Congratulations to Tracy Vinson for winning this week’s challenge! The judges loved your nail masterpiece and think it embodies the artistic life.

Challenge 6, sponsored by Artistic, asked our Top 7 to make mini nail masterpieces that unleash their inner artist. Contestants were allowed to use any mediums necessary on five nail tips so long as they showed us what it meant to be an artist. A 5-7 minute video diary was also requested. This week’s guest judge was Alisha Rimando Botero of Artistic Nail Design.

There’s no doubt our Top 7 are each phenomenal artists. So we challenged them to show us what it really means to craft a masterpiece. Using any mediums necessary, our competitors had to unleash their inner artist to produce a creation fit for Artistic Life, the new custom publication inside of NAILS, sponsored by Artistic Nail Design. Because this challenge is all about the artistic process, we wanted to see a video diary as well. We posted all the entries on the Week 6 challenge page.

Congratulations to Tracey Lee for winning this week’s challenge! The judges thought your design was a moving tribute to a particular point in time.

Challenge 5 sponsored by Akzéntz, asked our Top 8 to take us back to their favorite decade with nail art. Contestants were required to incorporate 3-D gel art on at least six nails; no acrylic was allowed. Gel-polish and acrylic paints were allowed, but not lacquer. Embellishments were also acceptable, but could not make up more than 10% of the design. Tips had to remain individual and graduated in size (as if fitting from finger to finger). A Nail Art Gallery tutorial was also required. This week’s guest judge was Yuriko Hoshina of Akzéntz.

Every decade is stamped with its own unique imprint — the fashions, the colors, the events and cultural vibe. This week’s sponsor Akzéntz pays tribute to the decades’ unforgettable times (in a nod to its own different product lines) with the theme of this week’s challenge.

Competitors were asked to recreate their favorite decade on 10 nail tips, using tips that are individual and graduated in size.

The design was required to incorporate 3-D gel art on at least six nails; no acrylic was allowed. Gel-polish and acrylic paints were allowed, but not lacquer. Embellishments and unconventional items were also acceptable. We asked them to take step-by-step photos and upload them to Nail Art Gallery. We’ve posted all the entries on the Week 5 challenge page.

Congratulations to Tracey Lee for winning this week’s challenge! The judges thought both the front and back of her set were mesmerizing.

Challenge 4 sponsored by Minx, asked our Top 9 to show us beautiful backside nail art that complemented the look on the front. Contestants were allowed to use any mediums. The Top 9 also had to share a Nail Art Gallery step-by-step tutorial. This week’s guest judge was Mirka Poikkeus of Minx.

Designing the underside of the nail is an emerging trend and Minx leads the way with its innovative Backside product and team of top artists contributing to the portfolio. For this challenge it’s about both the front and back of the nail; creating an artistic design that transcends all viewpoints. Our Top 9 were allowed to use whatever mediums necessary to complete this look on two actual hands. We also asked them for a step-by-step tutorial on Nail Art Gallery. We’ve posted all the entries on the Week 4 challenge page.

Congratulations to Jonny Diep Pham for winning this week’s challenge! The judges truly treasured his artwork and storytelling.