Magazine for the professional nail industry.
Issue link: http://nailsmag.epubxp.com/i/809430
148 | NAILS MAGAZINE | MAY 2017 } { my other life The hardest thing about being a balloon artist, says nail tech Lynda Langille, is that she's had to sacrifice her long, gorgeous nails to keep the popping to a minimum. "I can't believe I haven't popped more balloons with all the different nail shapes and lengths I've worn. I've found it's especially important to keep my right thumbnail short or my nail bed will hurt from tying the knots," she says. Langille, owner of A Twist of Colour Nails in Brooks, Alberta, Canada, learned the art of balloon twisting from a friend. "She showed me 10 easy designs, then I started watching YouTube to expand my knowledge. Now I love balloons," she says. Langille takes custom orders for centerpieces and gifts, and also performs at children's parties. "I started out doing balloons at birthday parties and events, then progressed to bigger, more detailed creations to challenge myself," she says. "At parties you have to do quick, simple designs so you can get through the line up quickly. They're usually made with four balloons or less." It's making centerpieces and gifts that really allows her creativity to flow. "Last Christmas I started stuffing clear balloons with candy and incorporating them into larger balloon creations," she says. "Since then, I made a stork carrying a balloon full of diapers for a friend's baby shower, stuffed nail polish and candy into a girl's birthday gift, and worked with a local coffee shop to add chocolate-dipped strawberries for Valentine's Day." Her goal is to make a wearable balloon dress someday. A few times a year, Langille teaches balloon twisting to kids at a nearby public library as part of its summer and after-school programs. "Even if the kids struggle with twisting, they still ask when I will be back again," she says. "There's nothing better than seeing a kid's face when they watch a handful of ordinary balloons transform into a character." Inflated Figures NAILS (ISSN 0896-193x) (USPS 001-426) is published monthly, by Bobit Business Media, 3520 Challenger Street, Torrance, California 90503-1640. Periodicals postage paid at Torrance, California 90503-9998 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Nails, P.O. Box 1067 Skokie, IL 60076-8068. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for address changes to take effect. Subscription Prices - United States $20 per year; Canada $57 per year; Foreign $87 per year. Single copy price - $5; Big Book - $40. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks to receive your first issue. Bobit Business Media reserves the right to refuse non-qualified subscriptions. Please address Editorial and Advertising correspondence to the Executive Offices at 3520 Challenger Street Torrance, California 90503-1640 or online at www.nailsmag.com. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without consent of Bobit Business Media. All statements made, although based on information believed to be reliable and accurate, cannot be guaranteed and no fault or liability can be accepted for error or omission. Subscribers: If the Post Office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within 2 years. Lynda Langille, nail tech In her other life: balloon twister "I can't believe I haven't popped more balloons with all the different nail shapes and lengths I've worn."