With the nail art world at her feet, a recently-opened, equisitely-decorated beauty room to call her own and ‘Paint By Jaz’ permenantly emblazoned in neon lights, Jaz Moger’s vision of opening her own space has come to life in the most magnificent way.

Jaz’s passion, determination and self-belief are an inspiration to anyone who has a business dream and I had the pleasure of catching-up with this gem of a human and all-round beautiful soul (inside and out), to discuss aspirations, goals and of course, nails!

With her Paint By Jaz launch party this evening, I feel like this is the beginning Jaz’s nail art empire and I wish her all the luck in the world – you’ve most certainly inspired me as you will many others! Watch this space (and go girl!)

How long have you been in the business of creating beautiful nail art and where did you study?

I completed my Beauty Therapy training at Sussex Coast College back in 2011 but have always had a real passion for art, design and all things creative. Back in 2011 it was plain and simple nails that were on-trend which was great for me as it allowed me to perfect my one colour nail painting skills before moving into the crazy world of nail art; art which I love, but on a minute canvas. 

It was back in 2017 that I saw an American nail salon online doing ‘chrome nails’ (the mirror finish that you can actually see your face in) and straight away I had to get started on it! It took me a few months to get it perfect, practicing inbetween my busy days at work but then I was the first local gal offering it and that’s when my nail business really started to boom. Kylie Jenner even posted on her Snapchat ‘does anyone know of anyone doing chrome nails’ and I was over here like meee *hands up emoji girl*.

Did you always want to go into the beauty business and own your own salon?

I feel very lucky because I knew from a young age that I wanted to go into the beauty industry so I went straight from school to study Beauty Therapy at the age of 16. I always remember the first day on my beauty course, we had to write down where we’d hope to be in ten years time and I wrote ‘I’d like to have my own salon’. It’s been eight years since I wrote that and I now have my own beauty studio so I guess I’m not far off!

It was only last year that I created my Instagram page @paintbyjaz, a platform where I could combine my love for photography and beauty and share it with the world. I wanted something less cliche than ‘Beauty by Jaz’ or ‘Nails by Jaz’. I love the word ‘paint’ and how it looks visually in capital letters so that’s what I went for. 

This got me lots of new clients through the door and it wasn’t long before my page got noticed by some of my favourite nail brands such as Gellux who sent me lots of free nail polishes in return for using my pictures on their page and from this I also got featured in Scratch Magazine (the UK’s biggest magazine for nail pros) which was a great achievement.

Fulfilling personal goals really drives me so when I felt like I couldn’t progress any further at the last salon I was working at, it was time for me to move on and start creating #PAINTBYJAZ as a proper brand. A dream come true. 

I went to Kathy (the kindest, funniest most caring person you’ll ever meet and someone who has been a good client of mine for the past six years) who owns the amazing and successful jewellery brand and concept store that is Pearl & Queenie. 

I asked if she had a room I could rent and to my amazement, she did! I feel very proud to say that I’m working under Pearl & Queenie’s roof and think our brands compliment each other really well. Just bought a lovely ring but your nails look crappy? Don’t worry, I got you! 

It’s only been one month so far so this really is just the start of my business venture but I’m very excited and the support from my friends, family and clients has been incredible. I’m still in shock seeing my logo printed on business cards atm!
You use Etta French polish, what are the benefits of using vegan products on the nails?

Etta French polishes don’t contain any of the top five harmful chemicals you find in most nail varnishes. Those chemicals, including formaldehyde and DBP are harmful to inhale and harmful when asorbed into the skin. 

Toxin free polishes are less drying on the natural nail and perfectly safe for kids and pregnant women to use. Etta French is made in the UK and is completely vegan. Not only that but they are also Pearl & Queenie’s sister brand. Another one of Kathy’s fabulous creations! 

I’ve been using her Etta French nail polishes since they launched and I absolutely love them. The colours are stunning and very highly pigmented meaning you can get away with just one quick coat if you’re in a rush.
Can you recommend any other vegan body products you’ve discovered along the way?

Another brand I use and love is REN Clean Skincare. Even though my main focus seems to be on nails and nail art I do also specialise in a range of other treatments. Two of them being facials and massages. 

