Sally Wolfe

Prior to starting my career in nails, I was a Personal Banker for 14 years, an Early Childhood Educator for 2 years, and most recently a Certified Teacher's Aide for 5 years. While working at the school, I began looking into taking a nail course after my daughter and I had our nails done for an event. I had always loved painting my nails, and the idea of doing enhancements really intrigued me.

Initially, I thought a weekend course would be what I was looking for. Then I discovered Mirage Spa Education's distance program and was impressed by how comprehensive the material appeared — and I wasn't disappointed. I learned acrylic and gel nails, manicuring and pedicuring, as well as chemistry, basic electricity, disinfection and sanitization, and e-filing techniques. The program was all-encompassing and extremely thorough.

Was it my intention to start a business? Not exactly. I thought I would just do my own nails, my daughter's, and maybe a few friends. By the time I graduated in April of 2014, I was doing nails in the evenings after my full-time job, and things started to click.

As an artsy person, I discovered that nail art came very naturally to me. Through word of mouth, my small side business continued to grow. I eventually took a year's leave of absence from my job and focused on building my nail business. It grew to the point where I didn't need to return to my school position.

At the age of 44, I had found my calling — using my artistic abilities to make a living. I officially opened my at-home salon, Nail Nirvana, on May 1st, 2014. Three years later, my client book is full, my waitlist is closed, and I wake up every day feeling like I'm not actually working because I love what I do so much.

I thank my lucky stars every day for finding Mirage Spa Education Canada and for taking the leap to enroll in the Fully Qualified Artificial Nail Technician program. I can't say enough good things about the Mirage team. The support, knowledge, and encouragement were exceptional and deeply appreciated.

The program is well laid out, easy to follow, and demanding in the best way skill-wise. Being able to complete it while working full time made my goal truly attainable.

Highly, highly recommended! Thank you again to all of the staff.

You can find my work on Facebook at Nail Nirvana or follow me on Instagram at @nailnirvana2014.