Talking to… SHEA OSEI

The UK’s nail tech of the moment talks to Kezia Parkins about behind the scenes on the Wicked movie, diversity within the industry and advice for following in her footsteps

Essex-based nail tech Shea Osei started doing nails at just 14 years old after hours spent watching her mum get glam in the salon. “I was an arty child and got so intrigued with the artistic process and the nail tech’s ability to draw and design on such tiny canvases,” she shares.

Now, aged 33, Osei is at the pinnacle of her career as a nail tech. The artist recently completed a feverish press junket surrounding her work for Cynthia Erivo in the most talked-about movie of 2024 – Wicked.

The road to Wicked

“Cynthia and I have been friends for over 15 years now. And we met because of nails,” says Osei. Aside from her talent on screen and stage as a vocalist and actress, Erivo has become renowned, especially in the beauty space, for her love and support of nail art – rarely being seen without sporting a killer set.

BTS on the Wicked movie – Elphaba’s Emerald city look

Osei on set with Erivo, while heavily pregnant

“That’s how we connected. She had been to other well-known nail salons but wasn’t always happy with the quality,” says Osei. “I had a little nail studio above a hair salon when I first started doing her nails and we have been friends ever since. She has always brought me along on the journey with her.”

Even before Erivo shot to Wicked-frenzied fame, back in her West End days the actress would call on Osei to provide the perfect manicure. When the Wicked opportunity came up, Osei had no idea what she was working on. “In true Cynthia fashion, she got in touch and just said ‘expect a call!’,” she says. “Because it was Cynthia, I trusted her judgement so obviously I was going to do it.”

Salon life to silver screen

It may come as a surprise to some but Osei says that when she had her space in Stratford, salon life was more of a challenge while raising children than her life in TV, film and session work has been.

“When I previously had my salon, that’s when I had my first child. At the time I was managing nine people,” she explains. “I think filming for Wicked was easier than running the salon and much easier than being pregnant during the pandemic and renovating my house. If I can do all that and get through preeclampsia, I’m like ‘give me another movie!’”

Thanks to the wondrous invention that is press-on nails, when Osei wasn’t on set, her creations could be couriered in. “A lot of people don’t actually know that the whole thing was filmed in the UK. I was on set maybe once or twice a week and some days I would go to Cynthia’s house in the evenings. Filming was supposed to last a year but writers’ strikes meant it ended up being two,” she shares.

Osei in her garden cabin salon, filming with the BBC

Behind the scenes

If you’ve seen Wicked, I’m sure you can grasp the magnitude of the production, and as Erivo insisted on doing her own stunts, despite her character Elphaba having long and meaningful nails, Osei needed to make over 33 sets for two looks.

“Because she did her own stunts, her nails were going to be pinging off constantly if we applied them with sticky tabs, so we had to glue the nails on,” adds Osei.

“When we needed to change for a different look; let’s say, if we were filming for Emerald City and filming for the previous scenes at Shiz before that, sometimes we’d have to change twice in a day. So, I would either paint on top of the design we had there already or soak them off to do a new design, but I made sure that her nail health was 100%.”

When looking for inspo for Elphaba’s iconic nail looks, Osei says there wasn’t much out there to inspire. “I obviously went to my babe Pinterest, which I love so dearly for nail inspiration, but there weren’t too many Elphaba-inspired nails around the time,” she says. Oh, how times have changed. A quick search on the app and others like Instagram and TikTok now brings up endless looks inspired by Erivo’s character and the movie.

“It was a collaborative process designing the nails and Cynthia had input, too. In the original Wizard of Oz movie, the wicked witch had nails that elevated her costume. When you think ‘witch’, you think green, black and stiletto shapes. We wanted something that would be timeless, something that everyone could recreate at home or in a salon,” continues Osei. “We thought about how we were going to make sure everyone feels a part of Wicked. Like they’ve got a bit of Elphaba.”

After brainstorming with Erivo, Osei created a mood board. “That’s how we got to the decision of having the ombre nails for the start of the movie then the black with green foil for the Emerald City scenes towards the end,” she explains.

Osei’s designs for a red carpet look for Erivo’s Wicked press tour

The finished look from Osei’s designs on Erivo’s nails

Changing the game

Osei has been touched by the amount of Elphabainspired nail art that other nail artists have been sending her. “I love it, and what I also find amazing is that no one really notices nails in movies. But in this particular one, it’s been the talk of the show.”

It’s certainly rare to experience a cultural event in which nails have their own spotlight in this way. Thanks to the creativity of Osei’s designs for Erivo’s movie character and red carpet premieres, nail artistry has been catapulted into mainstream interest. In 2024, Osei and her work were covered by pretty much every beauty publication in the UK and were also picked up by major national news outlets including the BBC, who came to her house to film an interview in her home garden studio.

“I thought it was only going to be on regional news but it was everywhere,” she recalls. “People were sending me clips saying ‘we just saw you on the six o’clock news.’”

Osei hopes this exposure leads to more respect for the role of nails in creative industries in the future. “Let’s talk about nails more when it comes to, film, TV, catwalks, fashion shows and let us be put more at the forefront and not as a last thought,” she says. “We need to keep talking and shouting about what we do and then we’ll get our feet into places.”

Being Black and British, Osei’s spotlight as well as Erivo’s and the story of Elphaba, serves as a beacon for little girls with big dreams. But when Osei started in nails at 14, she didn’t see anyone that looked like her in the rooms she was in, which, she recalls, was an isolating experience.

“I was the only Black person in the nail salon I was training in. Then when I went to get my qualifications, I was still the only Black person there,” she says. “Even at 18, when I was looking to go mobile and branch out on my own, I would search on Instagram and initially I still didn’t see anyone that looked like me.

“So, I was just like, ‘OK, I’ve got a bit of a niche here. Let me just make sure that what I’m doing is going to be a statement and the nails I’m doing stand out. We might be the minority in most areas, but as long as you know your skill and you know it very well, you’ll always be fine.”

Still, Osei believes that brands still have a way to go when it comes to diversity and representation. “Black women keep the industry going. Listen to us,” she says, referencing times she has tried to advise but not been heard. “Not just with our voices, but put us on the front cover. Let our hands be seen in marketing and in ads. As long as we are able to shout about these things and keep shouting, I think we will be able to open more doors. And I’m one of the people that’s going to do that.”

Reach for the stars

Osei’s biggest piece of advice for anyone looking to follow in her footsteps is that networking is essential. “Socialise. Connect with people, like-minded or not, because you never know who they know. You can’t avoid social media anymore, you need to be seen,” she says. “Always promote your Instagram and your work and talk about what you do. It might feel big-headed, but people need to know you’re in the room and what you bring to the table.”

For Osei, standing out on these channels meant having a niche. Her designs, shaping and attention to detail were the things that helped her grow and kept her clients coming back.

“Don’t be afraid to message someone, even a celebrity client you’ve always wanted to work with,” she adds. “Post consistently on social media. As much as you’re an artist, you’re also your own PR person.”

And as for the next Wicked movie? Osei’s lips are sealed. “But trust me, the nails are going to be amazing!”, she says.