The Future’s Bright

As Gelish celebrates 15 years since launch, creatives from the brand’s HQ have fused vintage styling with a futuristic feel to create a showstopping Scratch front cover

Reflecting on 15 years since Gelish stormed the nail sector, the team at the company’s headquarters in Southern California decided to fuse the past and future to create a striking series of images: one of which features on the front cover of Scratch. Since shaking up the industry with its brush-on, soak-off gel polish formula, the brand has continued to stun the nail world with innovative products and accessories to speed up service times. And it will maintain this mission as it looks to the future.

“Gelish has always been graceful and expressive, and this photo shoot fits seamlessly with the brand aesthetic,” comments Candace Staples, art director & graphic designer. “We took inspiration for this shoot from mid-century modern fashion, where bold colours, prints and clean lines were prominent. Haircuts, simple shapes and make-up styles made an impact, and we sought to have fun by putting unique twists on classic looks.”

The entire shoot, from casting and wardrobe to model prep and nail design concepts, took three days, and three bold concepts were created. The chosen cover image showcases a silver-haired model with a gold jacket and metallic nails. “This look features broad strokes of soft colour, with retro patterns and various textures. We wanted styling to still feel present yet unexpected, so took a vintage, editorial-style look and added an artificial intelligence edge for a futuristic feel,” Candace continues. “We played in the metaverse space, taking inspiration from things that are real and virtual. We want to inspire others to be optimistic and excited about the future.”

NAIL TALK

International education & product specialist, Erin Eng, and dean of education, Vu Nguyen, share the process behind the cover nail style creation...

“The Nail Alliance art and marketing departments create concepts for shoots, and we plan nail designs to suit each look and theme. For this Scratch cover shoot, we relished our artistic freedom, creating three edgy nail shapes and lengths which were finished with textured details.

“A lot of inspiration came from the clothing selected for the models. The team did a great job finding items that helped us determine the patterns and colours for the nails, and we layered various shades, adding fine details to finish.

“The shades used for the cover nails were in line with the model’s clothing: a gold metallic jacket with a silver metallic undershirt. We wanted to incorporate the textures of both elements, but were particularly inspired by the jacket.

“Gelish shade, A-Lister, was used with Matte Top It Off to create a silver background that would allow the gold nail art pattern on top to shine; reflecting the texture on the jacket. To paint this pattern, we used Gelish Art Form Gel in Essential Black. This product has no inhibition layer, so we overlayed Gelish Chrome Stix in Gold Holographic, before applying No Cleanse Top Coat to finish.

“Our favourite aspect of the look is the gold finish achieved with the Gelish Chrome Stix. The metallic accents reflect brilliantly off the jacket.”