Welcome to AEVA’s Styled By series. Here, we celebrate all those making waves in the creative industry and keep us inspired by exploring their personal style and views. Today, on our first ever volume of Styled By, we welcome our muse, Laurah (@laurahwclx).
Hi Laurah! We’re so excited to have you on our very first edition of our “Styled By” series. For everyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of meeting you, tell us about yourself!
Thank you for having me here! I'm Laurah, based in Perth, Australia, with a background in Chemical Engineering. Alongside my full-time engineering role, I've been exploring my passion for fashion content creation. Many of you might also recognise me as the Founder of NAILCISSIST.
From my years of exploring my passion in fashion, I came to appreciate how a set of long nails can elevate my outfits. However, as someone working a 9-5 office job, maintaining such nails was impractical. I explored Press-On Nails as an alternative, and was drawn to their convenience and versatility. However, I soon discovered a gap in the market for high-quality nails especially those with more intricate designs - lots of charms and patterns. Dissatisfied with the lack of options, I decided to start my own brand. In August last year, I launched NAILCISSIST, specialising in affordable, handmade 3D press-on nails that are bolder and edgy in design.
We are so excited to have collaborated with your viral press-on nail brand, NAILCISSIST for our most recent giveaway. Firstly, congratulations on NAILCISSIST! How has starting your brand changed your view on fashion?
Starting NAILCISSIST has truly been a transformative journey for me, especially when it comes to my creative process. One significant change has been my willingness to step out of my comfort zone in creating videos where I present and speak in front of the camera. Initially, this was a daunting prospect for me, and I felt quite stressed and overwhelmed by it. However, as I continued to create and share these videos, I began to recognise the importance of this skill. Speaking directly to the camera allows for a deeper connection with my audience, enabling me to engage with them on a more personal level. This realisation has shaped my perspective on the creative process and has been beneficial to successfully growing our platform.
How would you describe your personal style and how did you end up finding your own taste?
I think I would describe my personal style as something edgy, and something with lots of textured pieces. Black is a wardrobe staple for me and I love to accessorise! Initially, I found inspiration in recreating looks and experimenting with trendy pieces worn by other Fashion Content Creators I follow on social media. Yet, over time, I began curating my own style, and selecting pieces that deeply resonated with me.
How important do you think accessorizing is when it comes to completing an outfit? What are your favorite finishing touches?
Accessorising is absolutely essential for completing an outfit!! Often times, I think more is more, and having layers of details are important! A nice bold statement necklace piece is something that I’ll never skip. And of course, an extravagant set of long Press-On Nails will complete it.
What are your favorite AEVA pieces and what is your advice on styling the jewelry?
It’s really hard to pick a favourite because I love the entire Oracle collection, but if I had to choose, it would be the MIRA and ARIA necklaces! These pieces are a match made in heaven and are so mesmerising when worn together. If you’re thinking of making a statement look at your next event, I recommend pairing the two necklaces together against a bare neckline - they really pop when worn on the bare skin!
What is your favorite fashion item that you own, whether it be something you love purely aesthetically or something sentimental?
Recent favourite piece I picked up is a black structured jacket from Junya Watanabe with ruched details - I love how it’s a versatile statement piece and perfectly with almost any outfit combination.
What is the best advice you can give to any aspiring entrepreneurs? Any tips you would have told your younger self?
- If you’re good at doing what you do, explore avenues to monetise from these skills! However, make sure you Pursue ideas that you're genuinely passionate about.
- Master the art of marketing! Marketing and Social media are non-negotiables, you need to learn how to do it effectively yourself! It’s not just about posting consistently, but about devising strategies to make your content to go VIRAL.
- Don’t be discouraged by setbacks! Learn to see them as opportunities to learn and grow
- Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try new things. If you are a perfectionist, don’t let that perfectionism hinder you from any progress. Take little steps at a time to achieve your goals!
- Remember, even if things don't go as expected, consider the experience a valuable lesson gained. Every endeavour contributes to your knowledge and growth!
Do you have any projects coming up that you would like to talk about?
We have lots of exciting projects coming up - one that I can share about is our upcoming Sci-Fi nail collection drop to be released in April/May! If you love Y2K, futuristic, cyber core, chrome nails, you will love this collection!
For more from Laurah, follow her on Instagram & TikTok.
Visit NAILCISSIST here.