We’ve seen living succulent jewelry before, but Australian artist Roz Borg takes the idea of these accessories to a whole new level. She too dons rings and bracelets made of the colorful plants, but has now found a way to supplement them with tiny arrangements on her fingernails. They seemingly grow from the ends of her hands, giving a whole new meaning to green thumb.
Borg is on the cutting edge of this unconventional nail art. “I had been making real succulent jewelry and wanted to use the same application on something I had never seen baby succulents used on before,” she explained to The Huffington Post. “I Googled it and didn’t get any hits on anything, so I went for it.”
Creating this manicure requires patience. To begin, Borg cuts and attaches baby succulents on a faux nail using a floral adhesive called Oasis glue. Once dry, she sticks the arrangement to her real nails. It takes about an hour—per hand—to achieve this look, but the results are awe-inspiring. “People are stunned when they realize it’s real live plants, not 3D sculpting,” Borg says. “Some people are grossed out, but most love it!”
Although this nail art doesn’t last forever, it still remains a sustainable practice. “The oasis glue eventually releases,” Borg reported, “and I can plant the baby succulents and they can grow happily.”
