Warrington teen named nail artist of the year at national awards

Poliina Bondareva, a self-employed nail technician based in Latchford, first started honing her craft while still studying at high school as “a bit of fun for me and my mum”.

Now, aged 19, she has been named the best in the UK after being placed first in the Nail Artist of the Year category at the prestigious awards.

The driven businesswoman detailed her journey to the top, which began at the start of lockdown.

Poliina Bondareva at the Beauty and Skincare Awards UK (Image: Supplied)“I first started doing nails in lockdown when I was in year 10 for fun for me and my mum. I went on to do civil engineering in college but trained externally with a company called Glitterbels for my nail technology qualifications.”

Poliina rents a space in Kristina Bradley Salon in Latchford where she runs her nail business.

She continued: “I love being a nail technician because of the amount of different people I meet.

“Not one day is the same, there’s always something to catch up on with my regulars and new stories to listen to.

“I love being creative, I specialise in hand drawn nail art and I’m grateful for my clients trust in my abilities.”

Poliina Bondareva at the Beauty and Skincare Awards UK (Image: Supplied) Despite applying for the awards back in August, Poliina could never have anticipated her success at gaining a first-place win.

The Beauty and Skincare Awards UK ceremony was held at in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Manchester, where all the winners from across the country were announced.

Referencing her success at national beauty awards, Poliina said: “When I didn’t see my name in the top nine, I stopped filming the screen because I didn’t think I would come first.

“Then the Judge said my name and I couldn’t believe it. It’s an honour becoming a finalist and a first-place winner at any age, never mind 19.”

Poliina won the award at the young age of 19 (Image: Supplied)