Pro Spotlight

OPI Pro Spotlight: @craftedbyaprince

After turning his love for art into a new career as a nail technician during the pandemic, Prince Ramon aka @craftedbyaprince is the ‘Prince’ of fun nail art.

An inspiration for men in the nail tech world, we caught up with him to discuss nail trends in 2022, creative inspiration, and the story behind his very own Prince Academy.  

OPI: Can you tell us about your experience with becoming a nail technician and manicurist? 

Prince Ramon 🤴🏻: Believe it or not I actually started doing nails during the pandemic! I’ve always done art my whole life and have always wanted to try doing art on nails! After practicing with friends and family I finally decided I really loved it and went to get my license!  

OPI: What does it mean to you to represent men in the beauty industry and the nail tech world? 

Prince Ramon 🤴🏻: It means a lot to me! I’m all about it. I’ve always hated the idea that certain things are only for boys or girls. I believe everyone deserves the same respect no matter what. I hope to not only influence men to be confident in doing nails but also everybody else! I’m here to show that you can have a nail career and have the best time plus make lots of money being your own boss! 

OPI: What made you want to specialize in gel manicures? 

Prince Ramon 🤴🏻: I really just love gel! Lol. I’m obsessed with the idea of it being shaped or formed then boom you flash it and you freeze it basically. I like creating lots of 3D things or blending colors when I paint. 

OPI: What are a few of your favorite OPI GelColor shades to work with? 

Prince Ramon 🤴🏻: Omg! Of course, Put It In Neutral! But Pale to the Chief, Alpine Snow®, Big Apple Red®, and Dulce de Leche! 

OPI: We love that you have your own Prince Academy online, can you tell us about how that helps you stand out and share knowledge with others in the nail world? 

Prince Ramon 🤴🏻: Well I’m hoping to turn that into not only a training program but sort of a mentorship thing as well! Eventually, I would love to make it into a legit school to be able to actually teach lots of cool and updated techniques to students and get them ready for the state board as well as being a nail artist. 

OPI: Your nail art is so fun and vibrant, where do you pull such creative inspiration from? What does “Fun Nails Only” mean to you? 

Prince Ramon 🤴🏻: Lots of my inspiration comes from the fashion world! I’ve always been obsessed with Alexander McQueen and his perception of life and designs. My background comes from interior design, photography, and luxury retail and I always applied the same mindset to each one: How can I find beauty in what normally doesn’t belong? Which leads to cool and weird sets or what I call Fun Nails! But mainly for me fun nails are the ones that push clients out of their comfort zone and 9/10 will come back saying how much they loved doing art on their nails. 

OPI: Which new nail trends do you foresee happening in 2022? 

Prince Ramon 🤴🏻: Hopefully more cool things like the reflective flash glitter gels everyone is doing. It would be cool to have more hand-painted sets with art!! 

OPI: When it comes to social media and building an online presence, what is some advice you have on building a body of work for new clients to be able to find you online? 

Prince Ramon 🤴🏻: Practice every day!! In the beginning, when I had no clients I would literally put on Gel Extensions and do a fun nail set every day, take a picture, and then soak them off! I did about 5 or 6 per week. I knew I needed to build my portfolio until I started getting actual clients.  

OPI: Do you have any advice for other nail techs getting started in the industry? 

Prince Ramon🤴🏻: Invest in yourself!! Don’t cut any corners when it comes to your skills and products! All the small things matter and the nail industry is growing so fast you have to be on top of your game! 

Be sure to follow Prince Ramon AKA @craftedbyaprince on Instagram.