Nail artists are some of the most creative people in the beauty world. And sometimes, they come up with a trend so wild that even hearing about it has you wondering… why did they do that ?
Of course, once you see them, you might change your mind…
Meet Roz Borg.
She’s an artist based in Australia. Her main tools of the trade? Succulents, bromeliads, lilies and air plants.
Yup, she’s a botanical artist! She uses her favorite plants to create living, breathing art.
The world is her canvas.
She utilizes unexpected mediums to show off her art, like these incredible hoop earrings.
She’s also made succulent rings, wreaths, hair crowns, and pieces of wall art! If she can dream it, she can create a living garden on it.
She decided to branch out into nail art.
“I had been making real succulent jewelry and wanted to use the same application on something I had never seen baby succulents used on before,” she told the Huffington Post .
The succulents are totally alive!
“People are stunned when they realize it’s real live plants, not 3D sculpting,” she said. “Some people are grossed out, but most love it!”
What if I’m right in the middle of both camps?
And before you ask, don’t worry — the plants are totally fine!
She uses a special kind of floral glue, called oasis glue, to adhere the baby succulents to a fake nail.
“The oasis glue eventually releases and I can plant the baby succulents and they can grow happily.”
The trend took off immediately.
People absolutely loved the idea of reusable, sustainable nail art. Instead of having to remove and throw your old nails away, you can literally plant your succulents and watch them grow!
The mother of all nail YouTubers even tried it.
Cristine, aka Simply Nailogical, made a whole video trying out the succulent nail trend.
She used real plants, too, and put them over a holo base (of course). She also put one in her hair, because why not?
These nails have floating succulents in them!
This is a really cool take on the trend — it involves the same 3D design that made it famous, but on a slightly tamer level.
Well, tamer in that you won’t catch the succulents on your hair in the shower, anyway.
These nails are clay!
This artist handmade their succulents out of clay. They were originally meant to be sold on Etsy, but they decided they liked them so much that they kept them for themselves!
I would totally do that.
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These nails have a single succulent accent.
If you can’t commit to a whole set of nails with tiny succulents on them, this would be a good place to start.
That purple color looks so good against the green of the succulents.
Some nail artists painted their own 3D terrarium.
These nails have succulents painted on a base, then have layers of clear polish built up over top of them to give the illusion of a glass terrarium! I totally want these nails.
This person handmade their succulents.
Rather than having a live garden on their nails, this artist chose to hand-make every single succulent for their nails.
This is great if you want to make them last a little longer… or if you don’t want to water your nails.
If 3D nails aren’t your speed…
Then have them painted on! If your nail artist is up for it, you can have your own little plant friends in regular ‘ol 2D.
How cute are they when paired with a glitter polish?
These ones have a light sprinkling of succulents.
You know, as a treat.
@vivxue on Instagram hand-crafted these succulents out of acrylic, which is shocking — they look so real!
I love that the acrylic succulents can be done in those gorgeous blue colors.
These are more modern.
And I’m obsessed with them! @themermaidpolish on Instagram is incredibly talented. Those succulents and flowers aren’t stamps — they’re all hand-painted! I have no choice but to bow down before this nail queen.
Cartoons are just so necessary.
What’s life without some fun cartoons? Boring, that’s what. These succulent nails are of the 2D variety, and they’re so sweet!
I especially love the sneaky face on the thumb. That cactus looks so frickin’ cute.
Roz experimented with a few textures.
She put honest to goodness dirt on her nails. Luckily, as she explained, these are all acrylic nails that she can pop off of her nails pretty easily. But still — the mess those would make!
I straight-up want this manicure.
Look at that monstera leaf! How have I never thought to put a monstera leaf on my nails before? Guys, we all must try this.
These are all hand-painted, which definitively proves nail art is real art.
These have a little glam addition.
Pointed nails? Check. Ombré polish? Check. Handmade succulents? Check. A rhinestone for some extra shine? Oh, big time check.
These nails are tiny works of art. Check out how each tip has a different color. That’s so gorgeous!
These are so unique.
These succulent nails are more minimalist in their design, which is a nice change! @atlnaildesigns made these ones happen with the help of a stamping plate and some black polish.
Roz posted a featured video of her process.
Insider Beauty interviewed her about her process and how she came up with the nails!
Basically, she was bored and looking for new ideas for her botanical art. The rest is internet history!
