West London's Pinterest-perfect manicure

Even the dullest outfits and worst bad hair days can be improved by her manicures.

There’s no sorrow quite like the commute home from an expensive, poorly done, nail art manicure. The worst part is, I can always recount the exact moment during the appointment when things started to take a turn for the worse. But the nail tech is almost never at fault —I am—because regardless of how crooked a nail looks or how far the art has strayed from the inspiration photo, I will never, ever interject and ask the nail tech to fix what I dislike. It might be my severe anxiety, or maybe I’m simply a freak of nature, but as someone artistically stunted, it seems unthinkable for me to criticize a nail tech’s work—I have the chills just thinking about it now—and as a result, I’m probably more used to leaving a nail appointment unsatisfied than I am pleased.

Now, on the flip side, the ride home from a manicure where your nails turned out exactly like the inspiration photo, that my friends, is amore. I can only describe what comes after as total ecstasy: my confidence soars, there’s a pep in my step, and menial tasks like sending emails or folding laundry are made infinitely better due to the fact that I have gorgeous works of art on my fingers to gaze at. It’s a dream.

So when I decided to treat myself to fun manicure for an upcoming vacation, I meticulously researched nail techs all around London. The goal was to find someone whose Instagram showcased work similar to the inspiration I found on Pinterest, that way, there’d be a greater chance the outcome would look similar. One account led me to another account, which led me to another account, and I eventually landed on Mariana Augusto’s Instagram. Her nail art was the perfect balance of cutesy (she’s partial to a bow) and grungy (she uses a lot of chrome), but when I saw her meticulously painted silver stars with rhinestone accents—which was exactly what I’d been looking for—I immediately booked an appointment.

Mariana takes her nail appointments in a cozy room in the back of her West London flat—there’s no noisy salon or fancy waiting room, it’s just you, her, and her sweet cat Fig who pays the occasional visit. Mariana is extremely kind (she’ll always offer you tea or a hot water bottle on a cold, rainy day), chatty, and most importantly, damn good at doing nails.

Mariana's got great taste, not just in nails, but in her adorable, y2k-inspired personal style, making it immediately easy to trust her creative judgment. She’s also super intuitive when it comes to selecting colors and accents—when I’ve wanted my nails to be carbon copies of a Pinterest photo, she’s executed it flawlessly, but when I’ve trusted her to put her own spin on a design, she’s always added a vibrant and unique twist that’s made the manicure even more special.

I was talking to my friend Pixie, another devoted client of Mariana’s, about what makes her so special, and we agreed that it’s not only her artistic skill, but the narrow and slender way she sculpts and files your nail extensions—our nails never turn out wide, thick, and plastic-y looking (though if you want long, claw-like extensions, she can do that too, as you can see above). She’s also one of the fastest working nail techs we’d both ever seen, which is a major plus.

Mariana is the very best when it comes to special occasion nails (perfect for Valentine’s Day or your birthday), or when you simply want to gift yourself a FUN LITTLE TREAT that’ll improve your day each time you look down. Her nails feel like exciting new accessories added to your wardrobe (I swear, even the dullest outfits can be made better by her manicures.)

Mariana is so insanely good, I’ve never needed to correct her work, and there is no greater gift to a nervous nelly such as myself.

I absolutely loved how this manicure turned out!

Book an appointment with Mariana

Mariana uploads new time slots monthly, so be sure to check at the beginning of each month to see what her availabilities are. A full set of nail extensions plus advanced nail art costs £85, whereas a regular gel manicure with advanced nail art costs £65. Book an appointment with her here.

Inspiration for your next appointment