Cuban women embrace extravagant nail art despite economic hardships

HAVANA (AP) — Cuban women are embracing extravagant nail art with many willing to spend the money to have extremely long and intricate nails despite the economic obstacles.

While over-the-top nail designs have long been common elsewhere, in Cuba they stand out because most Cubans have little disposable income and procuring the embellishments isn’t easy.

A deepening economic crisis makes almost every aspect of life in Cuba challenging for the population; long lines for buses, power outages and shortages are part of everyday life on the island.

For those who have mastered the work, whether from online video tutorials or visiting manicurists from other countries, extravagant nails have become an important source of income in Cuba’s limited private economy.

Recently, Cuban manicurist Marisel Darias Valdés spent nearly six hours applying and decorating the acrylic extensions for a client.

She set up a nail salon at her home in Havana, where she displays the specialized, imported products that are expensive and very difficult to obtain in the city.

The nails that Darias decorated for her client, Mariam Camila Sosa, were at least an inch (2.5 centimeters) long. Sosa chose the cartoon character Sponge Bob because it is her daughter’s favorite. The designs of the paintings and nail decorations are varied and all handmade.

With this level of detail, Darias said she could not handle more than two clients per day.

“Before it was a half-hour service,” she said. “They were table manicures, natural paint and that’s it; now it’s all become art, it’s not just fix them and you’re done.”

“Cuban women are very vain. They may lack food, but their nails, hair, eyelashes, and feet always have to be well-groomed,” Darias said.

There is no official figure on the number of these specialized businesses, but since the pandemic, the small private spaces have flourished, and some have turned it into an art form.

Manicurists have also learned to become content creators with sophisticated social media accounts to promote and sell their services, taking advantage of Cuba’s not-always-reliable connection to the internet.

Manicurist Dayana Roche showcases some of her numerous social media postings.

“It is the fundamental tool to attract the public, the clients. And you have to create a lot of content (on social media) networks because that’s where everyone sees your work,” said Roche.

It’s a way of earning a living. Some are university graduates, but this job offers a good alternative to low wages in a tough economic scenario.

Each client agrees with their manicurist on the cost of the service, which can range from $10 to $40. That’s a lot of money in a country where a monthly state salary is around 5,000 Cuban pesos (about $13), although many families rely on remittances from relatives abroad and state subsidies.

The materials are brought into Cuba from the United States or Panama by the manicurists themselves or relatives, or they are bought from resellers in Cuba. A small bottle of professional nail polish alone can cost $15.

Miralys Maura Cruz and her sister go about their daily domestic chores with surprising agility despite their crystal-adorned 2-inch nails.

“Without my nails, I’m nobody, I know they are not cheap, and nails are a luxury, it’s my luxury,” said Cruz.

Miralys Maura Cruz, wearing long, decorative nails, shows a photo of nail designs she likes, at her home in La Gallega, Havana province, Cuba, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

A manicurist works on a client's nails as others wait at a home-run nail salon in Havana, Cuba, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Manicurist Marisel Darias Valdes works on a client's nails in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Maite Hernandez gets into a taxi to go home after having her nails done at a home-run salon in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Mariam Camila Sosa strikes a pose to show off her freshly decorated fingernails, at a home-run nail salon in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)