Photo: Refinery29
Nail art is everywhere we look, but with Halloween kicking off today, we knew we wanted an original, over-the-top design, so we headed down to Tomahawk Salon in the depths of Bushwick to seek out one of the most talked-about innovators in the field: Fleury Rose.
A 27-year-old from Connecticut, Fleury hails from a fine arts background and has been doing nails ever since she was a young girl. As we sat down with the artist, she recalled a time when her grandmother gifted her with a nail art kit filled with water-soluble nail polishes for children, and she proceeded to make nail art designs with toothpicks. “Growing up, I was always more drawn to smaller canvases,” she said. She also had a keen interest in Japanese culture, and exposure to Japanese nail magazines inspired her to try her hand at more intricate designs.
Fast-forward years later, Fleury has been named U.S. nail ambassador for British beauty company Illamasqua, and her work has been featured on the pages of Allure, Marie Claire, WWD, and Seventeen. But even though she’s already seen success, Fleury continues to brainstorm new styles and new mediums to use. Right now, she’s interested in incorporating negative space into nail art by painting nails with clear polish and then doing a design over it (“It’s great for someone to DIY themselves,” she said). She’s also intrigued by the play between different textures: Illamasqua has a rubber texture nail polish that she enjoys layering with different top coats. Fleury calls this style “more chic”—perfect for someone who wants a more polished look.
“Everybody can feel pretty and special when they have a really cool nail design to admire,” she said. “It’s something that you do just for yourself—for your own enjoyment.” Sounds good to us.
Check out Fleury’s spooky Halloween nail art design below!
c/o Fleury Nails
