Needle Nail Tattoo- Everything You Need to Know about This Rising Trend

A recent trend is on the horizon that is slated to become very popular on social media, especially Instagram. It’s called needle nail tattoos. Are you interested? At least curious? Well, be sure to read on, because we’re going to cover everything you need to know about this nail trend.

What Are Needle Nail Tattoos?

Needle nail tattoos are artwork that’s needled upon your fingernails. These tattoos can be as simple as a single vertical line down your nail or as ornate and complicated as initials, a small design, or even a fancy outline around the base of your nailbed.

This is a unisex trend, since, like all tattoos, needle nails are completely up to you.

Who Popularized Them?

Los Angeles fashion consultant Ambie Stapleton was frustrated with her manicures constantly being ruined by the pressures of everyday life (hello, frequent hand-washing!). She paired up with tattoo master Christian Boyd to create the needle nail tattoos.

The two were inspired by the fingernail decorations sported by models on the JonBoy and Gucci runways. When Stapleton showed off her own fingernail tattoos at Paris Men’s Fashion Week this year, the two decided to make needle nail art an official venture.

Are They Permanent?

Yes and no. Boyd does indeed use tattoo ink on your fingernails, so it’s not like you can smudge it or wipe it away with repeated hand washings and bathing like you could with henna art. That said, unlike skin, fingernails grow up and out. That means your tattoo will gradually start moving and eventually have to be cut off by nail clippers.

Are the Tattoos Painful?

According to Stapleton herself, the answer is no. Since only the nail’s surface is tattooed and not any deeper than that, the procedure is actually fairly comfortable and pretty quick.

Where Can You Get Them?

For now, the only place you can get authentic needle nail tattoos is at Stapleton and Boyd’s Needle Nails boutique in LA. As the trend catches on, though, you can be sure that more and more tattoo shops will start offering fingernail tattooing in addition to tattooing of the skin.

Header Photo by @revista_be on Instagram