EightyEight, a nail art salon where you'll get serious fashion treatment

If you're seeking someserious statement nail art then make your way to the corner of Lyndhurst Terrace and Wellington Street in Central. Up a flight of stairs, you'll find EightyEight, a nail art salon that can create whatever your heart desires, whether that is galaxy designs, a reverse French manicure, or Swarovski crystals. This isn't your typical zen salon atmosphere — it's an experience as eclectic and cool as the owner herself, Stephanie Shek, a Central Saint Martins graduate who cut her teeth at Lane Crawford and Christie's.

The dramatic black-and-white decor is broken up with pops of colour from stuffed toys and photography books. As you sink into the glamorous Versailles-domed balloon salon chairs, you're served candies in a bowl and the playlist ranges from Jay Z to Jay Chou. Shek is a self-confessed mani-pedi addict but found that the salons doing the best nails were cramped holes-in-the-wall. EightyEight puts the whole experience together, she says, complete with amenities such as phone-charging stations.

The salon has a book full of designs and you can check out their Instagram page for inspiration. I bring in two images I found on Pinterest. On my left hand, I request a black-and-white marble effect. On the right, I ask that my fingers mimic a Mark Rothko painting when all lined up together.

The salon adds extensions to my natural nails first so the designs can be more prominent. They add about 2mm to my stubby excuses for nails.

The artist expertly dabs a tiny brush into a pot of dark-grey paint and creates streaks across my nails to simulate a marbled effect. The Rothko design takes a bit longer due to the multiple colours. The process can take as long as 90 minutes depending on the intricacy of the designs but the wait is worth it. My nails turn out exactly as requested, and they use polish bases that last three weeks without chipping.