Psychedelic patterns blur the line between fantasy and reality just in time for festival season.
“I was inspired by the colorful styles of the ’70s and ’80s, and kitschy airbrush paintings of unicorns.” —Clara Hwang
Clara Hwang is a Melbourne, Australia-based celebrity and editorial nail artist.
- Apply gel base coat and cure. Apply a second layer of gel base coat. Do not cure. Cut strips of holographic tape into slim triangles and place randomly on the nail. Cure.
- Apply dots of pastel blue, pink, yellow and green gel polish to the nail, using the brush to blend the colors together and cure.
- Mix loose iridescent glitter into clear mixing gel. Apply the mixture in a thin layer to the nail and cure. To finish, apply gel top coat and cure.
- Apply gel base coat and cure. Starting at the cuticle, apply diagonal stripes of yellow, orange, pink, lavender, purple and green gel polish to the nail. Cure.
- Use a detail brush to paint thin wavy lines where each color borders the next with white gel polish. Cure.
- Apply a layer of clear gel to the nail and cure. Do not wipe away the tacky layer. Apply star- and moon-shaped studs and stickers. To finish, apply gel top coat and cure.
- Apply gel base coat, then two coats of white gel polish, curing after each. Use a cosmetic sponge to randomly dab sky blue and purple gel polish onto the nail. Cure.
- Use a detail brush to paint the outline of a unicorn head, horn, ears and neck with white gel polish. Then, fill in the outline and cure.
- Paint the face and horn with black gel or acrylic paint. Cure. Fill in the design with purple and blue gel polish. Cure. Paint stars with white gel polish. Cure. Finish with gel top coat and cure.
What do you think about these psychedelic tips? Let us know in the comments below!
This story was originally published in the May 2017 issue of NAILPRO.
