NAILS Next Top Nail Artist competition, in partnership with CND, is coming into its final weeks.  Three finalists competed in this week's nail art challenge, which was issued to the finalists as...

We can’t talk about CND without talking about the brand’s hero product, CND Shellac. This 14+ day color system was not only a game changer for CND, but for the professional nail industry as a whole. For the final weekly challenge of Season 8, we want to see game-changing nail art.

Using Shellac ONLY, show us change you hope to see across five nail tips. This can be change in your community, in the nail industry, or in your personal life. Tips are not to be photographed on a hand for the final photo. You can arrange your tips any way you’d like and use any length and size nail tips. Turn in a 5-7 minute video diary showing us your hand painting and explaining the message of your nail art. 

Below, see the work they created to align with the "Game Changers" theme, along with a video of them at work. 

Emily Nash

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CND Shellac was a game changer for this entire industry. The first of its kind. And when people found out they could get their nails done in record time, and walk out immediately with a perfect polish and never mess them up, oh it was over. CND created the change that would set forth a whole new era of nails.  So when asked what’s change I would like to see, I can’t help but think about the change in equality that this world so desperately needs.

I chose the topic of equality over all. From people of color, to lgbtq+ and disability equal rights, this world could use the change. Equal opportunity for every human should be a given right. The fact it is 2021 and we are still fighting for our voices to be heard astonishes me. That woman have to fight for the right over their own body, or that someone in a wheel chair will get discriminated against for a job they are more than qualified to perform.

The style of art I chose is mural style. Murals are used all over the world to promote change within communities. Usually bringing communities together to celebrate and that gets the topic talked about. Some might look at something and think how could this help change, but it’s starts with you. It could be that key for two strangers igniting the topic. You have to be the change you want to see so start that conversation and get people educated.

I am hoping that one day I can’t paint a mural in my own community. I feel like leaving my own impact of change would be healing to myself and hopefully inspiring to others who don’t know how or have the resources to start the change they want to see.

See Emily’s video here!

Jessica Warzyniak

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For this week’s challenge we were asked to create game changing nail art using Shellac only on five nail tips. We were to show a change that we want to see. I want to see the world change by one act of kindness at a time.

This set shows a set of hands planting the seed of kindness in dry, cracked earth and that seed is rooting and turning into beautiful opportunities with greenery and flowers. I chose to make the nail tips myself because I wanted to have a non traditional shape that also played with the greenery aspects. There are 3d elements like the flowers that all made with Shellac as well. And I played with matte vs. shiny finishes to embolden the art elements.

I know first hand how a small act of kindness can cause a snowball effect that makes a huge impact.  In my video, I explain how I wanted to donate some coffee to hospital staff, and that ended up feeding families throughout Northwest Indiana!

There are literally endless options for you to have an impact on those around you too. It all starts with choosing to be kind to your fellow man. Compliment the girl at the grocery store, babysit your single mom friend’s child for a few hours, pay for someone’s groceries, help a stranger fix a flat tire. Those are all small things that we can do for others that I know will brighten their day and even begin that snowball effect of kind acts that will end up in a huge amazing change in your community.

To celebrate this set, I challenge you to complete one random act of kindness today! As always, thank you CND and NAILS for this opportunity.

See Jessica’s video here!

Stephanie Loesch

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Memories are some of the best parts of life. A period in time or something to look back on and reminisce. When I was a kid I spent a lot of time with my cousins and one of our favorite things to do was visit the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Something about the ocean and it’s beauty was magical. Fun days of playing on the beach created memories to cherish for a lifetime.

The ocean is mysterious in so many ways. It reaches depths of almost 7 miles in the deepest areas known to man. The ocean also covers nearly 70% of earth’s surface and less than 5% of the oceans have been explored.

Along with the world’s largest mountain chain being under water aquatic life is also the majority of life on earth. And even with all those mysterious and amazing facts the human race around the world is using this majestic part of earth as a way to dispose of trash and waste.

Last year the Environmental Protection Agency named five countries as being the largest contributors to plastic wastes in our oceans including; China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.  The ocean has now accumulated about 46,000 pieces of trash per square mile making the average plastic dumped in the ocean around 8 million pieces per day. The most obvious detriment of plastic being dumped into the ocean is the entanglement, ingestion and suffocation of marine life. This affects a wide variety of animals all the way from birds, whales to turtles that all eventually starve with indigestible plastic in their stomachs.

This is a change that I would like to see–I want to see the ocean cleaned up. I want to see countries acknowledge that dumping trash and plastic into our oceans is killing it. The ocean provides 50% of the oxygen we breathe and regulates the climate. If the ocean and life in the ocean such as the aquatic animals and coral reefs were to die all life on earth would die. We need the ocean to survive and there needs to be change moving forward in life to better our futures. I would love to see the beauty I saw as a kids restored and have our beaches and oceans free of trash, dumping and pollution.

See Stephanie’s video here!

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Originally posted on NAILS Magazine

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