- NailSpa Founder Nilanthi Genevieve on filling a vacuum in the beauty industry
By Venessa Anthony
It was 20 years ago that NailSpa Founder Nilanthi Genevieve Weerasinghe saw a vacuum in the beauty industry in Sri Lanka. While the country had many hair and beauty salons that did manicures and pedicures, she realised that this side of the business was not focussed on much by salons at the time, which only provided very basic nail treatments.
Genevieve always dreamt of owning her own business while she was working as a director for a blue-chip company. As such, she travelled overseas to pursue her dreams and train professionally and internationally in the nail industry. She was the first to introduce a standalone salon in 2003 with three staff personally trained by her.
The Morning Brunch caught up with Genevieve for a chat on her career and the nail industry in Sri Lanka. Here’s what she had to say.
What was the greatest challenge you faced when starting your own business?
Clients were not aware of nail extensions and nail art as this was very new. No one then focussed on full grooming, especially nails. So it was scary at first, as it took almost three months for clients to try and experience our services and what we had to offer in terms of only nail care.
You’ve expanded quite a lot since your inception and are known for more than just nails. How did you find that journey?
With the opening of my first nail salon at Cinnamon Lakeside, I expanded to my second branch at the Odel outlet down Ward Place. I would also travel for exhibitions and workshops where I observed the latest trending beauty techniques. I believe in keeping myself updated internationally. With that, I was the first to launch Novalash Eyelash Extensions and Eyebrow Microblading in Sri Lanka, thus expanding our services further.
From there onwards, we kept adding more and more services to our array of treatments, making it an almost one-stop salon for our clients’ beauty needs. Today we offer waxing, threading, semi-permanent makeup, and bridal makeup. I always keep myself abreast of the latest trends and believe in using only internationally well-known brands in our salons.
‘The client is always right’ is something we hear across industries. What is your take on that, and how do you deal with entitled customers?
For sure, I believe the client is always right and also that the client is king. We are in the service industry and today our clients are well-versed with the latest beauty treatments through the internet and social media. I always tell my team that we must place our clients’ concerns and requests above all and ensure that our clients leave the salon happy. This is not easy, as it’s not easy to please every customer, but we strive towards it.
Talk us through your beauty routine and essentials. What makes you feel the most powerful and beautiful?
I believe it’s very important to be properly and professionally groomed at all times from top to bottom. First impressions always count. My beauty routine is very simple, but I make sure I make an effort in keeping myself looking and feeling confident; not only through my makeup routine, but I also focus on my diet and keeping trim and fit. I think if one keeps themselves healthy and trim, everything flows into place.
What’s your go-to manicure? What nail art/nail style would you recommend to a woman who wants to tell the world that she’s living ‘a beautiful life’?
My go-to manicure would be to do a deep dermal treatment that would moisturise your skin with Cuccio deep dermal and a Cuccio gel colour manicure, which will last you two weeks without any chipping. I believe in having very chic nails that are classy and trendy. I’m always changing my nails to what’s in fashion.
What is your biggest dream with The NailSpa?
My dream for The NailSpa has almost been achieved, with it being the biggest chain of nail salons and building the brand NailSpa to the point where many nail salons in Sri Lanka today refer to their salons as a “nails spa”.
In addition to this, we aim at creating working opportunities and training my staff to be the best in what they do.
Top five essential tips for nail care
- Keep your nails and cuticles nourished with the Cuccio Milk and Honey Cuticle Oil
- A mani/pedi should be done every three weeks to keep your nails in order
- Apply a Cuccio butter to keep your hands and feet moisturised
- If you have extensions, always do a refill in time to avoid water retention creating fungus
- Use good brands to ensure your nails and skin are protected
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