Gel X and Geoscience: UWI student balances passion for beauty and books

KINGSTON, Jamaica —Lamenting the rising cost of beauty maintenance, one young woman found a solution to reduce spending while earning some extra cash: mastering the art of doing her own nails.Geoscience major at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Tishana Sepaul may have big dreams for her future career, but she’s also simply a girl with a passion for beauty.“I’m a very girly girl. I’m very into makeup, I’m very into nails but with the prices nowadays to be a girl, to do your hair, to do your nails, maintenance is very expensive,” Sepaul told Observer Online, “So I got into the hobby of doing my own nails.”The 21-year-old specialises in Gel X, a popular type of nail extension that offers natural-looking, long-lasting and salon-quality manicures. For Sepaul, what started as a personal hobby quickly grew into a side hustle.“I’m self-taught and I would get compliments on how well they’re done and people would ask if I can do their nails so that’s when I thought, ‘why not?” she said.Sepaul has been doing nails for others for over a year now, though her journey started much earlier when she was just a teenager who found a craft she loved. Her work can be viewed via Instagram page, Nails.xtish.But despite the growing demand from her friends, family, and even classmates for her services, her priority remains clear — school.“School is my top priority. More and more I’m seeing how beneficial this (nails) can be for me to take it on seriously as a business but I have to stay on top of my school work cause that is number one for me so I make sure that it does not interfere with my school work,” Sepaul said.Currently a second-year student studying for a Bachelor of Science in Geosciences, Sepaul remains focused on her academic and career goals.“Growing up I wanted to do architecture. However, some plans fell through and I realised that I really had a passion for geography because in high school I really excelled in that subject...So going into UWI, I was drawn to geography but I felt like it was limiting in terms of career options so I decided to go with geosciences which is geology and geography,” she explained.“It’s a very difficult programme. You have to really apply yourself. You have to make sure you study and you have to make sure that you know your theory so that when you go into the field you’re able to identify things. You have to make sure that you’re putting in that time, on your own time to study the content,” she continued.As the year goes by, her class continues to shrink but Sepaul is not deterred and for this she credits her support system.“I’m very fortunate. I have a very supportive family. In fact, I’ve been doing nails from my sister’s house. I have a lot of friends at school. I started late so I’m in two year groups basically and I have a friend that’s a year above me, he’s really helpful. My friends are very supportive so I would say I have a good support system,” she said.While Sepaul is still uncertain about the future, she is committed to following her passions and seeing where life takes her.“Number one thing for me is my career as a geoscientist but I definitely have a love and a passion for this so I will definitely keep on doing it as long as I can, as long as it’s feasible, I will definitely be doing it,” Sepaul said.