AANHPI & APIDA Heritage Month

May 28

May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Desi Heritage Month. Celebrating and honoring the beautiful diaspora, I will be highlighting wonderful local creatives and artisans. Learning and connecting can help support and uplift our community.

*Shika Medina, owner of Nails by Shika.*

Meet Shika Medina. She is a nail artist and owner of Nails by Shika. She specializes in offering Japanese and Korean gels which are true gel. They are made to last longer and be more pigmented. Shika loves this because it is great for art. Bringing joy to her clients, seeing their faces light up after seeing the finished product, gives Shika motivation, pride, and happiness.

One of her favorite creations is one of her first complex art set she made. It was a Halloween nail art that took hours and made her proud.

*Halloween nail art set, this was one of Shika’s first complex art set.*

Shika, Japanese and Chinese, appreciates her culture and heritage. She loves being able to create popular nail trends across the globe, including Asia! As an anime fan, I appreciate seeing anime designs! My daughter was ecstatic to get one of Shika’s Halloween set.

One tradition Shika looks forward to is, “once a week, my husband’s mom will host a ‘family dinner’ and my mother-in-law, my husband, and his siblings all take turns cooking… I love how it brings all of us together.” Shika’s favorite food to eat is sushi! Eel roll and mackerel nigiri are her favorites! Her absolute favorite place to celebrate special occasions is Hinata. Her main go to restaurants are Asaka and One World Market.

Her advice to aspiring nail artists: “Go for it! Don’t be afraid!” If you love cute nail art, Shika would love to make your vision come true!