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Nail art like you have never seen it before! Known for her hand-painted, detailed illustrations and unique nail “sculptures,” Mei Kawajiri’s ability to paint photo-realistic images sans stencils, stickers or other pre-fab tools has placed her work in a field of its own. Born in Japan, her work is so unique it took her just a couple of years to build up an impressive clientele once she moved to New York in 2012.
“I never formally studied art. I always loved drawing though and realized I could incorporate that into creating nail art.”
Her Style: With pop art illustrations, miniature geometric prints, detailed portraits and 3D sculptures, nail designs created by Mei Kawajiri really justify the term ‘nail art’. In fact ‘nail fine art’ would be more appropriate. Known for collaborating with her clients, she draws inspiration from things she sees online, whether they be paintings, geometric shapes, fabrics, textures or images. Mei doesn’t paint nails one by one, but works by color, so that you can’t really tell what the design will be until she’s done. She does everything freehand, with a teeny tiny brush that's barely thicker than a few hairs: the level of detail is astounding.
Her Clients: Heidi Klum, Janelle Monae, Lana Del Rey, Meghan Trainer, and Hannah Bronfman, as well as photographers like Terry Richardson.
Follow her: For the best in absolutely stunning nail inspiration. A true artist on the world’s smallest canvas, she can create something so detailed and so intricate to even something as simple as a vertical line.