Viet Voice

Behind the Scenes with the Year of the Snake

by Kimberly Pham | February 11, 2013 | Bookmark +

Photography by Vu Ong

Happy Lunar New Year! Sindy Mark, creative director for Kupa Inc., brought our Year of the Snake-themed cover to life with great technical skill and we’re so excited to share it with you in celebration of the 2013 Year of the Snake. The Lunar New Year started on February 10th, marking the beginning of the Year of the Snake.

Mark has been doing nails for 16 years, staying busy these days managing her two salons in Las Vegas and San Francisco, both under the same name, Wild Orchid Co. She started as a hairdresser and esthetician in her mother’s salon, but once she opened her own full-service salon, she finally found her first love in nails.

[PHOTO RIGHT: Sindy Mark (right) sculpted the Year of the Snake nails on model Jenny Tam (left) for the January/February issue of VietSALON Magazine.]

Her second love became education. “I’ve always educated my nail techs within my salons because nobody really had the same technique that I required, so I’ve always been able to teach them through practice and example,” she says. “When I got to Kupa that’s when I really found my second love, educating other techs on how to better themselves and how to create and showcase their work.”

Mark became an educator for Kupa early in 2012, logging in even more frequent flyer miles. In a given week, Mark is in three to four different cities, flying back and forth between Las Vegas and San Francisco to manage her salons and flying in to Kupa’s headquarters in Southern Calif. directing the company’s marketing and creative energy. She also represents at trade shows nationwide. “Wherever the job calls, I just get on a plane or in a car to get there,” she says.



Mark was really excited for this cover celebrating the Year of the Snake, having a passion for snake patterns, including the coloration and the detail work involved in creating the snake’s textured body. Her mother and sister were also born in the Year of the Snake, so she dedicates her design to them.

For our cover, Mark combined real snakeskin with faux snakeskin designs and sculpted a 3-D snake on oval acrylic extensions using Artfinity and Divinity products from Kupa.

Click here for a step-by-step tutorial on creating these nails.

We wish you and your families a fun-filled year of happiness and prosperity. Stay tuned for more snake-themed nail art. We will be celebrating all week long!

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!

— Kim

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Originally posted on Viet Salon

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