'Not everyone wants to — or can — go to the salon': Why DIY nails are back and better than ever

Christy Llewellyn, founder of Loste, pictured above, didn't set out to shake up the nail industry: she simply wanted a decent set of press-on nails. But five years in, and fresh off the back of being crowned a runner-up in the AXA Startup Angel 2026 competition, Llewellyn has garnered a devoted customer base, but is ready to take her salon-grade false nails to the catwalk, TV screens and beyond.Spotting a gap in the beauty marketLosteHaving previously run a vintage clothing business, which involved regular photoshoots, Llewellyn says she'd often buy stick-on nails to style models, but she was continually disappointed by what was available. "They were just so flimsy and so rubbish," she recalls. "No one really wanted to wear press-ons because they had a bit of a stigma around them. It seemed to be the only area of the beauty industry that was always kind of cheap and a bit rubbish."Seeing an opportunity to do things differently, she decided to make her own, with the idea being to develop a temporary nail that was more high-end, both in terms of the product itself and the overall experience. "Not everyone wants to — or can — go to the salon, so I wanted to make false nails that were more premium, and also a brand that was more premium. I wanted better stuff in the kit — proper glue, a nail file and all the preparation steps, so that [the end result] was closer to a professional set of nails."It was a venture that initially ran alongside her vintage fashion business and marketing job, with Loste remaining a side hustle until 2024, when a viral campaign asking "Are you having a nail emergency?" gave the fledgling business a significant boost. "That's when I started taking it more seriously and thought, actually, there's something a bit bigger in this than just a nice side hustle."“Press-on nails were always kind of cheap and a bit rubbish”Christy Llewellyn, founder of LosteFive years on since Loste's inception, the brand is increasingly focused on quality rather than chasing the latest beauty trends. While the press-on market has grown, Christy believes many competitors still operate with a fast-fashion mentality, releasing new collections at speed rather than investing in the product itself."From the beginning, I always I wanted [to create] nails that you could reuse over and over again. It's not really about bringing out trends as they happen. All of our nails are made to be really hard wearing and reusable, and all of the prep steps — the glue; everything inside — is the best quality. You'll see on our website that our designs are classic, because Loste nails are to be worn over and over again."Getting the product right hasn't been an overnight process, however. Llewellyn drew on her previous experience in fashion sourcing and supplying to find the right manufacturers and develop the designs, but admits the sampling process was lengthy, particularly trying to achieve the stand-out quality she was aiming for. Today, she's working with two suppliers on a new technology that makes the nails stronger and closer to salon acrylics.Finding a surprising customer baseLosteWith her product available to purchase via the Loste website and in Anthropologie stores, discovering who actually buys her nails has been surprising for Llewellyn. Initially expecting her audience to be teenagers and women in their 20s looking for next-level nails without having to splurge on increasingly expensive manicures at the salon, Llewellyn has found that a large proportion of Loste's customers are aged 35 and over, with plenty in their 50s and 60s."I have so many customers in their 50s and 60s that absolutely love press-on nails. Perhaps with younger generations, it's a bit of a status symbol to get your hair done, go to the nail salon and then take photos of that. Older generations seem to love the DIY kits, it seems".Loste has also found loyal fans in nurses and NHS workers, who aren't able to have their nails done for work and need to easily remove them. Because of this, Llewellyn spent three years developing temporary adhesive tabs as an alternative to traditional glue, allowing customers the option of wearing their nails for just a few days at a time, rather than committing to a longer-lasting application. In fact, listening to customers has become central to how Loste operates. The original packaging was a large, luxurious keepsake box, but feedback from customers prompted a rethink. "Loste is genuinely built with the people who use the product in mind. All the changes we make — everything that goes into the kit and the nail designs — come from customer feedback rather than me just thinking 'this is a trend, so we'll do it'.” The packaging is now smaller and more practical, while Llewellyn has adapted her product for customers with allergies, too: "I had so many customers come to me who couldn't go to a salon because of allergies, so our glue and sticky tabs aren't made with as many chemicals."Turning recognition into big ambitionChristy Llewellyn, founder of Loste, at the AXA Startup Angel 2026 competitionJoanne DavidsonAccording to The Industry.beauty, health and beauty spending has consistently outpaced other UK retail trends since April 2021, while Statista Market Insights says that the revenue in the beauty and personal care market in the UK is projected to reach over £14 billion in 2026 and is expected to grow annually by 3.63 per cent.Despite the beauty industry's undeniably impressive growth, Llewellyn believes that consumer beauty businesses, especially when run by women, don't always receive the same recognition as those in technology, fintech or healthcare, and she's keen for the wider business world to take beauty more seriously. “There's this misconception that beauty isn't a very good business idea”Christy Llewellyn, founder of Loste“When you're a woman and you're in beauty, there's always people rolling their eyes,” she says. “There's this misconception that beauty isn't really a very good business idea". Being recognised as a runner-up in the AXA Startup Angel 2026 competition was therefore particularly meaningful. "It was really nice to have that kind of recognition from a big competition," Llewellyn adds.Next on the agenda is getting Loste into more retailers, with ambitions to make the brand available in places such as airports and train stations — particularly useful when you're experiencing a nail emergency on the go."I also want to do all the nails for a show at London Fashion Week. And then to see someone famous in Loste nails — that'd be so cool. I actually just watched the Amazon Prime show Kill Jackie with Catherine Zeta Jones — I'm Welsh, so I'm a fan — and there were so many close-ups and I kept thinking, ’I wish she had some good nails’. I should try and message them about doing the nails on season two!”