When Mei Kawajiri moved from Harijuku, Japan to New York a year and a half ago, she didn’t speak a word of English. Fast-forward to the present day and Mei is one of New York City’s most requested freelance nail artists, catering to stars like Lana Del Rey and Hannah Bronfman, and is easily the warmest, most talkative manicurist I’ve ever encountered.
In honor of our June/July music issue (on stands now!), we asked Mei to create a HAIM "The Wire"-inspired mani you can recreate at home. Check out the slideshow to get a closer look and a step-by-step guide!
You can check out Mei’s work on Instagram using @ciaomanhattan2012 and #nailsbymei and book an appointment with her at nailsbymei.com.
*Disclaimer: Mei used gel nail polishes, but since they are not typically home-accessible, we substituted them with a few of our favorite lacquers.