<p>1st Runner Up:</p>
<p>Janina Lumous<br />Tampere, Finland</p>

1st Runner Up:

Janina Lumous
Tampere, Finland

<p>2nd Runner Up:</p>
<p>Lenzi Brock <br />Vancouver, Wash.</p>

2nd Runner Up:

Lenzi Brock
Vancouver, Wash.

<p>3rd Runner Up:</p>
<p>Melanie McCulley<br />Hermosa Beach, Calif.</p>

3rd Runner Up:

Melanie McCulley
Hermosa Beach, Calif.

<p>Finalist:</p>
<p>Yuri Nagumo<br />Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo</p>

Finalist:

Yuri Nagumo
Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo

<p>Finalist:</p>
<p>Kasumi Ishii <br />Tokyo</p>

Finalist:

Kasumi Ishii
Tokyo

<p>Finalist:</p>
<p>Melanie McCulley <br />Hermosa Beach, Calif.</p>

Finalist:

Melanie McCulley
Hermosa Beach, Calif.

<p>Finalist:</p>
<p>Rochelle Dingman <br />San Jose, Calif.</p>

Finalist:

Rochelle Dingman
San Jose, Calif.

<p>Finalist:</p>
<p>Phoebe Dingman<br />San Jose, Calif.</p>

Finalist:

Phoebe Dingman
San Jose, Calif.

<p>Finalist:</p>
<p>Makiko Yuda<br />Tokyo</p>

Finalist:

Makiko Yuda
Tokyo

<p>Bonnie Huffman <br />Wentzville, Mo.</p>

Bonnie Huffman
Wentzville, Mo.

<p>Denise Dolengewicz <br />Franklin Park, Ill.</p>

Denise Dolengewicz
Franklin Park, Ill.

<p>Jesse Bruner, <br />Wilmington, Del.</p>

Jesse Bruner,
Wilmington, Del.

<p>Kaitlin Jeanette Smith <br />Garrettsville, Ohio</p>

Kaitlin Jeanette Smith
Garrettsville, Ohio

<p>Katja V&auml;h&auml;kuopus <br />Oulu, Suomi, Finland</p>

Katja Vähäkuopus
Oulu, Suomi, Finland

<p>Mana Shimada<br />Tokyo</p>

Mana Shimada
Tokyo

<p>Michelle Whitaker <br />Rolla, Mo.</p>

Michelle Whitaker
Rolla, Mo.

<p>Miho Fukasawa<br />Toky</p>

Miho Fukasawa
Toky

<p>Robyn Schwartz<br />Grand Forks, B.C., Canada</p>

Robyn Schwartz
Grand Forks, B.C., Canada

<p>Torie Bastian <br />Crown Point, Ind.</p>

Torie Bastian
Crown Point, Ind.

<p>Veeah Chitwood <br />&nbsp;Rolla, Mo.</p>

Veeah Chitwood
 Rolla, Mo.

<p>Yuki Tanaka <br />Tokyo</p>

Yuki Tanaka
Tokyo

1/21
 
View all
<p>1st Runner Up:</p>
<p>Janina Lumous<br />Tampere, Finland</p>
1/21
 
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1st Runner Up:

Janina Lumous
Tampere, Finland

<p>2nd Runner Up:</p>
<p>Lenzi Brock <br />Vancouver, Wash.</p>
2/21
 
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2nd Runner Up:

Lenzi Brock
Vancouver, Wash.

<p>3rd Runner Up:</p>
<p>Melanie McCulley<br />Hermosa Beach, Calif.</p>
3/21
 
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3rd Runner Up:

Melanie McCulley
Hermosa Beach, Calif.

<p>Finalist:</p>
<p>Yuri Nagumo<br />Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo</p>
4/21
 
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Finalist:

Yuri Nagumo
Nail Salon Ciel, Tokyo

<p>Finalist:</p>
<p>Kasumi Ishii <br />Tokyo</p>
5/21
 
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Finalist:

Kasumi Ishii
Tokyo

<p>Finalist:</p>
<p>Melanie McCulley <br />Hermosa Beach, Calif.</p>
6/21
 
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Finalist:

Melanie McCulley
Hermosa Beach, Calif.

<p>Finalist:</p>
<p>Rochelle Dingman <br />San Jose, Calif.</p>
7/21
 
Slider

Finalist:

Rochelle Dingman
San Jose, Calif.

<p>Finalist:</p>
<p>Phoebe Dingman<br />San Jose, Calif.</p>
8/21
 
Slider

Finalist:

Phoebe Dingman
San Jose, Calif.

<p>Finalist:</p>
<p>Makiko Yuda<br />Tokyo</p>
9/21
 
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Finalist:

Makiko Yuda
Tokyo

<p>Bonnie Huffman <br />Wentzville, Mo.</p>
10/21
 
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Bonnie Huffman
Wentzville, Mo.

<p>Denise Dolengewicz <br />Franklin Park, Ill.</p>
11/21
 
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Denise Dolengewicz
Franklin Park, Ill.

<p>Jesse Bruner, <br />Wilmington, Del.</p>
12/21
 
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Jesse Bruner,
Wilmington, Del.

<p>Kaitlin Jeanette Smith <br />Garrettsville, Ohio</p>
13/21
 
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Kaitlin Jeanette Smith
Garrettsville, Ohio

<p>Katja V&auml;h&auml;kuopus <br />Oulu, Suomi, Finland</p>
14/21
 
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Katja Vähäkuopus
Oulu, Suomi, Finland

<p>Mana Shimada<br />Tokyo</p>
15/21
 
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Mana Shimada
Tokyo

<p>Michelle Whitaker <br />Rolla, Mo.</p>
16/21
 
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Michelle Whitaker
Rolla, Mo.

<p>Miho Fukasawa<br />Toky</p>
17/21
 
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Miho Fukasawa
Toky

<p>Robyn Schwartz<br />Grand Forks, B.C., Canada</p>
18/21
 
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Robyn Schwartz
Grand Forks, B.C., Canada

<p>Torie Bastian <br />Crown Point, Ind.</p>
19/21
 
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Torie Bastian
Crown Point, Ind.

<p>Veeah Chitwood <br />&nbsp;Rolla, Mo.</p>
20/21
 
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Veeah Chitwood
 Rolla, Mo.

<p>Yuki Tanaka <br />Tokyo</p>
21/21
 
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Yuki Tanaka
Tokyo

We tallied your votes and nail tech Miki Nakano of Nail Salon Ciel in Tokyo took top honors this year with her oh-so-pretty puzzle image. Congratulations to Miki, and to runners-up Janina Lumous, Lenzi Brock, and Melanie McCulley. A giant thank you goes out to everyone who entered.

Meet the Winner

“I wanted to capture the unique effect of a water ripple as light hits its surface,” says nail tech Miki Nakano, who used Cal Gel to create the winning nails. “After creating a gradation using three colors, I placed a thin coat of white over the gradation. Then I randomly placed clear throughout the tip to create an illusion of the water’s surface before curing it. The total process took about two hours.” A tech of five years, Nakano used her own hand in the photo.


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