TUCKED away on Whitfield Street in Fitzrovia, BrowChuk London is the female-owned beauty studio founded by Ukrainian beauty specialist Vlada Klym.
With more than a decade of experience, Vlada has built BrowChuk around precision, personalisation and understated beauty: a philosophy reflected across its extensive menu of brows, lashes, nails, hair, makeup and advanced facial treatments.
BrowChuk Store
For Vlada, beauty is deeply rooted in Ukrainian culture. “Ukrainian beauty culture is a very unique phenomenon. From a young age, women grow up watching and learning from one another how to take care of themselves – from nails and hair to skincare and everything in between. There has always been a strong desire to look and feel your best.”
She traces that culture through the evolution of the beauty industry itself: “Back in the 2000s, we would do our manicures at home using regular nail polish. Then came the era of home visits from independent nail technicians, followed by the rise of sophisticated, high-end salons where a beauty appointment became much more than a treatment – it became an experience and a little treat for yourself.”
Eyebrow Tinting at BrowChuk
And this is where the Ukrainian manicure comes in.
Once a closely guarded speciality of Eastern European nail technicians, the technique has become one of beauty’s most talked-about trends. Unlike a conventional manicure, it places heavy emphasis on preparation: technicians meticulously refine the cuticle area using professional e-files and manual techniques, generally without soaking the nails in water first. The result is an exceptionally clean, precise finish, with polish or gel applied extremely neatly to the nail.
Ukrainian manicure at BrowChuk
The appeal is aesthetic, but it is also practical. Thorough preparation creates a cleaner foundation for the product, while precise application can minimise premature lifting and leave the manicure looking immaculate as the nails grow. What’s more, this manicure lasts far longer than the usual two-week stint that the manicure we are so used to lasts. Perhaps that explains the technique’s rapid rise: it delivers the increasingly coveted “quiet luxury” nail: immaculate rather than elaborate, polished rather than overdone.
In a beauty landscape obsessed with speed, the Ukrainian manicure makes a compelling argument for the opposite: take your time, get the foundations right, and the results speak for themselves.
by Imogen Clark
BrowChuck: 141 Whitfield St, London W1T 5EW