WHO WE ARE
Monaco Nail Academy is a training centre built on goals and determination. From a single bedroom in a rented home to a commercial salon and graduates around the world, Monaco Founder Penny Lawler has proven that no matter the starting position, the race is yours for the taking.
Today, Penny and her team share everything they’ve learnt with students from around New Zealand (and indeed the world) who want to change their lives and careers. There’s never a better time than now.
CLICK ON ONE OF THE EDUCATORS BELOW TO VIEW THEIR WORK
Penny Lawler
Managing Director
Book a Nail Appointment with Penny at her Ellerslie-based Salon
I’m Penny, founder of Monaco Nail Academy in Ellerslie, Auckland. 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.
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 in and out of classes.
If you need to contact me directly, you can email me penny@monaco.ac.nz
x Penny
Toni Clinton
Educator
Book a Nail Appointment with Toni at her Rothesbay Bay-based Salon on Auckland’s North Shore
Toni is a passionate and knowledgeable educator here at Monaco Nail Academy.
She started her journey with us back in 2015 when she enrolled in our Foundation Certificate of Nail Technology and then joined our team at the end of 2016. In 2017, Toni signed up for her first nail competition and did Monaco proud by placing first in the Acrylic Sculpted French category.
Toni has a real passion for nail art but also the chemistry behind all of the products that we use which makes her a vault of invaluable knowledge. Outside of Monaco, Toni has her own salon, TLC Nails, and enjoys going on weekend adventures but also sitting back and relaxing with some chocolate and a good movie.
Mariah Burn
Educator
Mariah has been involved with the Monaco team since she walked into class on day 1 of her own training.
It was a baptism by fire as we threw her in the deep end (she loved it) by live streaming her first attempt at Hard Gel – she has been hooked ever since.
Mariah brings to the team a background in teaching and passion for lifelong learning. She has a natural talent for making learning accessible and therefore more memorable. As someone with dyslexia, Mariah understands how challenging the learning process can be and comes ready with 101 hacks for making learning stick.
Mariah loves ‘diagnosing’ tricky clients (working out why something isn’t working and how to help better) and supporting people in transformative nail journeys. When she’s not at Monaco she is working as an early childhood teacher and running her own home salon.
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Erin Allen
Mentor
Erin is a recent Monaco graduate with a passion for creating high quality, beautiful nails. She combines theory, product knowledge, and technical skill and applies it to every service and class she does. She enjoys teaching, helping students achieve their goals, and advancing their skillset as nail professionals.
Erin’s business, Serene Nail Studio, combines her love of people, business, and creativity and allows her to work in an industry she’s proud to be a part of.
Between doing nails, teaching nails, and learning more about nails, Erin enjoys cooking, socialising, being at the beach or anywhere a dog can be found.
Tara Almond
Mentor
Tara is a recently trained Monaco Nail Tech who is very grateful to have a job that she is so passionate and enthusiastic about (it’s what everyone hopes for right?!). She is so pleased to be a part of the Monaco team as Tara loves the community spirit and the large support network that the Monaco team and students have built.
She loves to share her theory and product knowledge with both students and clients to help them understand what is happening with their nails and to help them achieve their goals. Tara is fascinated by the constantly evolving nail art world and is always keen to try out new techniques and products.
Aside from her work with Monaco Nail Academy, Tara has her own nail business called Monochrome Beauty and is mother to 3 year old Chloe, who her keeps her on her toes 24/7. Having recently moved to New Zealand from Australia, Tara enjoys exploring new places on weekends and relaxing with her little family.
Emma Taylor
Mentor
Emma is an absolute creative who takes pride in making everyone’s nails look beautiful, as well helping others to achieve great results, with both their technical skills and their business skills.
She started her Monaco journey in 2018 alongside her full-time job and completed her full certification in late 2019. During this time, she started her own business ‘Taylor Beauty Room’. The natural next step was to come back to Monaco and help teach future technicians.
Emma has an eye for detail, in particular with nail art and she loves everything that sparkles! When not working her full-time job and side hustle, she enjoys spending time outdoors, in particular with her dog and enjoying the company of friends with some yummy food.