If we’ve learned anything from the show so far, then we should know that that is absolutely true. Natalie Minerva, aka Nail Swag, is the celebrity nail artist who is bringing yet another layer of personality and depth to the beloved series.
Behind the Euphoria cast’s perfectly primped and polished nails actually lies a macrocosm of meaning, and office sat down with the mastermind behind it all to get the details.
How did you get started with nail art? I know it takes a really steady hand, so did you have an interest in other forms of art before?
I was definitely always an artsy kid growing up. I wasn't big on TV or video games. I really was more interested in painting and making things, so that's definitely always been a part of me. And my whole family's like that too. My mom has always been that way. My grandma and both my sisters work with their hands too. One of them is a makeup artist and the other one is a chef. So it kind of runs in our blood. But originally, I started doing nails kind of selfishly. At the time, I was going to school and I didn't have a lot of money — but I wanted cool nails to go with my outfits because I worked for this really big party. It's called 'A Club Called Rhonda' and it's very eccentric, gay, straight, trans — just kind of a mixture, a mish-mosh of people. So I always wanted to bring it when I was there. I started doing my own nails and posting on Instagram and I started garnering some interest from friends and stuff. I thought, 'Maybe I should go to nail school and do this as a side hustle.' Then actually that year at Coachella, I was talking to a friend and they said, 'You should just go for it. You should do it. You love doing this.' And I thought, 'I really do. I can't stop thinking about doing nails.' So at Coachella I actually called my dad and I quit college and I went to nail school. And that was that, that was it. That's how I started Nail Swag.
That's amazing. But that's how it goes with anything that you're passionate about. Like you said, you couldn't stop thinking about it. That's when you know that you kind of just have to make that jump.
Oh, I was obsessed. And even to this day, I mean, I've been doing it for 11 years now. And I still feel that way. It's crazy. It's a really fun job. I get to work with so many different kinds of people and I get to make art every day. And I think making art in the traditional sense, like physically painting something or drawing something, is sort of more rare these days. Most art is in the digital form, so doing something in a more traditional sense is really cool to me. It brings me a lot of joy. And it brings other people joy too. It's a feel-good job.
How would you describe your artistic vision or just your general approach to nail art in three words?
In a very simplistic way, 'Read the room.' And what I mean by that is, when I see a person I immediately am trying to pick up on their style and their personality. I'm not gonna give hot pink nails to a girl who is kind of goth-y and wears a lot of black. It's really important to interpret their taste. That's another three words I'd use to describe my approach too — ‘interpret their taste.’ Another three words would be, 'Just have fun.' It should be fun. It should be filled with joy, you know? I always try to be in that mindset when I'm coming up with stuff and also talking to the person and interpreting what it is that they like and what they're feeling.
And I think that’s what makes this medium of art so unique. As you said, there's so much freedom to do out of the box things — especially now that you're working on Euphoria. When you're approaching these designs for the characters in the show, do you usually already have an idea in mind for a certain character or is it more of a collaborative process between you and them?
It's super, super collaborative. Alexa has such a creative mind. She and Barbie — and all of them — they know their characters best. So I really listen to what they have to say and their input. They always come up with really great ideas and then I'll kind of take that and we'll put our own spin on it. So usually, I'll make a few samples and then I receive guidance from them. They'll say things like, 'I like this one the best,' or 'Can we combine those two?' And, of course, Donni has input as well, and Sam, the director and creator. So it's really such a team effort. It's great because there are things that maybe I wouldn't have necessarily thought of myself, but when I get input from the actors and the team, new things come up. That's what the goal is, right?
Other types of art, like painting, can be more internal processes. It's an independent process most of the time — but this is so different. The cool part about this is that your canvas is someone who also has beneficial contributions. It makes these ideas come to life even more because you have many different minds working at it.
Clients, all the time, bring new concepts to me and I'm like, 'Oh my God, I would never have come up with that and it's epic.' I love it. And that brings new creativity to me as well. It's really a symbiotic relationship.