Styling with THE STARS

COPIED

5 mins

TECH-NIQUE

Styling with THE STARS

Let your skills sparkle with technical & artistic step-by-steps from Scratch Stars Awards finalists & champions

Scratch Star spotlight

Who: Dannika Majewski

What: Scratch Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year 2026

Why: Dannika is a nail artist and content creator based in Fife, Scotland. With over nine years’ industry experience, she is known for producing intricate nail art, solving technical problems and providing educational content to support fellow nail professionals.

How: A passion for portraiture and character art influences Dannika’s work. She shares: “If a design is alternative, unusually specific or needs me to paint something far smaller than it has any right to be, I’m probably going to love it!”

Follow Dannika: www.dannikabernadette.co.uk @dannika.bernadette @dannika.bernadette

OUT OF THIS WORLD

Titled ‘Humanity’s Journey to the Moon’, Dannika created this detailed design in just one hour at the Scratch Stars Awards 2026 practical judging day in May. Here, she shares step-by-step guides to help you recreate three of the most intricate nails in the look.

“I have always been fascinated by space, and watching the Orion capsule return to Earth live on TV was such a magical moment,” Dannika explains. “I wanted to pay homage to the inspiring scientists and astronauts who make the impossible possible. The design brought together my love of detailed, story-led nail art and a subject that is meaningful to me.”

Dannika used the following products, available via www.glitterplanetuk.com:

• Nail Mate Gel Polishes in Bold Blue, Tipex, Obsidian, Coconut Cream Cloud and Emerald Envy.

• Nail Mate Cat Eye Gel Polish in Arctic Candy.

• lack Magnetic Wand.

• Nail art brushes: Rainbow Liner, Cosmic Liner and Nail Mate x Dannika Brush.

• Nail Mate Supergloss No Wipe Glossy Gel Top Coat.

• Nail Mate Pro+ Rechargeable Gel Lamp.

The Moon’s view of Earth

Step 1 After prepping the nail, apply a coat of Nail Mate Gel Polish in Bold Blue. Cure in the Nail Mate Pro+ Rechargeable Gel Lamp for 60 seconds.

Step 2 Apply Nail Mate Cat Eye Gel Polish in Arctic Candy to the base of the nail. Use the Black Magnetic Wand to move the magnetic particles into the centre of the nail, then cure.

Step 3 Mix the Obsidian and Tipex gel polish shades to create a grey hue, and apply to the tip of the nail, leaving the top edge uneven. Cure, then use a light blue gel polish and some of the grey shade to paint the outline of the Earth at the top right of the nail. Cure.

Step 4 Paint craters on the Moon’s surface using Obsidian and a dry blend technique. Cure.

Step 5 Use the Tipex gel polish shade to add highlights to the edges of the craters, paint an astronaut onto the Moon’s surface and add small dots to represent stars. Cure, then apply Nail Mate Supergloss No Wipe Glossy Gel Top Coat and cure to finish.

The surface of the Moon

Step 1 Prep the nail, then lightly mix the Tipex and Obsidian gel polish shades to create a marbled grey hue. Pick up the new colour with a small round brush and pat onto the nail. Cure.

Step 2 Add rough ‘C’ shapes to the nail using Obsidian. Do not cure.

Step 3 Use a small round brush to drag the uncured gel polish down, blending and fading it to create craters. Cure.

Step 4 Add dimension to the edge of the craters using the Tipex shade.

Step 5 Use Tipex to paint a curved line between the craters, adding dots and an arrow to show the Orion capsule’s trajectory. Paint a small compass-like design, cure, then apply Nail Mate Supergloss No Wipe Glossy Gel Top Coat. Cure.

Step 1 Prep the nail and apply one coat of Nail Mate Gel Polish in Bold Blue. Cure.

Step 2 Apply a coat of Nail Mate Cat Eye Gel Polish in Arctic Candy. Before curing, magnetise the particles into the centre of the nail using the Black Magnetic Wand. Then, hold the magnet at the bottom right of the design and move it in a curve, pushing the particles towards the cuticle area of the nail. Cure.

Step 3 Mix the Coconut Cream Cloud, Bold Blue and Emerald Envy gel polish shades on a palette, and use a short round brush to apply a dot of the mixture towards the base of the nail, creating the Earth. Combine the Tipex and Obsidian gel polishes to create a marbled grey shade, and use this to paint the Moon near the tip.

Step 4 Using the Tipex shade and a liner brush, paint a very fine line around the Earth and Moon in an infinity symbol shape. Cure.

Step 5 Add three Tipex dots to the line next to the Moon. These indicate a burn point: where the capsule burned fuel to accelerate. Paint another dot next to the Earth showing the Orion’s location. Add a second circular line around the Earth, then cure.

Step 6 Use the Tipex shade to paint the word ‘ORION’ next to the dot by the Earth and add tiny dots for stars. Cure, then apply Nail Mate Supergloss No Wipe Glossy Gel Top Coat. Cure to finish.

WINNING WISDOM

Being named Scratch Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year 2026 means more to me than I can put into words. I’ve spent the last few years pushing myself to become better, so to have my work recognised at this level feels incredibly special.

I’m proud that I won with a nail art look that felt completely and unapologetically ‘me’. I didn’t try to create what I thought a winning design should look like; I trusted my gut and painted something I genuinely love. Knowing that the parts of my work which make me different are the parts the judges connected with has given me so much confidence in myself and my art.

TOP TIP Don’t try to achieve full opacity immediately. This style involves a lot of layering, so keeping each painted section thin is really important. If a colour needs more coverage, build it gradually – and always cure between layers.