Helsinki-based artist Liina Leino is well-known on social media. She counts Snapchat and Instagram as two of her most popular platforms (find her @kohokukkia). Although she has done nails for nine years, she recently made a splash in the United States by competing in NAILS Next Top Nail Artist competition — her first nail competition. After making it to the Top 3, Leino flew to America’s Beauty Show in Chicago, where she was named second runner-up for Season 4.

While in Chicago she completed this cover concept, inspired by the work she did in the sixth challenge of the season. “Origami represents my family. When I met my husband, I was making origami. When we had our daughter, I made her an origami mobile,” Leino said of her creation. See how she made paper-like cranes by going to www.nailsmag.com/origami. To see how she did the base of the nails, read below.

Here are Leino’s steps for how to get this month’s cover look:

1. Build the nails with extra-long forms. Paint the nails with Bio Seaweed Gel Dark Berry gel-polish. Cure and add another layer. Cure again.

2. Paint the branches with black gel paint (she used Mosaic Black gel paint). Cure the nails.

3. Mix pink and white gel paints to make a light pink color. Paint the flowers on top of the braches and cure.

4. Add top coat and cure.

5. Attach the sculpted acrylic origami with liquid and powder to the nails.

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