The Limitless Creativity of Nail Artist Eri Ishizu
COURTESY OF ERI ISHIZU
Nail art is an important part of any look, especially on the red carpet. A lot of work goes into the hair, makeup, and styling of a red carpet look, but what about the nails? While some opt for simple and elegant colors that complement their look, others choose flashy, detailed nails that further enhance their overall look. No matter the style of nail, it takes tremendous talent and creativity to make that form of art. Eri Ishizu is one of those tremendously talented nail artists behind some of the most intricate and elaborate nail designs.
COURTESY OF ERI ISHIZU
Eri Ishizu knows how to take a simple design and make it fabulous. She specializes in creative designs, 3D charms, and colorful pigments. Her work is bold, sparkly, classic, fresh, elegant, trendy, and most of all spectacular. Perfectly shaped simple nails with colors that complement a look, groovy and fun patterns, and flashy red carpet ready nail art are all in her repertoire. There’s no doubt that if you love fashion and beauty, you’ve seen her designs somewhere. You can find her nail art on magazine covers, in music videos, and on the red carpet of major events including the Met Gala.
COURTESY OF ERI ISHIZU
Lizzo and her flute left quite the impression at the Met Gala, and while she played her flute, her one-of-a-kind nails were on full display. The long onyx black corkscrew nails with a gold chrome ombre effect were the work of Eri Ishizu. The nails were the perfect addition to Lizzo’s gilded look. Ramla Ali, a professional boxer, made her debut at the Met Gala with the help of Ishizu’s nail expertise, and Imaan Hammam entrusted Ishizu to create a nail look to complement her powder blue Oscar de la Renta gown. Gwen Stefani’s neon Vera Wang look featured matching neon nails courtesy of Eri Ishizu. The Met definitely shows how in demand Eri is.
As the daughter of a hair stylist, Ishizu was destined to work in the beauty industry. She started her career at a nail salon in Japan, and she realized her dream of doing Alicia Keys’ nails. This motivated her to move to New York. She found a job at Marie Nails, which is one of a few salons that focus on Japanese nail art. Her creativity and talent blossomed while working at this salon, and so in 2016 she branched off and started doing freelance work. She landed major clients like Angie Martinez and Lizzo in her first year doing freelance, and from there her career took off. While she hasn’t yet done Alicia Keys’ nails, she has worked with celebrities including: Ciara, Yara Shahidi, Latto, Issa Rae, Laverne Cox, Kehlani, and Naomi Campbell.
One of my favorite looks Ishizu has created was for Lizzo’s ‘Rumors’. The long stilettos featured gold chains and Swarovski crystals and matched the glamorous energy of Lizzo and ‘Rumors’. Another memorable creation of Ishizu is the stiletto nails with a crocodile print that she made for Latto. Eri Ishizu has an endless imagination and soaring creativity which are showcased in her nail art.
COURTESY OF ERI ISHIZU