L.A. Legend: The Top 3 and the Bottom 3

 

Challenge 4 sponsored by Orly tasked out Top 9 with painting a classic Hollywood landmark on five nails. The competitors also had to upload a video diary detailing their process and inspiration.

 

This week’s guest judge was LA legend, Jeff Pink, founder of Orly. Permanent judges include CND’s Jan Arnold, NAILS NTNA season 2 winner Lavette Cephus, NAILS editor Erika Kotite, NAILS senior editor Beth Livesay, and the rest of the team at NAILS Magazine.

 

 

In alphabetical order, the top 3 are:

 

Celina: Your 3-D scarab without using traditional 3-D products was fantastic. You have an engaging and educational video style.

 
Halley: Your demo perspective is right on par. The judges appreciate the variety of artwork and think they work together nicely as a whole. The sunset, pinky, detail work, and linework were all hits with us.

 

Torie: The metal base of your nails was a terrific idea! Using short nails was a bold move, but that made these nails all the more realistic for other techs to replicate and clients to wear. Your psychedelic twist on this theme also was very cool. Make sure to not let your demo video go sideways.

 

 

The following techs can breathe again. They are in the middle of this week’s pack and are safe. Congratulations to:

 

Sarah: We really like the ombre technique and refined letters. The overall look shows restraint but is not as adventurous as we would like to see from you.

 

Victoria: The judges really enjoyed your inspiration for this challenge. Your own nails are exceptionally beautiful as well in this demo! The detailing was a little difficult to see at times on the video, but the finished look is bold, colorful, and different.

 

Winnie: The use of varying shapes intrigued the judges. We would have liked to have seen the letters outlined more sharply, but the decision to place the lyrics on the nails was a wise one. The variety of musical references was also well-loved, but perhaps more LA-based acts would have provided focus for the nails. Your video personality is irresistible!

 

 

Unfortunately, there always had to be a bottom group. The bottom 3, in alphabetical order, are:

 

Alecia: Your video was a bit frantic with quick slide changes and uneven audio. Your research, however, was impressive and we loved the direction you went in. The hieroglyphics were a standout among the judges. Our wish is that some of the design had been more crisp and that we could see the thumb in the photo or video.

 
April: There were some audio issues with your video. The look of the film was also tinted. Watching you paint straight lines with ease was remarkable. We love the breathtaking detail of the street performers.

 

Lauren: Watching you paint the outline of the rose was mesmerizing. We loved your not so literal take on this landmark. Graffiti is, after all, very representative of LA’s art scene as well. The overall look is a bit too jumbled, though.