This month’s cover comes to you all the way from Russia. Our cover nail technician Natasha Novikova and her mother Galina Stepanovna were visiting Southern California to attend regional training sessions with Creative Nail Design.

Galina is the director of education at Ole House, a Moscow-based distributor and nail school that has 10 locations in and around Russia. Galina has published several books about manicuring and nail enhancements in Russian. Natasha has been doing nails for six years and runs Ole House in St. Petersburg, Russia (about 400 miles northeast of Moscow) with her husband Paul.

Galina’s oldest daughter Olga Bredikhina and her husband started Ole House seven years ago around the time when Russian women began getting nail services again after the fall of the Soviet regime. In addition to being a distributor, the company also offers intensive education for nail technicians who are eager to learn. They are extremely creative coming up with interesting nail designs and new looks. Russian women are very fashion-conscious and feminine in their styles. With a full set of nails costing around $120 U.S. dollars (and rebalances costing $60) not all women can afford enhancements, but a growing number of women visit salons regularly.

How to do the cover nails:

Step 1 Properly prepare the natural nail, then place the Performance Form under the free edge.

Step 2 Sculpt the chevron moon using a blend of Mosaic Purple, Blue, and Glimmer powders.

Step 3 Using the Mosaic mixture from step 2, create a chevron at the extended smile line.

Step 4 Complete the nail plate in zones two and three to camouflage the natural smile line using a mix of Perfect White, Mosaic, and Glimmer powders.

Step 5 Sculpt the extension edge of the nail in a chevron pattern using a very thin coating of Perfect Clear powder. Connect the ends of the V-chevron to the corners of the natural nail. Create the extended smile line in the same chevron to elongate the look of the nail plate.

Step 6 File, buff, and refine the nail using a 240-grit file. Bring the nail to a high shine with the Girlfriend Buffer.

Creative co-founder Jan Arnold (seated, third from right) poses with a group of Russian nail techs while on a trip to Moscow last year.