Meet Ayumi Motegi: Valley NYC’s Nail Artist to the Stars

Born in Saitama, Japan, Ayumi Motegi is a celebrity nail artist at Valley Nails. A whimsy artist at heart, Ayumi is the sweetest and one of the most talented nail artists out there. With her repertoire of high clientele like Willow Smith, Neon Hitch, and Jemima Kirke, she is always thinking of fashion-forward designs that are both unique and on trend. If you have a vision of what you want, no matter how outlandish, Ayumi can create it for you on your nail bed. Make sure to reserve an appointment ahead of time though- she’s constantly booked!

Her Favorite Polishes: “I love RGB and Butter London. They have really pretty colors and my favorites are the nude and teal.”

Craziest Request: “Sushi”

Nail Trend To Retire: “People usually have an accent nail on their ring finger, but I like when the colors and designs are all mismatched and in a different order. It’s a lot more interesting and fun.”

Specialty: “The airbrush technique is really beautiful; I love mixing and matching pastel colors for a sweet effect.”

Dream Client: “I’d love to do Katy Perry’s nails one day.”

Donna Kim is a multimedia lifestyle journalist, on-air trend expert and professional makeup artist. Her work has been featured on NBC’s “The Today Show”, “New York Live/LXTV,” Racked.com, Huffington Post Style, Kmart Fashion, QVC, “The Village Voice,” Shecky’s Media, to name a few. She has a Master’s in broadcast journalism from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s in media, culture and communication from NYU. Follow her on Twitter @DonnaDaily and to check out her work, visit her blog www.DonnaDaily.com.