After nearly a decade working as a Quality Assurance Officer in a Petrochemical plant her father owned in Iran, Roshanak Fadaei came to Canada with her young daughter in search of a more creative life. It wasn’t long after she landed in Canada she found herself clutching a Blanche Macdonald Nail Studio brochure and taking a tour of the campus. “Even before I’d started the program, I walked around and thought, ‘Is it possible I could one day teach here?’” As it turned out, Esthetics Program Director Simona Gozner had gotten wind of a highly talented student in the Nail Program and told Roshanak two weeks before she graduated that she could see her becoming a teacher.
In the six years since then, every single one of Roshanak’s nail dreams has come true. She signed a contract with Blanche Macdonald to teach Artificial Nail classes in the Nail Studio program, became an Educator with Akzentz and two-time Canada Nail Cup award-winner, and opened her own successful home nail studio, “I love everywhere I work now!”. We barely even introduce ourselves before she plunges the conversation straight into her life’s story, sharing freely with such passion and punctuating every story with her trilling laugh. It’s no wonder that Roshanak Fadaei has become one of Coquitlam’s favourite Nail Technicians!
I found Blanche Macdonald right away, and I saw an award-winning school and all of their beautiful work everywhere, and I had to go there. I just knew this was the creative life I had searched for. I knew I wanted to do something that would make my life fun.
So let’s start at the beginning when you came to Canada. What brought you to Blanche Macdonald?
My daughter and I came here because I was getting married. Oh my god, I had no idea what I was doing. I found Blanche Macdonald right away, and I saw an award-winning school and all of their beautiful work everywhere, and I had to go there. I just knew this was the creative life I had searched for. In Iran, you have to have a really serious job, so I knew I wanted to do something that would make my life fun. I started school and began working as much as I could right away.
What did your family think about your career change?
They didn’t love it. They wanted me to keep going to get my MA or Ph.D., but I just wanted to pursue this path. Now they see my passion, success, and the confidence it’s given me. They’re finally starting to see I’m doing really well for myself.
You’ve had a few years to carve out your style, and you have a dedicated client base in Coquitlam. How would you describe your nail art style and clientele?
My main goal with every set is to give a perfect, clean and durable set of nails to my client, no matter the nails’ art. After that, I’m really good at plaid prints, lines and things that need to be symmetrical—at least that’s what my clients tell me! I still feel like I’m always practicing, though. I did the designs for Akzentz’s new collection, and it was a lot of layered flowers and leaves with lots of details. If I’m doing a leaf, it will have all the lines in it, a pointy end, and all the details I can possibly get into it. I did a set for Halloween once with a cemetery, haunted house, and tree—all on one nail! I love the details. My teachers used to tell me I was a perfectionist, my boss used to say I was meticulous, I guess I’ve always been lost in the details!
My clients are all different ages, but they’re all so great. I have clients in their 20’s, and my oldest client is 90, and I have everyone in between. I want anyone to come to me who wants beautiful, durable nails.
Winning those awards built my confidence so much. I had always been Mr. Fadaei’s daughter in Iran, but now these successes were under my name. And it all started at Blanche Macdonald.
And do you think that attention to detail is what took you from graduation to winning two awards in the Canada Nail Cup in less than a year?
That was crazy because you know what? I definitely wasn’t ready, and I expected nothing. I competed in three of the five categories and was very casual about the whole thing. I really only practiced my ideas the night before! But the judges had very good taste and picked my nails to win! I won in two categories, 3D Gel Art and Blinged!, which I believe were sponsored by Swarovski crystals. But winning those awards built my confidence so much. I had always been Mr. Fadaei’s daughter in Iran, but now these successes were under my name. And it all started at Blanche Macdonald.
Tell us about your time in the Nail Studio program at Blanche Macdonald.
It was, oh—just amazing. Nail Studio Instructor Min (Pak) was one of my main teachers, and she was very strict with me, which was hard at first. But then I realized she is so hard on me because she wants me to be better! She was one of the ones that helped me get the positions as a Nail Studio Instructor too, so I think she was already preparing me for my future. It was so thorough, and we learned everything we needed to. It was such a good thing for me.
There are so many paths Nail studio graduates can take, from being a Nail technician to working at a spa, owning a spa, owning their own Nail business, working in TV & Film, as an instructor or an educator with a nail brand are the most popular aspirations. But Nails can also be whatever you need them to be for your life! That’s why I love Nails so much.
And now you’re a Nail Studio Instructor! How has that been and what are the students like?
When I was in university, I used to help my friends with their homework as a tutor, and I realized I love to teach and help people learn. Passing on knowledge and being able to see results is still so satisfying for me. Being a Nail Studio Instructor at Blanche Macdonald is like coming home again.
I get to see so many enthusiastic students eager to learn, with beautiful dreams for their futures.
After graduation, they have so many opportunities to work in the Nail industry. There are so many paths graduates can take, from being a Nail technician to working at a spa, owning a spa, owning their own Nail business, working in TV & Film, as an instructor or an educator with a nail brand are the most popular aspirations. But Nails can also be whatever you need them to be for your life! That’s why I love Nails so much. There are also lots of fun competitions that can encourage you to get even better at what you do and learn more about this industry and meet people who are also in it.
I used to help my friends as a tutor, and I realized I love to teach and help people learn. Passing on knowledge and being able to see results is still so satisfying for me. Being a Nail Studio instructor at Blanche Macdonald is like coming home again.
Do you follow any YouTube or Instagram artists for tips or new trends?
I follow so many Instagram and YouTube accounts! One of my favourite nail technicians is Olena Ozman from Germany. She is all about nail structure, and she is very good at it.
My colleagues in Blanche Macdonald are part of my inspiration too.
There is always something new to learn, and I am a student no matter how many years I work in this industry. This is my golden rule; I tell my students that learning never ends.
What is the best thing for you about your job?
When people come to me, they come because they want to do something nice for themselves. They come happy, or maybe they come because they’re going through something, but they always leave just a little bit happier. In school, we learned about energy, and I’m very sensitive to it, so I try to make that part of it as pleasant as possible for my clients by thinking of good things and sending positive energy. My clients say they can notice it too. I feel like I’m saying so many good things about myself—but I am good!
