June Moffo, owner of LA Nails in Folsom, Pa., is more than a nail technician---she’s a nail portraitist. The faces of Michael Keaton, Rodney Dangerfield, Bowzer of Sha Na Na, Princess Fergie, Princess Di, the Pope, and hockey player Eric Lindros have won her fame and the occasional autograph. For the election year, she painted portraits of George Bush, Ross Perot, and Bill Clinton, then called newspapers to get publicity.

 “The Los Angeles Times wrote an article on my ‘nailing’ the candidates,” says Moffo. “My work appeared on the local six o’clock news, and the Philadelphia Inquirer came in and did an article.”

Unlike most nail art, Moffo’s is permanent. “I do what I call an impression nail,” she explains. “I sculpt the acrylic to fit the finger, paint the portrait on the nail, then add a special coating to preserve the artwork. The client can put the nail on and take it off.” Since her portraits cost around $200 each, Moffo prefers to do them as gifts or for charities.

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