This week, we caught back up with Shauwn Diva, a Detroit-based nail artist utilizing her talents at Ah’Mazin Hair and Nail Salon.
The Trend: Celebrities are a source of constant motivation—from inspiring new hairstyles to helping us muster up the courage to embrace a fresh fashion trend. Hand-drawn celeb faces on nails seem like a natural progression. The best pop culture portraits we’ve seen adorning fingertips are both intricate and impressively lifelike.
Read on to discover how the self-proclaimed Queen of Nails paid respect to the late King of New York with her “Notorious” manicure.
EBONY: What inspired the design?
Shauwn Diva: Two pieces of clothing from my wardrobe: my T-shirt with the same image inspired the Notorious B.I.G drawing [and] a set of printed leggings inspired the Notorious graffiti. I wore the leggings with the shirt.
EBONY: How was the design created?
SD: I used Black Knight by Jade as the base of the Biggie Smalls design and Luxe by Orly for his crown. Using a Solaris nail art brush pen, I created the detailing in black and white craft paint by Apple Barrel, then finished the image with a makeup sponge to fade the look.
For the remaining four nails, I used Snow White by Jade as the base for the graffiti design. On top, I blended Strut Your Stuff by Essie and Pink Show by QRS. Then the black and white craft paint came back into play to create the brick detail and lettering.
EBONY: This design uses multiple colors. How much drying time in-between nail polish shades?
SD: I applied thin coats and dabbed each individual color on each nail. The polishes dried in seconds due to the thin application and blending with a sponge.
EBONY: What’s one piece of advice you would give to aspiring nail artists?
SD: Don’t be afraid to use realistic images to create different looks on nails. Go for it! Being different is what sets you apart from the rest.
Check out more designs by Shauwn Diva on Instagram @Queenofnails.
—Loren Lee
