the TV and then feeling dread, doom and then hopelessness. Knowing that I live on the same planet as a whole generation of women who's rights have been obliterated. And probably more horrifying things to come.

I'm trying to clean up my thoughts, compartmentalising what is beyond my control, channelling some of that rage into simple things like raising seedlings for my veggie patch. Trying to simplify my life having gone through some nasty dealings with unscrupulous people(person) in business the past few weeks, that has put me off wanting to collaborate with anyone in future. I'm sick and tired of greedy, manipulative and entitled people. They are the problem in the world right now. Between emails to lawyers and pouring spoonfuls of diluted Charlie carp on my seedlings, I'm still trying to find balance and peace. Is that even possible? I might need to speak to a therapist, or maybe some drugs someone hook me up with either? 😂 I now understand how people become day drinkers!

Happy Easter? 😅 better late than never 🤷🏻‍♀️ Last of summer cherry nails for 🍒 perfect for Coachella the other side of the world? 😅

I've have had the last 5 days off and back at work tomorrow but I don't feel like I've taken a break at all 😳
I have however, managed to unpack my wardrobe, kiddo's playroom amongst a bunch of other things. Probably explains why I don't feel rested 🤣

Anyway I've sent messages out to most requesting for May. Please get back to me ASAP otherwise I'll be moving down the list! 😬

Clara H. Nails updated their address.

I COULD NOT for the life of me get this delicious crispy green apple color out of my head the last 2 days. I saw this color somewhere and somehow it just stuck in my head and I found this color in the throes of my nail gel collection. I had to do something cute with it 😍🍏🍏🍏🌼🌼🌼

Nail color:

These gorgeous metallic shimmer hearts are watercolor effect on gel. Would you like a tutorial on how to create this look?

Valentines' day is around the corner, or my personal preference 'Galentines' day 😂 with the gals. What are your Valentines' day plans? Mines probably just wriggling toes with my husband on the couch 😂😂😂

This lovely nurse wanted a bumblebee on her n**e nails so I painted 's super cute bumble butt 😍😍😍
Why are bumble bees so damn cute why does Australia not have them?! I wanted to beenap some bumbles I saw on a road trip in NZ sooooooo cute!

😈💜😈

These are a little cute 💁🏻‍♀️

Rest of January is fully booked. Please organise an appointment for Feb if you need one because.... slots won't last!

HOW is it nearly the middle of the month already? And how is this only my first post of the year? 😅 concept of time has evaded me 😬

Hi! 👋🏼 This month's roundup of random photos and little things that helped make my hectic month a little easier 😅

*Hint* Coffee and lots of water helped keep me.... focused ☕️💧🤣 you guys have no idea how much I wanted to curl up on 's pedi bed and go to sleep 🥲
Thanking also, for the Christmas gift of beautiful blooms I'll be recieving weekly 💐

Last photo is me, last day of work for the year. 🤣

I'm gonna go play Super Mario now 😆 goodbye work for 5 days!

*Quickly posts all the festive nails before festive season is over* 👀😅🎄

This post caused slight ire on my end this morning. posts pretty cool work and resources most of the time, but I don't know if it in a click baity move they tend to like to post controversial ideas as statements. If it starts healthy discussions, great. But for people who scroll without reading comments or participating in the discussion might get the wrong idea.

I'm here to say that nail techs/hairdressers/all in the service trade ARE NOT THERAPISTS. You come to us for a professional nail/hair/beauty service, we are here to offer you precisely that. I know it is *socially* expected that people emotional dump on beauty tradespeople but it SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED.

If you happen to have chemistry and get along with your nail tech and perhaps even forge a friendship out of it and get into the deep & meaningful, that's fantastic. But we are not emotional dumping grounds. We are people who have our own problems and we listen to so many other peoples' problems day in, day out.

We are not trained in crisis management, we don't have a counselling license, some of us don't know how to professionally dissociate from what we hear all day. Sometimes when we hear (unsolicited) heavy stuff, we bring it home with us. You don't know the mental health state of your nail tech and you don't know how they would handle the information. So please 🙏🏼, it is a privilege, not your prerogative to share your problems with us. If we are happy to be a listening ear, we will invite you to share more details.

For nail techs, those who may not know how to handle clients that overshare information you don't want to hear, here are some polite and professional lines/tips to use that draws healthy boundaries.

☕️ Deflect conversation into a different, more lighthearted topic.
☕️ Say "Sorry I don't mean to be dismissive of your issues, but can we talk about something else? 😊"
☕️If its too far gone into the conversation, say "That's really unfortunate, I hope you find a resolution soon." Then change topic.
☕️ Physically break up the conversation by excusing yourself to the restroom or pantry, then returning to start a different conversation.

I hope this helps. 💕

Scroll through for some Christmas vibe nails I've done this season 😌

I'll be confirming Jan booking requests over the next few days, please keep a lookout for messages from me 😊