Beauty Secrets We Learned From Jin Soon Choi

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In high fashion, there’s almost no such thing as effortless beauty. From facial treatments that leave your complexion dewy and luminous to the perfect winged eyeliner, experts reveal their most-trusted, insider hacks for CR‘s series, Beauty Secrets.

Jin Soon Choi fell into the world of nail art while working on fashion editorials early in her career in New York City. “It was totally on accident,” Choi tells CR. “I didn’t have any formal training on doing nail art. When I started working on photo shoots, it happened, and I had to teach myself everything at home.” Soon thereafter, Choi began hustling as a freelance nail artist, bicycling to her clients’ homes, many of whom were prominent editors, models, and celebrities, to offer personalized experiences. By 1999, she opened her first eponymous nail spa in the East Village, and would eventually open two others in Manhattan. Over the years, her bubbly personality and precise work has solidified her status as one of the premiere nail artists in the fashion industry, working season after season with Michael Kors, Versace, Moschino, and more.

The relationships she’s forged throughout her career have also been influential to her personal brand. Choi launched the Jin Soon Nail Lacquer line in 2012, with the first color options based on the timelessly in-demand shades designers wanted for shoots–three reds and three nudes. Since then, she’s added seasonal and trend colors, often enlisting her famous friends to help name the shades.

Here, CR picks the South Korean-native’s brain about the role of nail art on the runway, what inspires her, and how to maintain healthy nails.

How has your South Korean heritage informed your approach to nail art?
“I actually designed and sold a line of a woman’s clothing in Korea, so I got into checking all the patterns and the graphic designs for fabric, and it kind of opened my eyes into design.”

Have you seen a difference in how people approach nail art in different areas of the world?
“Yeah, actually when I started out–that was a long time ago–then, K-beauty hadn’t started yet and the very decorative nail art did not even exist. Now, K-beauty is just so crazy. And nail art is so crazy. They really dominate the market. But when I started, there was no particular country or any origins that did nail art. Yeah, so basically I’m an old hag.”

How would you describe your own nail art aesthetic?
“Mine is pretty modern and simple. Think of Ellsworth Kelly, the artist. That is my style. I’m more clean, simple, modern. Like a little part of Kandinsky–I could adopt part of Kandinsky. Not complicated, so more like a modern art base–that’s my aesthetic.”

When you work with designers, how do you approach nail art for the runway?
“For runway shows we don’t do a heavy design, which is good for me because I’m more into simple and clean. First, we check the collection and the colors and designs. Then we will try to create simple nail art that goes with the collection. Nail art is mostly, when you compare it to a movie, it’s like a supporting role. We support the designs. We support actual models. It’s not the main thing, but we are part of it.”

What do you like to do for your own nails?
“I feel like I’m a shoemaker’s child now. I don’t wear nail polish at all because I work a lot with my hands. I work on photo shoots, so I’m still not used to having any nail color. I like to keep my nails unpolished and very clean. I just cut my nails and use lotion whenever I wash my hands. Those are the two things I do. Boring.”

How do you recommend people care for their nails at home when they can’t make it to the spa?
“Even though they are dead cells, you need to moisturize your nails just like your hands and face. For example, let’s say you have vintage wooden furniture, right? If you don’t do anything, it looks very dry and sometimes it can be cracked. So you oil your furniture and it looks much better, and looks like new furniture. Same idea–your nails need to be moisturized. Number one thing: you need to have lots of cuticle oil, and then use it on your nail beds a few times a day. If your nails are dry, they’re going to be brittle. So moisturizing is the best nail care tip.”

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createdAt:Thu, 24 Oct 2019 18:38:12 +0000
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