Summer Sunset

Lisa Bennett, Unique Hair Design and Spa, Bakersfield, Calif. @lisa.b.ivystar

Lisa Bennett, Unique Hair Design and Spa, Bakersfield, Calif. @lisa.b.ivystar

1. Prep the nails. Apply pearl polish and allow to dry. Use clear builder gel and create embossed outlines of suns. Do not remove the inhibition layer.
2. Use a dry paint brush to apply micro glitter to the design and lightly dust off the excess glitter. Apply no-cleanse gel-polish top coat and cure.
3. Lightly buff the nail to remove shine. Cleanse. Use a small dotting tool and white acrylic paint to outline the design with dots. Seal the look with top coat and cure.

Friendly Octopus

Danielle Lubin, Metuchen, N.J. @10thstorynails

Danielle Lubin, Metuchen, N.J. @10thstorynails

1. Prep nail for gel-polish application, add base coat, and cure. Paint nail with two coats of an ivory gel-polish, curing after each coat. Add dots of navy blue gel-polish with a small dotting tool. Cure.
2. Paint the body and tentacles of your octopus with navy blue gel-polish and a small detail brush. Give each tentacle a curl at the end, and cure. Using a semi-sheer periwinkle gel-polish, add four more tentacles in the background. With bright white gel-polish and a large dotting tool, add two large eyes, then add two small eyelashes with your detail brush. Cure.
3. Add final details including navy blue pupils to the eyes with a large dotting tool, and rows of white suckers down the tentacles with a small dotting tool. Cure. Finish with matte gel top coat, cure, and wipe away the inhibition layer.

Mandarin Mod

Diane Diaz, Canvas Nail Studio, Chicago, @canvasnailstudio

Diane Diaz, Canvas Nail Studio, Chicago, @canvasnailstudio

1. Polish the nails with two layers of CND Shellac Cream Puff. Cure between coats.
2. Leaving a margin of white base near the cuticle area and lateral walls, paint a nail shape using CND Shellac Pink Pursuit. Cure.
3. Repeat Step 2 using CND Shellac Honey Darlin’, leaving a margin of the second color. Cure.
4. Repeat Step 3 using CND Shellac Sparks Fly, leaving a margin of the third color. Cure. Seal the look with top coat and cure.
5. Add a Swarovski crystal to the center of the final color block.

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