Nailed it: Why one Dubai nail artist quit corporate for an eclectic dream

“I landed in Dubai with only $100 in my pocket because I was so stupid,” laughs Hikaru Morishita. “I couldn’t even point Dubai out on a map.”

She may have landed without a plan, but she definitely knows where she’s going now. Affectionately called Hika, a.k.a. Wonder Nailz, the nail artist is in high demand worldwide for her eclectic nail designs. Touring over 13 countries while also running her fine jewelry brand TAMAMONO and penguin character merchandise store Chapa, the Japanese national is a creative tour de force.

Completely self-taught, her nail journey began with her disappointment with local nail salons. Assuming that she just wasn’t spending enough money, Hika booked a manicure at one of the best salons in Tokyo.

“It took them five hours to do simple nail extensions,” she sighed. “I told myself to stop having expectations from other people.”

Frustrated by the lack of quality, she bought a nail kit from Amazon and started doing her own acrylics. Strangers in elevators noticed and complimented her work. Slowly, her confidence grew, and she started doing nails for AED 50 just so she could practice.

“Today, on average, I am charging more than AED 1,000,” she said. She also charges an extra 20% for international clients, with her most expensive being a private service for AED 5,000.

Hika uses the encapsulation method — blending pigments and glitter into the nail base to create a crystal-like effect. She never sketches designs for her clientele, which mostly consists of Muslim women across the GCC. Instead, she lets energy and instinct guide her. That energy, Hika believes, is what truly sets her work apart.

“It’s not just about pretty nails. It’s how I handle my life,” she said. “My energy flows from my hands to theirs.”

Quitting her full-time corporate job to do nails was no easy feat; her family worried. Her now ex-boyfriend doubted her. But Hika never wavered.

“I told my mother, What are you talking about? This is just the beginning,” she said. “Unless I built something here, I told her I would never go back to my home in Japan just to cry on her shoulder.”

Aside from reinvesting her earnings into Chapa, she aims to inspire and empower others with her designs. Both her nails and Chapa also serve to remind people of one fundamental thing.

“The girls’ cuteness is always coming from inside,” Hika said, laughing. “Girls are just girls, you know?”