The MANicurist

The MANicurist

I used to go to the nail salon with my mother every week as a five-year-old and was fascinated by and loved polish and nails. When I was in third grade, I would color on my nails with Crayola markers. My parents wouldn't let me wear polish, so I would wear glow in the dark polish that wasn’t noticeable during the day, or I would paint my pinky nail and hide it. I went to college, and while I was there and had freedom from my parents, I started painting my own nails. I graduated, and tried a bunch of different corporate jobs in different industries (no nail polish allowed). I’ll never forget when I quit real estate, I put on three inch long press on nails to celebrate my liberation. Friends said to me, “Hey, why don’t you go to nail school?” I come from a conservative family. I didn’t think I could go paint nails for a living. But then I decided I had nothing to lose. I quit my job and went to nail school for 2 years. Now nails are my full-time profession, and I’ve created a business and have celebrity clients like Paula Abdul and Karlie Kloss. I actually first saw the Self Love Pinky Ring when I was giving a client a manicure, and thought to myself, “This woman has it all.” Wearing this ring is a daily reminder to always be me, and be true to who I am. To honor my five-year-old self, who knew exactly what made him happy.  And to remember that I’ve gotten to this point, all by myself, without a map. I don’t have the traditional husband, kids, or house, but with this ring I feel empowered: I have it all, too. -Merrick Fisher, Merricures.com