Nail artist Jin Soon Choi is always looking to the future. To wit: She and her nail lacquers are regularly spotted backstage at Fashion Week setting the trends for the next season — and her nail art is always ahead of the curve.
Which is why we're happy to see the nail guru take a cue from the past for her first summer collection. The duo of flower-inspired, slightly sheer nail lacquers is inspired by Choi's childhood.
When she was growing up, Choi and her friends didn't have nail polish. So instead, they would gather balsam flowers, mash up the petals and leaves, spread the paste over their nails, and sleep with the concoction on their fingers. When they woke up, their nails would have a gorgeous orange tint to them. "The nail bed would absorb the petals' color, creating a tint that would last until the nail naturally grew out," Choi says. "It was believed that if the color lasted until the first snowfall, one would marry their true love the following year."
You can wear the two colors — Crush and Blush — together to create a gorgeous orange hue inspired by this tradition. You can also wear them separately if you're into more classic colors. But however you wear them, the payoff will be a gorgeous, subtle tint that you can show off all summer long.
Click through to see the shades, as well as some illustrations Choi created to show the original technique.
The original process started with gathering balsam flowers.
Photo: Courtesy of Jin Soon.
Next, one would place a handful of the flowers and their leaves inside a mortar...
Photo: Courtesy of Jin Soon.
...and mash everything together until it formed a paste.
Photo: Courtesy of Jin Soon.
Then, one would gently place the paste on the nails...
Photo: Courtesy of Jin Soon.
...using the leaves to secure the paste to each before tying 'em off.
Photo: Courtesy of Jin Soon.
The final step: Simply sleep with the paste on your nails, and then wake up to a gorgeous orange-red hue on your tips. Luckily, there's an easier way to score the look today...
Photo: Courtesy of Jin Soon.
Blush is a gorgeous pink shade that creates the perfect sheer look inspired by the technique...
Jin Soon Crush Nail Lacquer, $18, available at Jin Soon.
Or pick up Crush: The sheer finish is a refreshing departure from a classic opaque red.
Jin Soon Crush Nail Lacquer, $18, available at Jin Soon.
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