This Wire Manicure Is About As Easy As Nail Art Gets
By Gillian Fuller. Photos: Courtesy of Instagram.
Ever since nail art first arrived on the beauty scene a couple of years back, manicures have become increasingly more complex. At first, nail art simply referred to an elevated manicure—an accent nail here, a stripe there—the trend has since given birth to some seriously next-level looks (glass nails, anyone?)
For that, we can thank Eun Kyung Park, founder (and resident nail art queen) at the famed Unistella salon in Seoul, South Korea. During her career as a nail artist—and I do mean artist—Park has created some of the genre’s most jaw-dropping styles, often using materials never before seen in the nail art world (think: pom-poms, crystals, and even mini nail charms).
About two weeks ago, Park debuted a new look on Instagram. Decidedly different from the super-sparkly, technicolor manicures she’s come to be known for, Park’s inventive new mani involves setting ultra-thin strands of gold wire on the nails to create one-of-a-kind three-dimensional designs. Dubbed “wirework nails,” the sculptural, artsy wire manicure—while eye-catching and certainly difficult to re-create—is surprisingly subtle, especially when paired with a bare or nude nail base. It’s also, application aside, relatively low-key: Gel polish keeps the wire in place, while a clear base keeps thelook neat and chip-free. Low-maintenance ladies, this is for you.
Park got the idea to experiment with wire from old-school neon signs, like the ones often hung in bar windows. She told Marie Claire, “When you make neon signs, you have to bend the wires to make certain lettering. It’s one long wire that’s bend to create and connect the letters. I thought this was really cool and since nails are an accessory, I wanted it to be used for expression. Like rings.” Park came up with the idea herself, but we must say, it also reminds us of the pretty nails we saw at the Rodarte summer 2017 show, which were left clear, but edged with skinny gold sparkles, like tiny chain necklaces.
This story originally appeared on Allure.
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