Candyz Nailz, Kansas City

Candy Smith is many things, but above all she's an artist. When someone enters Stevie and Company Hair Salon and sits down at her mani-pedi station, she soaks their nails, discusses possible designs, readies her polish bottles, and gets to work creating tiny masterpieces. Some people opt for solid colors or demure French tips, but others envision wilder adornments. And in those cases, nothing is off-limits. From her brushes Candy conjures seahorses, flags, and sports logos or blends contrasting acrylic powders to craft one-of-a-kind marble patterns mimicking ancient Greek manicures. One look at her nail art portfolio exposes work so imaginative, it ranges from full beach scenes replete with palm trees to three-dimensional flowers.