REN is 100% clean and by clean they mean 100% natural, organic and entirely recyclable. Free from all harsh chemicals, synthetic fragrances, artificial colours, parabens and many more. I’ve been using REN on myself and my clients for the past four years and wouldn’t use anything else now, the products really do do what they say on the bottles. 

My boyfriend used to suffer from frequent breakouts so I bought him his own set of REN products for Christmas two years ago and told him how and when to use them and his skin is amazing now. 

Having the right skincare WILL work but it takes time and patience.It’s also good to treat yourself to a professional facial once in a while to make sure you’re on the right track. 

The facials I do use Zen Shiatsu and Japanese massage techniques which help to free energy flow and improve your whole wellbeing, leaving you feeling balanced grounded and deeply relaxed. 

Shiatsu is also used to reduce stress and anxiety – it’s so important to look after your mind aswell as your skin! Stress can be the worst cause of spots. 
Are you a creative person aside from this?

100%! I loved art when I was at school and would have loved to have continued with it but also knew I wanted to go into the world of beauty so that’s the path I took. And although I love doing all of the treatments that I offer, nails are where I can really let out my creative side out so that’s what I like to focus most of my energy on. 

What advice would you give anyone thinking about starting their own venture?
I will probably be able to answer this better this time next year but my advice for now is JUST GO FOR IT! If it’s something you’re extremely passionate about and the thought of it gives you a fire in your belly feeling then don’t waste any time on getting started.

The best piece of advice I read a few years ago about starting your own business was to just completely be yourself. Which is why you’ll often see me using a Drake dancing gif in my Instagram stories or using phrases like ‘yaaass gal’ on my photo captions. 

If you’re just being you you will attract others that like the same things/have the same vibe and you never have to pretend to be someone you’re not. Which takes off a whole lot of pressure! 

There’s always going to be the odd person that doesn’t want you to do well or if you’re young, the parents that are worried that you’re not ready. But what’s the worst that can happen? It doesn’t work out and you go back to being employed somewhere? At least you can say you tried!

If you believe you can, you will.
Who designed your amazing décor?

Me! I recently did up my first flat a few months ago which has the same kind of feel with the white walls, dark skirtings, a vintage velvet pink sofa plus gold accents and plants. But there’s only so many girly interiors you can get away with when you’re also living with your boyfriend so my beauty studio has ended up being a crazier extended version of my flat haha.

I love being surrounded by dreamy interiors and whenever I travel anywhere (the most recent places being Amsterdam and Barcelona, which are super trendy) I like to visit their most Instagramable cafes/bars/restaurants. 

I’ve picked up a lot of inspo from these places – one being the pink tiles from a certain museum in Amsterdam which I’ll leave to your imagination but also from hours spent researching ‘pink bathrooms’ and ‘tropical walls’ on Pinterest.

I’ve worked in a few dark and dingy beauty rooms in the past so wanted to create a space that’s fun and bright. A space that my clients feel relaxed in and something that represents me and and my brand. Seeing as my business started on Instagram, I also hoped to create ‘St Leonards most Instagramable Beauty Studio’. Which I think I may have achieved, woo!

What’s your favourite part of St.Leonards? 

St. Leonard’s is so up-and-coming and has a real mix of creativity, individuality and history which I love! It’s full of quirky small businesses and friendly people. 

It’s great working in my job because I get to meet so many of the amazing local people and bump into them all the time. I also feel so lucky to work right opposite the sea, I’ve seen so many great views and sun sets, it’s so calming and good for the soul.

I have to ask this – what’s your favourite smoothie/juice blend? 

Holly, I’m sorry, you probably won’t want to read this but I’m a busy beautician that lives on the busy beautician diet that consists of a quick coffee plus snacks inbetween clients *hands over eyes monkey emoji*. 

But I would love if you could give me some recipes as I’d love to start making my own smoothies! I did have a smoothie the other day which was a pineapple, coconut and banana blend which tasted just like a Pina Colada and it was lush! 

Thanks so much Jaz for taking the time to answer my questions so beautifully and for being first-up!

All my love, encouragement and best wishes for the future!

Holly xxx