Front: Cover tech Bel Fountain-Townsend,  Executive Editor Beth Livesay Back: Model Ciara Pisa, Art Director Yuiko Sugino

Front: Cover tech Bel Fountain-Townsend,
Executive Editor Beth Livesay
Back: Model Ciara Pisa, Art Director Yuiko Sugino

If you’re a fan of nail art, then you’re likely following @sohotrightnail on social media, or at least are familiar with her colorful, on-trend sets. The name behind the handle is Bel Fountain-Townsend and her work stands out, both on social media and in person. This nail tech of 10 years currently works in her home-based salon in North Hollywood, Calif. Her clients include celebrities (Allison Janney is a regular in her chair) and trendsetters alike. Her popular Instagram handle comes from a line in one of her favorite movies, “Zoolander,” where characters say that a certain model is “so hot right now.” One bad manicure is all it took for Fountain-Townsend to start doing nails herself. “I thought I could do a better job, and the rest is history,” she says. 

Here are Fountain-Townsend’s steps for getting this month’s cover look:

1. Apply Gel-X coffin nail extensions. Paint the nails with two coats of white gel-polish and cure. Using stamping polish (Maniology), stamp different sized shapes, overlapping each other.

2. Cover the entire nail in different colored and sized shapes.

3. Apply Presto Matte Top Coat and cure.

4. Use a hand file to refine the coffin shape. 

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, Click here.