Halloween, when Hong Kong is inundated with themed parties upon parties, is one of the city’s most lively occasions.
But the devil is in the detail: when it comes to Halloween get-ups, your nail art, from simple, claw-shaped stilettos in black and red to complicated styles rooted in alternative fashion, is important.
Halloween is an occasion when anything goes. What might usually be seen as too obscure or out of the ordinary is welcomed and celebrated – particularly on social media. Chemical Nail and Lila0nail are two Hong Kong nail parlours that focus on such unconventional aesthetics.
“Halloween styles don’t necessarily have to be complicated – you can start with changing the shape of your nails,” says nail artist Eva Yu, who founded Chemical Nail in 2021, in Kwun Tong, Kowloon.
Stars like Harry Styles and Kris Wu are normalising men’s nail art
Stars like Harry Styles and Kris Wu are normalising men’s nail art
City dwellers with full-time desk jobs may find talons an impractical choice. A more down-to-earth suggestion comes from Yeung Mei-mei, the nail artist who founded Lila0nail – in Tsuen Wan in the New Territories – in 2020.
“In terms of this year’s Halloween nail art trends, I think that shape-wise, it’ll be claws and all kinds of irregular shapes, perhaps even teeth-shaped nails,” says Yeung.
“The colours will have a zombie vibe, with a dusty effect over nude and natural polish; and of course, elements of black and blood-red ombre are always in fashion this time of year.”
Yeung says that, while most people get their nails done with a “more decent or elegant aesthetic for special occasions” like weddings, her unconventional style has attracted clients after something more unique.
Yu founded Chemical Nail as a space where she could be creative and have more fun with her designs.
Every day can be Halloween if you want it to be
Like attracts like. As Yu says: “Most of my clients came to me after seeing my work on Instagram, and many, as I’ve found, have more or less the same tastes as me.”
Even so, Yu believes that “different nail artists will produce different results”.
“I like to think that I’m a flexible nail artist – often the client’s design request can be quite vague and informal, perhaps decided at the moment or based on artworks for reference,” says Yu.
“Each job has its own challenges, and the clients who trust my sensibility and let me go wild with my designs give me a lot of room to develop my skills and help make my work more enjoyable and interesting.”
Both Yu and Yeung dabble in the fashion industry and glam up models’ and celebrities’ nails for magazine editorials and other photo shoots, which allows them to be more creative with their work.
Both also recognise that, when it comes to their nail parlours, everyday Hongkongers have different needs.
“I’m always down for strange nail looks – every day can be Halloween if you want it to be. But I understand that many Hongkongers are in industries which may not allow dramatic, over-the-top nails, so Halloween has become a reason for us to go a bit crazy,” says Yeung.
Yu agrees: “Halloween is the one time a year we can dress up however we want despite societal judgment, so don’t be afraid to get weird and make it happen.”
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