GKNails

GK Nail brand is the creative baby of me, Grace Kingsley.
I wanted to share my love for nails and creativity with the world, but seeing as the world can’t all sit at my nail desk to get their nails, I had to think of another way to reach everyone. That’s where GK Nails came in….
Let’s take it back a little! The story behind GK Nails is possibly not what you imagine, it’s not as simple as painting some false nails, throwing them in a box and posting them out. I guess that is part of it but the brand actually came from a bigger vision.
I have worked in the salon as well as on set though out my career, I have been lucky to have a loyal client base that has grown with me over the years. That has meant I have always shared the latest trends of colour and nail art when doing manicures, but I wanted to take it a step further and started to work on different photo shoots as a manicurist for different brands and magazine publications (Oh Hey, Vogue!). From that I had the opportunity to be part of some of the most amazing nail teams for fashion week, jumping on the plane to NYC was one of the best moments of my life!
Press on nails are used frequently on set and backstage at shows, there isn’t huge amounts of time to create nail art masterpieces so they will be made ahead of time, ready to be applied to the 40 plus models walking the runway.
Light bulb moment…. If the world can’t come and get their nails done, why not send the nails to them? With that thought, I set to it and made 60 individually designed sets (in my parents’ bedroom whilst watching Christmas films for 5 days straight!), sourced and purchased the packaging, arranged a launch party and boom, GK Nails was born!
In the first month I sold 40 sets and since then they have gone on to sell worldwide, as if that wasn’t enough, I have also used them when working for publications such as Vogue Brazil!
I remember sharing an image on my Instagram years ago, it was of a photo taken backstage showing hundreds of prepped nails lined up. I put a caption “one day this will be GK Nails being used at fashion week”. You know what, that “one day” came in 2017 when I led the nail team for the Kim Shui Show as part of New York Fashion Week!
I am sure so far everything sounds like a regular I had a dream and turned it in to a reality situation, well here is the part that most people wouldn’t even think of….
Being part of the fashion industry is amazing in so many ways, the buzz you get is awesome and the people you meet is insane! The one major downside is the lack of diversity. On this occasion I am talking about being Plus Size, or rather the lack of it!
I have worked with some many amazing models and celebrities, but I can honestly say I have worked with maybe 3 “plus size” models over the years, and actually they were probably no bigger than a size 12 (massive eye roll!). This made me think about how fashion really isn’t aimed at the non-standard figure, or at least it wasn’t then.
Being plus size myself, for as long as I can remember I would always wear black but would throw in a pop of colour with my accessories, I was the queen of the matching bag, shoes and belt! Sometimes I would take it up a level and add a matching lip and nail combo, I know, steady now!
Second Light bulb moment…..Create something that really is “One size fits all”.
My dream was to create something that was fully inclusive, something that anyone could wear with no exceptions.
I don’t know about you but when I have my nails done, I feel like I have my S!*T together and I want others to have that feeling too. Whether you like a simple one colour manicure or a full on set of nail art, I could create a bespoke instant manicure that can be sent to directly to the customer who could simply press on and go!
I want to share my passion for nails with everyone, no matter your gender, race, size, age, everyone can have nails that make them feel amazing. One size really does fit all! This is one part of fashion that doesn’t discriminate and is a great way to let your personality shine through.

Well I didn’t stop there, I have continued to grow the GK Nails brand over the past six years.
Being an advocate for self-care, I created a hand and nail care collection. A range of hand creams, cuticle oils, hand cleansers and nourishing salts, that all work cohesively. I developed a signature blend of fragrance that runs through all the products. The product ranges popularity has been amazing and it fills me with happiness to think people are using my brand! I know how busy we all are in day to day life, so I wanted to have products that give that feeling of luxury in the simplest of ways. Being able to massage in some hand cream or nourish your cuticles literally takes seconds, but the benefits of the ingredients and the long lasting scent mean those seconds last even longer!