OPI North America education manager and licensed nail technician Sigourney Nuñez (@nailartbysig) began her nail journey as a DIY nail art blogger, sharing her easy-to-recreate designs with the masses. With a background as a newspaper reporter, she then went on to combine her journalism skills with her passion for nails and worked as an editor and digital content manager for three different nail publications (including NAILPRO!). Today, Nuñez leads the OPI education strategy and builds original curriculum and educational content for the brand and its top customers. When she’s not posting about the latest nail techniques and trends, she’s tending to her beloved and often misunderstood indoor plants.
1. Top Trends
“I find a lot of inspiration in current trends. For example, in fall 2020 there was a huge spike in a retro revival aesthetic. So, for that entire season, I created variations and interpretations of what that meant to me: tons of swirly, wavy and abstract art, coupled with a very rustic palette, but with hint of modern, bright hues.”
2. J Balvin
“Reggaeton artist J Balvin has an extremely vibrant aesthetic, and his music instantly gets me in the mood to create some really fun and happy nails. Earlier this year he released an album called Arcoiris (which translates to Rainbow in Spanish), and it not only helped me stay sane during quarantine, but it provided a lot of visual stimulation.”
3. Color
“The catalyst for all of my inspiration is color. It gives me a sense of renewal, makes me feel empowered and brings me joy. Before I even think about what type of art I’m going to create, I carefully and thoughtfully choose my color parings. If I don’t know where to start, I reference the color wheel, often gravitating toward contrasting shades, and choose either a deep or pale version of the hues—and the results are beautiful every time. It’s a good exercise to practice when you feel a creative block.”
4. Yayoi Kusama
“Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama, also known as the ‘Polka Dot Princess,’ is a huge muse that inspires my signature style. Her work is iconic, modern and vibrant, and she’s proof that you can create both minimal and maximal art with dots. Dotting tools make the technique easy to execute on nails, and you can amp up the traditional design with new placement and color pairings.”
5. TV Fashion
“This is going to sound weird, but I have a lot of photos of my television screen on my camera roll. Whenever I watch a show or movie and see a character with an outfit that has a really great color combo, I immediately snap a pic and save it for later to reference for nail art.”
