Sophy Robson's nail skills means she's highly placed in the industry
Tell us about what you’re doing with the England netball team.
I was asked if I’d be interested in doing some special nail design, we’re trying to put a focus on netball being a feminine, as well as credible sport to be doing. Its credibility has been elevated, obviously, by the Olympics, but there is still maybe a bit of a myth that you have to be really masculine if you are interested in sport. The idea is saying that you can have your hair nice, your nails nice and basically that you can look good and play netball.
What was your inspiration behind the nail designs?
Whenever I get asked to work with a brand, the first thing I do is look to Google, searching online for any images that I can find. So I just started looking at random images and then I came across images of the uniform and it brought back memories from playing netball at school – I think everyone did – and I started to think about the positions that people play and the font they use on the bibs so I wanted to incorporate that. And things like the ‘I Heart Netball’ campaign, I thought it would be fun to bring that in. And then colour-wise I was asked to use a palette from their kit which is red, white and gold. The dots were inspired by the texture of the netball themselves.
What nail tips do you have for women who participate in sport?
It sounds silly saying this, because I have long nails, but I would advise keeping them short. That was the whole idea from the beginning, to show that you can have nice nails even if they’re short.
Moisturising is key as well. I think the Netball team train every day, so you’ll definitely need to use cuticle oil and maybe a nail strengthener too to keep them healthy.
One thing I always say to keep nails looking good as well, is to keep them all the same length and the same shape as well.
Nail is still a hot beauty trend at the minute – why do you think that is?
Well for the past five years or so now it’s been on the increase, I think the internet has a lot to do with it because there is a phenomenon of nail blogging and it’s almost separate to the professional industry.
I held a master class a few weeks ago where I had nail enthusiasts come and they ranged from people who have been in the industry for years, to people who have been doing it as a side line as a hobby. The overriding thing definitely was that people were using it as a form of self-expression. People explained to me that they didn’t enjoy their job, but looked forward to going home and playing with all of their nail stuff. I think that the internet is a huge part, and the fact that it’s something that women can do themselves and it’s easier than hair or make-up.
I think especially now when there is so much focus on the celebrity manicures –especially in America where they have mani-cams to capture manicures on the red carpet – it’s written about all over the press, celebrity interest definitely makes people more aware.
You’ve created some amazing nail art designs that have been used in magazines and everything – are there any particular designs that stand out to you?
Every time I get the opportunity to do a shoot where I get to do something creative I try and go as far as I can. Recently I done Emoji nails for example, and then I done a shoot for Mario Testino so I done a really incredible Orient-inspired look. It’s really difficult for me to say, I get asked that a lot and it’s usually what I’ve just done that springs to mind. In terms of influence, I still see a lot of people doing my Egyptian eye for example, which we did at the Topshop show many years ago. Then of course the eye design I done for Giles Deacon that I done way back in 2010, I still get tagged when people recreate that look. It’s a good feeling that something so simple was so appreciated and still is - so that’s got to be one of my proudest moments.
Nail brands have created some easy-to-do at-home nail art, like caviar and concrete – do you think these are a good idea?
I’ve never had the Caviar nails on, they look great on images but I don’t know how practical they are in real life. Anything that gets people started is a good thing; once they’ve started with something easy like that maybe they can go on to develop their skills.
What nail tips do you have for making your manicure last?
Always start with using a base coat, I’ve been saying this for 10 years and the message still doesn’t seem to get through. Go for one that’s really thin in consistency, and dries very quickly, this helps to grip the polish onto the nail, it protects the nail from staining and it makes removing the polish easier too. I really can’t emphasise enough how important a base coat is.
Which are your favourite brands to use in the salon?
We love Essie and Butter London – we’re going to be a stockist for Butter London very soon too. Using a brand like Butter London, that doesn’t chip, is perfect for those who partake in sport whether it’s exposing yourself to water or throwing around a netball, you want to make sure that your polish stays on.
I’d recommend both of those brands and Leighton Denny as well.
What are your favourite nail trends for this summer?
I think that the half moon is still massively popular and I love that look. There are different variations of that, I done the triangle half-moons on Jessie Ware, which is a little twist on it, as well as the heart details for another twist.
The ombre animal print just doesn’t seem to die. I’m loving the fluro colours and a lot of white nails, I’m really into that.
For more information on Sophy’s partnership with the England Netball team, visit www.netballnails.net
Tagged in Beauty Tips Nail Art Nails