The Illustrated Nail

The Illustrated Nail is a British nail-art brand created by London nail artist Sophie Harris-Greenslade. It began in 2011 as a blog documenting her elaborate, hand-painted nail designs [1], and later lent its name to a range of press-on nails. The brand is dormant: its last documented product launch and trade-press coverage date to 2018, and its original website domain has since been repurposed. The press-on nails still appear in stock at some UK retailers, but no new brand activity has surfaced since.

Sophie Harris-Greenslade studied illustration and animation at Kingston University before qualifying as a nail technician. She launched The Illustrated Nail as a blog in 2011 to show off nail designs ranging from Hot Wheels flames to cherry blossoms, while building a client base at a Spitalfields market stall she shared with her sister [1]. The name reflects the founder's approach: original artwork painted directly onto fingernails rather than conventional manicures.

As a working nail artist, Harris-Greenslade has been credited with clients including Rihanna, whom she has described as her most memorable [1], along with Rita Ora and Nicole Scherzinger [3]. Her designs have appeared in publications such as Vogue, Elle and Stylist [3].

According to the company, the press-on line was intended to answer frequent requests to buy her designs. "My aim was to create a wearable style with a slightly shorter length and fun designs," Harris-Greenslade said of the collection [3]. The faux nails recreate her hand-painted artwork and carry playful names such as Hazy Daze, To The Moon and Back, and Pink Lazy Daisy. Priced in the drugstore range, they sit at the accessible end of the market rather than as a premium product.

The brand's two documented milestones are its 2011 start as a blog [1] and the 2018 debut of its press-on collection, produced in partnership with British manufacturer H&A and sold through Boots in stores and online [4]. Sources record slightly different launch dates in August 2018: Diary Directory cites 15 August [4], while Cosmetics Business gives 28 August [3]. Both agree the line reached Boots that month.

The Illustrated Nail is dormant. The most recent brand-specific coverage and its last documented product launch both date to 2018, and no newer product news has appeared since. The founder remains an active session nail artist, but the branded line has not shown further activity. The domain once associated with the brand, theillustratednail.com, no longer serves the nail business and now hosts unrelated content; the brand's historical official presence was a Tumblr blog. Some of the press-on designs remained listed and in stock at third-party UK retailers at the time of writing.