Jackie Randolph’s nail designs for the NCA’s Global X-Treme collection incorporate large abstract florals, beads, stones, crushed grains, leather, and snakeskins. The colors of the Olympic rings inspired the blend of colors she chose. The “X-Cross Stitch” design (top) depicts the centuries-old European and American tradition of cross-stitch. For the “Rente” design (bottom), representing Africa, the brightly colored cloth & applied directly to the nail.

Grunge is out and elegance is in, according to the National Cosmetology Association’s (NCA) full/winter ’96 Design Team. The collection, dubbed Global X-Treme, encompasses cultures from around the world, presenting the most up-to-date styles in women’s and men’s hair cuts, makeup designs, and nail designs. Style will move away from the “retro” trends, the team predicts, and all-over skin and body care will make a comeback for women as well as men. Washington, DC-based nails technician Jackie Randolph emphasized color and texture in her nail designs, which represented five cultures worldwide. “I wanted to evoke the feeling of fabrics, from African Kente cloth, to soft Indian sari fabric, to the transparent tulle used in an airbrushed design,” says Randolph. For a design representing the Asia-Pacific area. Randolph used grains and color-fill herbs to decorate the nails. Randolph explains that she was trying to find something that unites this vast range of cultures. “Rice and grains immediately came to mind along with herbs,” she says.