Mediterranean Dream: Who Won and Who’s Packing Up Their Brushes

Congrats to Marija, who has won again, for this week’s mesmerizing Mediterranean mani!

Here’s what the judges had to say about Marija’s design:

Guest Judge Stella Sampson: 

It reminds me of my country and makes me look forward to summer! Great video! I totally loved the sponge technique for the concrete wall as well as the tile details! Kudos for making them separately, this gave the vibes of real tiles! I applaud you for all the tiny details (sand, sandals, tiny sunglasses, bag, sunscreen, etc) they really do up the overall design! I would love to see more flowers on the bougainvillea though! I would also prefer to see the use of solely CND products for this challenge. Nice tip about the use of acrylic powder as long as it is only used for art purposes and not as a sculpting product on actual nails. It is extremely important to use the products as they are formulated to be used.

Game Master Winnie Huang:

I am so impressed with the amount of details you incorporated into this piece! The tiles are OUT OF THIS WORLD. I wished your made use of the tips a little bit more, instead of completely covering them with your (amazing) tiles. Upon closer look at your video, I do feel that some elements could use a bit more refinement, the sunglasses, the bag, the sunscreen. Although they are tiny, they all play important roles contributing to your masterpiece. Please be mindful with the narrative as this is a CND challenge…starting off with KUPA products was a bit of a head scratch. Please also find gloves with better fit, they seem a bit big on you. Overall, another stellar week for you! Bravo!

Head Judge Jan Arnold:

Your story and approach are so dreamy and transporting!  My favorite of your brilliant techniques is the making of the stucco wall…what a fabulous idea. It’s perfect. Also, the intricacy of your hand painted tiles is just mesmerizing in its detail and correct to the region. Only thing missing for me is more teaching and pro tips. It seemed you took a little hammock break midway through. However, each time you look at this piece, you see something new. Perhaps more refinement to the window and doors of the building would have elevated this piece even more. Try zooming in tighter to give the pros a better viewpoint.

Season 8 Champion Emily Nash:

Wow, I do feel like I’m lounging soaking in the sun with my sunscreen of course! I appreciate all the small details that went into the set this week. From the texture on the wall, the flowers, the lemon tree and the mosaic tile! You even created your own sand. The only thing I was a little confused on was the fact that the lounge chair and fountain and sand all seemed like it would be outside then through the door and window was another outside scene. But still a beautiful job. Thank you for actually creating 3d pieces as well!

Guest Judge Giselle Caballero:

I have been watching you through the whole competition and I can definitely see you are very talented, I love that you pushed yourself to creating such an intricate detail on the tiles and that you even made each tile separately rather than just painting them over the existing tip, that was definitely my favourite part of this submission of yours. Great job creating all the different textures and smaller elements, definitely watch the ratio of the elements among each other because that can take away from the illusion you’re creating.  I wish you would have been more detailed on how you’re creating the elements, giving us more pro-tips rather than just mentioning which element you are creating, it started great but then declined as the video went on. I would have love to see and learn how you created each of the little pieces for the chair for example, or the ratio of powder and gel you used. Remember that the tone of the video should be more on the educational side rather than just show and tell.

Guest Judge Allison Goertzen:

Wow! The techniques used to create this piece were well executed and showcased beautifully. The video quality, speed, and audio were all amazing and easy to watch. The overall design feels like it’s missing something. There is a lot of whitespace and the tips got lost in the design. But the detail in the tiles is absolutely stunning, very professional and clean! My favorite elements are the view of the sea and the water in the pool! So amazing!

The nail artist who will be packing up their paintbrushes this week is Amberley.

Amberley, you have been a breath of fresh air this season! We have so enjoyed getting to know you, your story, and watching you grow. You’ve achieved so much and we are forever proud of you and all that you have contributed to this season!

This won’t be the last you hear from Amberley. She will be going up against Ewa in CND’s Last Chance Design Lab where she will have one more chance to stay in the competition.