22-year-old beautician, Mrs Sabrina Smith-Penn from The Settlement, Anegada, has taken nail designs to new heights as a certified nail technician. As a young Entrepreneur, she is also the owner of Island Goddess Beauty Parlour established in 2017. Photo: Provided

Our Young Professional told VINO that Island Goddess Beauty Parlour specialises in nail and lashes and offers a few services such as nail care, acrylic nail enhancements, pedicures, manicures, gel nails, and classic eyelash extensions. Photo: Provided

According to Mrs Smith-Penn, she was inspired to enter the career field in a very peculiar way, 'In high school, I would admire my teacher’s nails, the designs, the sound it made when the tips hit against the desk ‘Clickity Clack’ music to my ears I fell in love with it!' Photo: Provided

Therapist & Listener

An alumnus of the Claudia Creque Educational Centre, Sabrina graduated in 2014 before attending nail and eyelash technician workshops where certificates were obtained for each trade.

“I mostly enjoy doing nails… you know, being a nail technician isn’t just about doing pedicures, nails and manicures. It’s more than that, you’re an artist, therapist, listener, inspirer and so much more,” she told Virgin Islands News Online (VINO).

According to our Young Professional, the most enjoyable parts of the job includes making sure clients and customers are comfortable and relaxed.

She told VINO that Island Goddess Beauty Parlour specialises in nail and lashes and offers a few services such as nail care, acrylic nail enhancements, pedicures, manicures, gel nails, and classic eyelash extensions. 

Speaking about challenges that the business face, Sabrina noted, “I would say getting nail product/supplies… although the Territory has beauty shops you don’t find all of what you’re looking for there, and when it comes to ordering them online your package is either missing or it got damaged.” 

She said one of the biggest lessons learned in life so far includes being patient, “doing nails is my therapy it calms me, it helps me to be more patient. It’s said that patience is a powerful tool for success and of course, I do want to be successful one day." 

‘Music to my ears’

According to Mrs Smith-Penn, she was inspired to enter the career field in a very peculiar way, “In high school, I would admire my teacher’s nails, the designs, the sound it made when the tips hit against the desk ‘Clickity Clack’ music to my ears. I fell in love with it!”

She said that given her parents would never have given her money to go and do her own nails, she took the initiative to buy an acrylic nail kit with allowance money and started out by watching youtube tutorials.

“I did a really terrible job at it, but my designs were very unique,” she said.

Mrs Smith-Penn continued,  “My parents noticed I developed a passion for doing nails, so they bought more nail supplies so I could practice.My mommy would let me practice on her fingernails and toenails and my daddy let me practice pedicures on his feet until I got the hang of it.”

With the support of her parents and other friends and family, she kept pushing and gained even more skills to keep learning the trade and fell in love with it.

Plans for the Future

“I see myself being one of the world’s top nail technician coming from the pristine island of Anegada,” Sabrina told this news website. 

According to your Young Professional, some of her best qualities includes using her imagination to come up with creative artistic designs and executing it.

Mrs Smith-Penn said her hard-working mother, Susan Smith and my grandmother Romailia Smith as well as fellow beautician Kirsty Meakin are her biggest inspirations.

Parting Advice

To young people looking to pursue a dream, she said if you have a dream, own it, because if you truly believe that something is for you, then nothing can stop you from achieving it.

“In everything you do, do it with a positive attitude, it’s ok to start over if you don't succeed but, don’t let your failure define you instead use it to make you stronger, wiser and kinder than before. Everything in life is a process,” she left as final advice to prospective young professionals.