#NowTrending: Fairy Liquid nails

Scratch chats to Sophie Parkinson of Soph Builds Nails about how she created the instantly recognisable Fairy Liquid nail art design, featured on our Instagram in November 2020.

I’ve been doing nails since 2019, but I really got into it over lockdown, and perfected my craft throughout this time. At first, I was mainly good at sculpting a simple almond shape extension with builder gel, hence why my username is @soph_builds_nails! I wasn’t too good at the nail art side of things in the beginning, but I have a knack for picking skills up pretty quickly. I practiced so often throughout lockdown, it just got better from there.

I love doing designs that incorporate as many colours as possible, such as recreations of funky art pieces, for example. Those are the ones that really stand out to me! I also have a passion for just generally creating things that are a bit out of the ordinary

I started out using really cheap products as I only did nails for myself, but once I got more into it, and people started asking if I could sell them custom press ons, I decided to invest in The Gel Bottle products! I still love using brands like Makartt and Orly.

These nails are actually press ons, which probably made it easier to create! As the curvature of the nail is so deep, it gives you a large surface area for the liquid inside to flow nicely.

I first created a thin backing with builder gel, and a thin plug for the centre of the nail and top of the nail. I attached the first plug where my free edge starts on the press ons, so they really are custom to my nail. After this, I capped any edges and filled any holes so the liquid couldn’t seep out.

I then painted the nail with a mixture of jelly polishes from Makartt to get the perfect green that matches the green of Fairy Liquid. I carefully painted the logo on the front – conveniently, it covered up the first plug by the free edge.

I filled the liquid chamber with baby oil, put the second plug on the top, sealed and cured it. Then, I added detail with builder gel, to create those glassy swirls the fairy liquid bottle has, as well as the top and red cap of the bottle. Lastly, I added a shiny topcoat and a matte topcoat for the label, to give it the illusion of paper.

As I haven’t been in this industry for very long, I really admire the love and support everyone has for each other. I also love how creative people get with nails, it’s like wearing miniature pieces of art.

A highlight of what I’ve done so far with nails, would definitely have to be this specific nail blowing up. I remember being so shocked seeing it first on Dazed Beauty’s Instagram, then on Scratch Magazine’s page! It’s been crazy to see how much people have loved it, either thinking it’s a hilarious joke or an amazing piece of art.

Doing this nail design has really opened a door for me, to allow me to experiment with more out of the box and quirky nail art ideas. It’s incredible knowing that someone, somewhere, could really enjoy what I’ve created!

Follow Sophie’s nail journey on Instagram, here.