She is holding on for dear life and honestly so am I. 🐙
Day 17 is a sculpted 3D octopus that does not live on one nail. She lives across three. The body sits on the middle nail with her head raised off the surface, and her tentacles curl over the free edge and stretch onto the nails on either side. Suckers detailed down every arm. All of it sitting on an iridescent lavender aura base with a soft white tip underneath.
This is the most technically demanding look in the challenge so far and I want to talk about why. 💅
Inspiration Credit
Inspired by @emzznailz on Instagram. The original set that sparked this look is theirs, and the inspiration is shown in the video as well. If you love this design, go follow the artist who created the concept first. Credit matters in this industry and I will always name my sources.
The Set Breakdown
The base. Classic French Tip nails with an iridescent chrome finish. The chrome effect gives every nail a lit-from-within glow that shifts depending on the angle. Underwater light, basically. It is also the perfect quiet backdrop for something as loud as a sculpted octopus, because a busy base would have fought with the 3D work.
The octopus body. Sculpted in a red 3D gel on the index, middle, and ring nail. Her head raised well off the nail surface with real dimension to it, and then the eyes. Afterwards, I painted eye detail with a dark slit pupil that gives her actual presence.
The tentacles. This is where the set earns it. The arms curl down over the free edge of the index and ring nails so the creature spans three fingers. Each arm has white suckers, some 3D and some dotted down its length in graduated sizes, larger near the body and smaller toward the tip.
The neighboring nails. The index and ring nails carry tentacles only, no body. That restraint is what makes the illusion work. Your eye completes the creature across the gap between fingers and reads the whole hand as one scene.
Products Used
- 3D Sculting Gel from Amazon: 6 Color Carving Gels 3D Sculpture Gel for Nail Art Decoration Kit
- Detail Gel Paint From Amazon: Miss Pink Nail Gel Palette
