Book a Nail Appointment with Penny at her Tairua-based Salon

I’m Penny, founder of Monaco Nail Academy. I’ve been a Nail Artist since 2007 and I absolutely love it – nails are a passion I discovered accidentally and one which has taken my life in a direction I never imagined!

As a Level 2 ‘Scholar’ Educator for Artistic Nail Design, I’ve won awards for best practical nail application amongst the Australasian Education team twice, coming second behind Vanessa Zuj in 2015. I was also privileged to be awarded Runner Up Nail Technician of the Year 2015/2016 at the NZ Beauty Industry Awards and have won the following awards –

• Highest Practical Nail Score amongst Level 1 Artistic Educators (Australasia, 2013)
• Highest Practical Nail Score amongst Level 2 Artistic Educators (Australasia, 2014)
• First Place Sculptured French Acrylic 2015
• First Place Gel Polish Manicure 2015
• Second Place Tips and Overlay 2015
• Runner Up NZ Nail Competitions Grand Champion 2015
• Runner Up Nail Technician of the Year 2015
• Highest Written Test Score amongst Level 1 and 2 Artistic Educators (Australasia, 2016)
• First Place French Sculptured 2016
• First Place French Tip and Overlay 2016
• First Place Stiletto Twist 2016
• Highly Commended Photographic Nail Art 2016
• Highest Written Test Score amongst Level 1 and 2 Artistic Educators (Australasia, 2017)
• First Place Salon Design 2017
• Second Place Gel Polish Nail Art 2017
• Third Place Stiletto Glitz and Glam 2017
• Third Place Salon French 2017

I’ve worked closely with Alisha Rimando Botero, Sam Biddle, Tracey Boyle and Kylie Clare and was honoured to be asked to present 3 demonstrations at the 2014 Melbourne Rock Hard World Tour, a privilege usually reserved for the Level 3 Global Team.

in 2023 I moved into a judging role, judging two days of live Floor Competitions at the NZ Nail Competitions at the NZ Hair and Beauty Expo.

My day to day work with Monaco is more about running the business as well as handling all things marketing, but you’ll see me around. You can also book One on One Training with me here.

If you need to contact me directly, you can email me [email protected]

x Penny

Hi I’m Bailey! I have a day job and I mentor for Monaco in my spare time. My day job involves lots of chemicals and Penny calls me “the fancy scientist”.

You will see me mentoring some of the full day classes run during the year. 

Hi! I’m Nicole. I have been obsessed with nails for as long as I can remember. Being a chronic nail biter, I understand the appeal of having beautiful nails and know how much confidence a great set of nails provide. This lead me to wanting to qualify in nails so I could do my own nails beautifully and safely, and I achieved this in 2019 while working Full Time in Early Childhood Education. In 2020 I opened my home salon and ran this for three years before making the decision to jump the ditch and move to Brisbane, which has found me back teaching Kindergarten.

To get my nail fix (a nail addict never quits) I enjoy doing nails and mentoring in my time out from my day job.

I can’t wait to help you all smash some goals on your own journey to becoming a nail tech, whatever that may look like for you.

From the age of 14 I always knew that nails were my passion. I would sit at my nail table for hours, and any chance I got, I would be painting nail designs on display wheels and swatches.

I was disappointed when I left school to find that there were no Nail Tech courses in my city, so went on to do Beauty Therapy instead, gaining my Certificate and Diploma in Beauty Therapy. It still wasn’t enough for me though, and I knew nails were my ultimate passion, so I started researching Nail Tech courses, and stumbled across Monaco Nail Academy. I turned my hobby into a career and it’s the best choice I ever made!

I now work as both a Nail Technician and Beauty Therapist, combining my two passions to cater a wide range of services to my clients. It’s always been my goal to make a difference in people’s lives, and to have them walking out the door feeling refreshed and pampered!

In my spare time when I’m not doing nails, I’m at hot yoga, spending time with my rabbit, outside exploring, or enjoying a cup of tea 😊

Hi I’m Jess! I Currently run my own busy salon, Gloss Nail Salon, in Mangawhai in winterless Northland. Prior to training with Monaco, I ran my own Graphic and Web Design business and worked as a freelance Photographer, over my professional career I have worn a few hats… Senior Designer, Art Director, Creative Director, Publisher, and Event Planner to name just a few. I have a Diploma in Graphic Design and studied Art, Design and Photography in the UK in the late 90s, so creativity is a huge part of my personality. 

After having my second baby, I decided a career pivot was in order and loved the idea of combining my love for colour and art with my working day. The best part of my job is that I am often the highlight of my clients week! Nobody is in a bad mood to see me when it’s nail day. 

I have a passion for natural nail health and love creating unique, hand-painted art for my clients, just as much as I love a crisp and clean single colour. Monaco has supported me with the skills to become a meticulous and sought-after Nail Technician, something that I am excited as a Mentor to pass on those skills to others in their own journey.

Hi I’m Erin
I have a love for all things arts and crafts especially now nail art. I started training with Monaco in 2019 after a serious ankle injury required me to have more time off my feet.
Previously working in the health industry, I enjoyed helping others to feel good and take better care of themselves, this has transferred into my current role with my small business Little Moon Nails. I find it incredibly rewarding helping to lift people’s spirits and putting smiles on thier faces.
I’m passionate about natural nail health and quality education in which I am excited to assist in mentoring new nail technicians in quality education to improve our industry.
Aside from nails I also enjoy quality time with friends, family and fur family, cooking, arts and crafts and occasionally watching something on Netflix.

Qualifications:

Monaco Certificates: Theory of Nails | Mani Pedi | Acrylic | HardGel | PolyGel

Runner-Up – New Zealand Nail Competition 2023 – Novice Poster Category.

Level 6 certificate in manual eyebrow cosmetic tattooing.

Hi, I’m Mel and I live in beautiful Hawkes Bay 🙂 I had been doing my own nails for many years while working outside the home until I finally made the choice to get qualified and turn my love of doing nails into a flexible business to suit my growing family. Monaco stood out as being the most thorough training so I took the leap and completed the Foundation Certificate in Nail Technology and now have my home based nail salon, Jungle Nails. Becoming a Mentor is the next step in my journey so I’m very excited to meet everyone and continue growing.

Hi I’m Pat! I do content creation for Monaco, you may see me in a lot of the Monaco social media posts. Feel free to say hi and ask any questions, as I am a student too!

I am also working towards qualifying as a lash extension artist.  I am currently learning the classic up to full volume styles through Blush and Blink. I hope to complete this by October.

Qualifications:

Certificate in Public Relations and Communication Management level 5 Open Polytechnic

Hi I’m Lilly! I deal with the day to day wholesale orders for Monaco. From when the initial order is placed to shipping.
I am also a student at Monaco and do nails in Tairua with Penny. 

Hi I’m Jess! If you see any of the snazzy social media posts, that’s me! Let me know if you really like something!