The Nail Nerd

Your nails don’t have to look like everybody else’s. 🖤

Love the dramatic stuff? Perfect.
Prefer your nails short and simple? Also perfect. 💅🏼

I’m Sarah, the nail tech behind The Nail Nerd at Fringe Studio in Pāpāmoa.

I specialise in structured gel, sculpted extensions and detailed nail art, with every set built around good structure first.

Whether you want something understated or completely outrageous, the same attention to shape, balance and finish goes into every set.

New clients are very welcome. 🖤

Bold nails for beautiful weirdos. ⭐

📍 Fringe Studio, Pāpāmoa

Sarah The Nail Nerd | Papamoa [ Book now ] Book your appointment with Sarah The Nail Nerd

This one made my little Nail Nerd heart very happy. 🖤

I love the art side of what I do, but what happens underneath the colour matters just as much to me.

So when a client notices both? That means a lot. 🥹

Thank you Lindsay for such a lovely review, and for trusting me with your nails. ⭐

Want to improve your brush control? Paint mandalas. 🖌️

These are completely hand-painted, no stamping or decals involved.

Mandala-style designs are actually one of my favourite ways to practise brush control. They make you slow down and really concentrate on the small movements.

Line weight, pressure, spacing, tiny strokes, curves and dots. Because the patterns repeat, you get to practise the same movements over and over again, which is exactly what helps build control.

And they definitely don't need to be perfect. The point is training your hand to do what your brain is telling it to do. 😂

If you're learning nail art or just want to improve your fine line work, mandalas are such a good thing to practise.

Plus, once you've got good brush control, it carries over into pretty much everything else you paint. 🖤

📍 Fringe Studio, Pāpāmoa
🔗 https://sarahhyy7.setmore.com

Structured nails aren’t thick nails. 💅🏼

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear about structured gel is that strength means thickness.

It doesn’t.

This nail is still in the filing stage, which is actually why I wanted to show it before all the pretty stuff goes on.

Good structure is about where the product is placed, not simply how much product is used.

The apex and stress area need enough product to support the length, while the rest of the nail is refined and tapered so it doesn’t look or feel unnecessarily bulky.

And structure isn’t one-size-fits-all. A short natural nail doesn’t need to be built the same way as a long sculpted nail like this one.

This is the part of nail appointments that usually disappears underneath the colour, glitter and art, but it’s the part I nerd out over most. 🖤

Pretty nails are lovely.
Pretty nails that are built properly are better.

📍 Fringe Studio, Pāpāmoa
🔗 https://sarahhyy7.setmore.com

Tiny critters have taken over. 👀🖤

I had way too much fun painting these little creatures, especially the ones lurking around the edges like they’ve been caught somewhere they absolutely shouldn’t be. 😂

Soft lavender, messy little brushstrokes, a whole swarm of tiny black weirdos… and of course, one little gold star. ⭐

This is exactly the kind of nail art I love doing.

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Sculpted from scratch. 🤍

These are Russian almond nails, created entirely with sculpting gel rather than tips.

I love this shape because it really shows what good structure can do. Even at this length, the goal isn't bulky nails. It's strength, balance and a beautifully refined shape.

Because before the art, the colour and all the weird little details, the nail itself has to be built properly. 🖤

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A little peachy ombré moment 🍑✨

Soft, clean and simple doesn’t have to mean boring.

I love the big weird nail art, obviously 🖤 but sometimes a beautifully blended ombré is all you need.

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In case you’re new here, hi 👋🏼🖤

I’m Sarah, the Nail Nerd behind the nails.

I’m an advanced nail technician working from Fringe Studio in Pāpāmoa, specialising in structured gel nails, sculpted extensions and the kind of nail art that gets a little weird. ⭐

I’ve recently moved back to Pāpāmoa and I’m currently rebuilding my client book here, so if beautiful nails with a bit more personality sound like your thing, you’ve found the right little corner of the internet.

Bold nails for beautiful weirdos. 🖤

Nothing makes me happier than hearing that someone loved their nails AND their time in my chair. 🖤

Thank you so much, Jude, for the gorgeous review. It means more than you know. ⭐

📍 Fringe Studio, Papamoa

Cat people, this one's for you. 🐈‍⬛🖤

A moody plum cat-eye with tiny black cats, gold eyes and a few little stars scattered through because apparently even my cats need a bit of sparkle. ✨⭐

Cute. Witchy. Slightly ridiculous. Very me.
And yes, there is absolutely a cat bum in there. 😂

Hand-painted nail art at Fringe Studio, Pāpāmoa.

Got an idea you've been wanting on your nails? Bring me the weird stuff. 🖤

💅🏼 The Nail Nerd
Bold nails for beautiful weirdos.

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