Anita Chahal of Anita Chahal Creative Designer Nails, North Wales, shares how she created this enchanting, extreme length design and its romantic inspirations.
The talented tech, who has been in the nail industry for 23 years, is an educator for Nail & Beauty Excellence (NBE). At Nailympia London 2022, she scooped accolades in the three Division 2 categories she entered: 2nd place for the Reality Nails and Invent A Nail Shape categories, and 1st place for Runway Nails.
Her wins at Nailympia London 2022 are one of her biggest achievements and have solidified her love for creating bespoke styles. She enjoys crafting extreme designs like this Valentine’s Day-inspired look, which was created for Nail Krush. “When the brand asked me to create a unique design for February, it was natural for me to opt for rose nail art,” Anita says. “This technique is one I educate about via NBE, and it is one of my personal favourites. It’s simple and elegant but so striking, and I feel that the extreme shape and elongated edge gives the style a sleekness, before the matte finish completes the look.”
Via Nail & Beauty Excellence, Anita offers one-to-one training covering a huge variety of nail techniques, and shares how the education team at the brand is incredibly supportive and every member pushes one another to achieve their best. Educating is nothing new to the nail pro, who taught nail students at her local college for nine years. “I had the opportunity to take my learners to WorldSkills competitions, where we won two 2nd places for two years running. It was very emotional for me to nurture talents that students didn’t realise they had and to see them achieve so much. My time at the college is part of my nail journey I will always treasure,” Anita smiles.
When talking about competing, the nail pro has an optimistic and resilient attitude, revealing that her Nailympia London wins were a surprise after not placing in 2021, but proof that you should never give up. “With hard work and determination, anything is achievable,” she comments. “If I don’t place, I know feedback is key and I try again.
“It’s important to remember that competing is not all about winning; it’s about taking part and challenging yourself, coming out of your comfort zone and giving it a go.”
She also cites support from industry colleagues, friends, family and social media followers for pushing her to excel with her nail creations, as she has done with her extreme Valentine’s design. “The nails were sculpted using NBE’s Core Acrylic Powders, and filed to the correct length and shape,” shares Anita. “I used a black base: NBE Gel Excellence Gel Polish in Onyx, then applied NBE Blooming Lovely Gel, ready for NBE Gel Excellence Gel Polish in White Light, to disperse when applied as rose petals. Once cured, I defined the rose edges using the white shade. Red hue, NBE Gel Excellence Gel Polish in Pillar Box, was thinly applied over the whole rose design and cured, before I added embellishments and applied NBE Velvet Matte Top Coat to finish.”
For those wishing to recreate the design, Anita details that it could be adapted to any length and while she used crystals, studs, chains, beads and needle points, she states that it is the nail tech’s choice about how much to embellish the style.