NAILS executive editor Beth Livesay,  model Veronica Tea, cover tech Chelsea King, and NAILS art director Yuiko Sugino

NAILS executive editor Beth Livesay,
model Veronica Tea, cover tech Chelsea King, and NAILS art director Yuiko Sugino

Named one of the “Best Nail Artists to Follow” by Harper’s Bazaar, Chelsea King (@chelseaqueen) has received accolades from the consumer press and social media alike. The Long Beach, Calif.-based nail tech began as a hobbyist, painting her nails to accessorize and express her love of art. Shortly thereafter she began blogging and sharing on social media. After her following exceeded 100k followers, she became a highly sought after on-set manicurist. To meet these demands, she became licensed in 2013. Her work has appeared in W Magazine, Vogue Italia, Cosmopolitan, and Nylon, as well as in advertising campaigns with Ulta, Covergirl, H&M, and Nike. She has also worked with celebrities such as Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Demi Lovato, Olivia Wilde, and Kendall Jenner. The bold summer-ready monstera print seen here was inspired by a couple of her Instagram posts and was done entirely with polish.

Here are King’s steps for this month’s cover look:

1. Manicure nails. Apply base coat. Paint two coats of black polish on index, middle, and pinky nails.

2. For the index finger design, use a nail art brush to paint water droplet shapes. To perfect the lines, go back in with your black polish to clean up any mistakes.

3. For the middle and pinky nail, begin by outlining the general shape of the monstera leaf with a light-colored polish. Then, paint stripes in alternating colors and add the stem in the center of the leaf. Next, use your black polish to clean up the leaf shape, and add a few dots on the leaves.

4. Complete your look with top coat, and do a second coat over the ring and thumb nail to smooth out the glitter.

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