OH student entrepreneur: Cristina Murillo nails it

For many students, part of preparing to look their best for prom is enjoying a manicure and getting high-quality nails to match their outfits. OH freshman Cristina Murillo offers a more personal experience than large salons, doing nails out of her home setup. 

“I love just talking to people and getting to know them during appointments because I know salons can be very overstimulating,” said Murillo. “People tell me they like it more than their experiences at a salon.”  

Despite beginning her business, Nails x Cristinaa, just this January, Murillo’s nail sets are top quality early in her career: good-looking and durable, the nails withstand profuse wear in unfavorable conditions. 

OH freshman Ainslee Gerardot, one of Murillo’s clients, said, “I can tumble with them, and they don’t break. Even when one got slammed into a door, the acrylic didn’t break. It was just the base cracking that broke it off.” 

Murillo prioritizes making clients happy by offering typical manicures or acrylic nails of different shapes and lengths. She also offers a large variety of colors and numerous additions, such as chrome powders and charms. 

“Next to her, she just has bins full of different colors. She literally has every color you can think of in so many shades,” said Gerardot. “Even for just pink, she had probably 20 or 30 shades.” 

Currently, Murillo runs all of this through her Instagram account. Clients message her on the platform to organize an appointment. 

“I mostly set up appointments either during weekends or after school some days,” said Murillo. “I just ask about what days they are free and if a day works for me, we’ll figure out a time.” 

Murillo puts an extraordinary amount of effort into improving her work. After school most days, she is either working on a client or practicing new designs. 

“It obviously takes time to practice, so homework is a struggle sometimes,” Murillo added..”I don’t really have extracurriculars either because nails are the main thing that I do.” 

For prom, teens may want to match their nails to their outfits while still staying in style. For extra help with ideas, future customers can review articles about 2024 nail trends: Vogue, Byrdie, InStyle, Glamour.  Murillo can help customers turn an idea into a gorgeous, durable nail set. 

“With events like prom and homecoming where everyone gets their nails done, I can continue practicing and expanding my clients,” said Murillo. “I know [many people who] like getting their nails done, so I totally plan to keep doing this through high school.”