WHAT I’M WEARING: Char Jones, Charovski’s
By Sophie Nutt | 07 January 2018 | Feature, Tech Talk
We want to see what you’re wearing on your nails!
Char Jones, of Charovski’s, spontaneously created these icy stiletto nails gathering inspiration from the snowy weather and, fellow tech, Gemma Lambert.
“I rarely ever get the chance to have a full set of nails as I’m so busy doing my clients’ – I normally only get one hand done! But, for Christmas, I made the time to do my own. My inspiration for these nails was primarily the weather because it was snowing on the day that I did them, making them great for Christmas but suitable for after the festive period too. My idol is Gemma Lambert so she is where a lot of my inspiration comes from as I aspire to her level, pushing myself with each set that I do.
“I created these nails by firstly sculpting them with Missu acrylic powder in Clear and Nude 01. I placed my form on a slight upward angle to create the new apex (European apex) – this is a two bead application. Placing the apex at the back near the cuticle area, I pinch each nail to create a C curve as this will create strength for the length of the nail. I apply a clear base on all 10 nails and file.
“For the design elements, I used glitters from the Naughty Nail Fairy, mixing two different colours to give me this particular look. I used Missu Nude 01 to create my smile line and the fade, using the reverse method: I place my nude 01 where I want my smile line to begin and then shape to create the extended nail bed look, then I place a second bead of Nude 01 at the back near the cuticle area, I then drag this down onto my smile line giving a nice solid coverage.
“Once the smile line was complete, I filed to even it out and create a crisp line. For the nude drag, I placed a bead at the back of the cuticle area and then dragged this down. Once I’m done with my nude, I move on to the glitter design for which I did all 10 nails differently.
“I placed the glitter and added holographic snowflakes to give even more sparkle. I then capped the glitter with clear acrylic and filed and buffed to remove any dust. To finish, I used Missu Non Wipe Shiny Top Coat. For the snowflakes and icicles I used Missu White Pro Gel to draw my design and, before I set this, I sprinkled a super fine glitter on top to give the look of ice. For the Swarovski Crystals, I used Missu Jewellery Gel and, once the crystals were placed, I used Missu Non Wipe Shiny Top Coat around, and not on, the crystals and cured. I then cleansed to remove the tacky layer from the jewellery gel.
“The thing I love most about this design is that the nails sparkle in any light – I find myself just watching my own nails sometimes! The glitter and crystals just complement each other perfectly. I love the shape and the length as I don’t think that they would have been as eye catching if they were any shorter. They even inspired a few of my clients to have a very similar look!”
Click here to take a look at more of Char’s work.