Emelie Westin (@beautiful_in_light) spent much of her life in the dance studio, and it wasn’t until 2016 that she decided that she wanted to get her education in nails.
She later pursued training in advanced nail art in 2020 and, around that time, decided to go into business with her friend and colleague Malin Schlott. The two founded Nail Art Queens, offering a web shop of nail enhancements and online education. We sat down with Westin, who told us a little more about herself, how she got here and her inspiration behind the cover.
Nailpro (NP): How did you get started in the industry?
Emelie Westin (EW): I started working as a nail technician in 2016 and began doing advanced nail art in 2020. Today, I work as an international educator teaching advanced nail art. I have a company (Nail Art Queens) together with my colleague and friend Malin.
NP: What areas of nails are your favorite?
EW: In my opinion, every single area of nails are equally important.
NP: What inspired the cover?
EW: I started dancing when I was three years old, and that has been a huge part of my life ever since, both as a dancer and a dance teacher. When I got the opportunity to create the cover for Nailpro, I really wanted to create something that would represent me, both as a nail technician and personally. Creating nails with a ballet/Swan Lake theme was my first thought, and it felt right from the very first second. The flowers, crystals and caviar beads symbolize gracefulness and the mini frosted crystals symbolize snow, frost and glitter.
How-To:
Balletcore nails featured on Nailpro's November/December 2023 cover by Emelie Westin.Courtesy of Emelie Westin
- Build five of the nails with light pink builder gel.
- Paint five of the nails in a faded French manicure.
- Use the same pink builder gel for the pink nails and the faded nails. This will make them a perfect match.
- File and apply matte top coat on the pink nails. Add a clear topcoat on the faded French nails.
- Start building the flower petals using a white 3D gel. Begin with the bigger petals and work your way in towards the center. Cure each petal to make sure they don’t get destroyed when you build the next petal.
- Fill in each petal with a pink color. Apply the color closest to the center of the petals and fade it out towards the end of the petals. Apply a matte top coat on the flowers, and cure.
- Apply clear builder gel where you want the caviar beads, crystals and mini crystals, and apply them with a pick up tool. Add crystals to the center of the flowers for some extra sparkle, and cure.
On the Cover
Nail Artist: Emelie Westin
Photographer: Emelie Westin
Makeup: Alma Edbom
