Beyond Black: Hilli’s Gothic Nail Guide
Hilli, your gothic nail tech, on seductive Dracula inspiration, jewel-toned classics and the future of dark nails
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Photo Credit: @beautybyhillsxx
In a beauty landscape that churns through micro-trends at the speed of a scroll, Hilli moves differently. Her work does not chase relevance, it cultivates atmosphere. Each set is shaped by an instinct for contrast and a reverence for gothic detail that refuses to be rushed.
She approaches each nail set as an artist approaches a canvas, building miniature worlds where ombrés gleams against velvet shadow and milky white meets deliberate linework with surgical clarity. Spending time in cosmetics refined her understanding of texture and balance long before she ever lifted a brush toward acrylic. What emerges now is not trend-driven gothic, but something steadier — a visual language that understands the dark aesthetic at its core.
1. Your work feels art-driven rather than trend-led. Did you come from a formal art background, or did your creative voice develop through working in the nail space?
I don’t come from a traditional fine art school background, but I do come from art. I spent over ten years working in cosmetics and as a makeup artist, which deeply shaped how I see colour, texture, balance, and faces as canvases. Creativity has always been part of my life.
My mom is an art teacher and my grandfather was a painter, so working with my hands has always felt natural. I struggled in traditional school settings, and discovering expressive, hands-on work finally felt aligned with who I actually am. Nails became the perfect medium for me: detailed, personal, and rooted in artistry rather than trends.
2. Spring/Summer often calls for lighter colours, but you do a fantastic job of interpretting seasonal trends through a distinctly gothic lens. What are a few dark aesthetic trends you are most excited to see emerge or continue this season? How do you interpret dark feminine energy for spring and summer without losing its bite?
I love taking traditional spring and summer colours and giving them a gothic twist. This season, I’m drawn to dark lace influences, sheer washes of colour, bold linework, and chrome accents.
Anything that plays with contrast excites me. Dark aesthetics don’t vanish with the seasons. They simply transform.
Photo Credit: @beautybyhillsxx
3. Beyond the seasonal shifts, what are the essential, enduring 'gothic classics' in nail design that you feel every enthusiast should know or try at least once? What classic styles or motifs do your clients return to again and again?
Black-on-black textures, deep reds, dark chromes, smoky detailing and moody ombrés are essential foundations every nail artist should explore. Clients always come back for black and red smoky ombrés or red cat-eye over black with chrome borders. Red and black truly never fail.
Lately, I’ve also loved seeing people branch into deeper jewel tones like dark purples and emerald greens while keeping that gothic mood intact. It feels like a natural evolution that still honours the foundation.
Photo Credit: @beautybyhillsxx
4. If a client asked for a “Dracula” inspired set, what elements would you focus on to make it feel seductive rather than costumy/kitsch?
No literal fangs or cartoon blood. I’d focus on deep wine tones, high-gloss black, subtle chrome accents, and sheer bases with shadowy details. Think silk capes, candlelight, and dramatic features.
It should feel romantic, mysterious and elegant rather than costume-driven.
Photo Credit: @beautybyhillsxx
5. Bride of Frankenstein is an iconic gothic muse. How would you translate her darkly romantic sense of rebellion into a modern nail design theme?
I’d lean into a more romantic interpretation. A milky white base paired with sharp black linework for contrast, then finished with chrome or velvet textures. It keeps her darkly romantic, rebellious energy while feeling elevated and modern, not costumey.
Photo Credit: @beautybyhillsxx
6. Healthy nails are the foundation of any good set. What are your non-negotiable care tips for clients regarding at-home nail care to ensure their manicures last and their natural nails stay healthy?
Wear gloves when cleaning, don’t use your nails as tools, avoid picking and always book your next set on time. When we both take care of the nails, the results are always better.
7. Your designs feel cohesive even when they’re intricate and detailed. Can you walk us through your creative process from concept to finished set?
My process really depends on what my client is looking for. For collaborative sets, I take their vision and build around it. When I have full creative freedom, I usually sketch out each nail on paper so I can clearly map the design.
Inspiration comes from many places. Sometimes it’s online references, sometimes it’s combining elements from different ideas, and other times a design just comes to me unexpectedly. I always write those moments down quickly so they don’t disappear. What I love most is that the designs I least expect to resonate often end up connecting the most.
Photo Credit: @beautybyhillsxx
8. From the perspective of an expert technician, what is one thing you wish clients better understood about the process, cost or maintenance involved in complex nail art? What do you wish people knew before sitting in your chair?
I’m incredibly grateful for my clients. They respect my time, my artistry and the passion I put into my work. Detailed nail art takes time.
While I’ve become faster over the years, highly intricate sets, especially when every nail is different, require patience, precision and focus. Time is part of the cost. In a city like Los Angeles, you can choose a quick, inexpensive service, or you can invest in a fully customized set created with intention and care. That investment is what allows the work to truly shine.
9. For those looking to enter the profession, what is the single most important piece of advice you'd give them about building skill, finding clientele and/or navigating the business side of being a nail tech?
The best advice I received when starting out was to give myself three years to become profitable. That mindset changed everything.
Those early years are difficult. You question whether you’re doing the right thing or if you should give up entirely.
I didn’t start in a traditional salon. I built my clientele organically. My background in retail cosmetics taught me how to connect with people, build trust and create real relationships. This is ultimately a luxury self-care service. Clients come in to relax, feel good, and be taken care of.
Showing up with a good attitude, listening, and genuinely caring about people is just as important as technical skill.
10. With gothic design being central to your work, what draws you to darker aesthetics, and what keeps you inspired within that visual world?
I’ve always been drawn to darker aesthetics. It showed up in my makeup work, how I dressed and the visual world I gravitated toward long before nails.
I also model on the side as a plus-size model and have worked with gothic brands like Killstar, Blackcraft, Forest Ink and others, so that world has always felt natural to me.
Bringing that aesthetic into my nail work allows me to show people nontraditional designs they may not have considered before. That sense of creative freedom and self-expression is a major reason my work resonates and performs so well on social media.
Hilli’s work moves beyond surface-level beauty and into something much more considered. Her gothic sensibility is not an aesthetic adopted for effect; it’s the lens through which she sees colour, contrast and composition.
Nail art became the place where creative vision could live in detail, scaled into something intimate and exacting. Each set reflects discipline and devotion to her craft, contributing to gothic art in the form of ten miniature canvases with every set.
To follow Hilli’s ongoing work, visit @beautybyhillsxx, and subscribe below to receive our free monthly digital issue, where conversations like this continue to unfold.
