Hot on the Highstreet Week 46 - WAH NAILS

WAH Nails has become a cult beauty bar, the ONLY place to get your nails done in London. The original Wah is located on Kingsland Road in Dalston - a nail and hair salon for only the hippest of gals. It started up in 2005 “providing a space for a new wave of street smart feminism”. Founder Sharmadean Reid, a graduate of Central St Martins, wanted to open a salon where you could have whatever you wanted on your fingertips, and so WAH seemed like the logical name!

Wah has now expanded to Topshop Oxford Circus too, so you don’t have to trek all the way to East London to get your nails looking pretty. I went along to experience the whirlwind of activity myself. Running there in the limited time of my lunch break, I couldn’t have the skilful nail art pictures done, so instead I opted for a fresh shape and paint and a few crystal gems to add some sparkle and jazz. It looks great and I’ve had lots of comments, better still, three days on and it is perfectly intact!

Next time I will definitely be trying one of their designs, perhaps the strawberries or the multi coloured leopard print that is unique to Wah. When I walked into the Topshop concession for my appointment the first thing I noticed was the array of nail varnish colours, every hue you could hope for. They don’t stick to one brand at Wah either, if Essie has a pale mint green that you can’t find anywhere else they’ll have it. On the wall are the fabulous designs, all different wacky patterns to choose from, some of which you can see in the photos above. Prices start from £12.50 for the designs: the cheapest are Breton Stripes and Leopard tips both costing £23; but for the more ornate patterns like Aztec print it costs around £36-39.

Don’t be shy, go wild and join the WAH Nails revolution!