{"id":276463,"date":"2021-06-16T22:01:01","date_gmt":"2021-06-16T19:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/bronx-nail-artist-designs-dazzling-in-the-heights-claws\/"},"modified":"2021-06-16T22:01:01","modified_gmt":"2021-06-16T19:01:01","slug":"bronx-nail-artist-designs-dazzling-in-the-heights-claws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/bronx-nail-artist-designs-dazzling-in-the-heights-claws\/","title":{"rendered":"#Bronx nail artist designs dazzling ‘In The Heights’ claws"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Bronx nail artist designs dazzling ‘In The Heights’ claws<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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Three years ago, Lisset Robles was living with her parents and two siblings in The Bronx\u2019s Mill Brook Houses, practicing her nail art in a small corner of the living room. Now, her work is in the summer\u2019s hottest movie.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Robles, of ArdelysBeauty<\/a> (Ardelys is her middle name), did the glorious nail art in \u201cIn the Heights,\u201d now screening in theaters and streaming on\u00a0HBO Max<\/a>. Her jewel-encrusted, brightly colored, intricately patterned talons adorn the hands of the film\u2019s saucy \u201csalon ladies\u201d \u2014 played by Daphne Rubin-Vega, Dascha Polanco and Stephanie Beatriz \u2014 and their fabulously turned-out patrons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still can\u2019t believe it,\u201d Robles, 25, told The Post in her native Spanish.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Robles came to the US with her family from the Dominican Republic when she was 14, joining her grandparents in The Bronx. Her mother quickly got a job at a fast-food restaurant; her father worked as a diesel mechanic. Still, Robles had a hard time adjusting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cried and cried because I wanted to go back to my country,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI started high school here and the other kids teased me because I didn\u2019t understand the language.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Robble's
Roble\u2019s ornate nail art designs are featured on Dascha Polanco\u2019s \u201cIn the Heights\u201d character, Cuca. After her first encounter with the actress she said, \u201cI said, \u2018Look! I did a famous person!\u2019 \u201d<\/figcaption>
Courtesy of Lisset Robles<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Robles always had an interest in art and fashion. As a young girl in the Dominican Republic, she made necklaces and bracelets out of stones and found objects and sold them to her neighbors. But she hadn\u2019t thought of doing nails until a bad experience at a salon in 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe woman passed the electric nail file so much to the point that [my nail] started bleeding,\u201d Robles said. \u201cFrom then on, I bought my own materials to do my nails myself at home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the time, Robles was getting her degree in business administration and marketing, but she signed up for a nail course during her summer break. That led to a job at a salon in Williamsburg, and she began racking up clients.<\/p>\n

One day, a gorgeous fellow Dominicana booked an app<\/a>ointment, and the two hit it off. \u201cI thought, \u2018I know you from somewhere,\u2019 \u201d said Robles. Later, she saw her name in her log book: it was \u201cOrange is the New Black\u201d star Polanco. \u201cI said, \u2018Look! I did a famous person!\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Manicurist
Manicurist Robles \u201ccan\u2019t believe\u201d that her nail art is featured in the musical \u201cIn The Heights\u201d.<\/figcaption>
Photo by Stefano Giovannini<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Polanco would travel<\/a> to The Bronx to get her nails done by Robles \u2014 the two dreaming up increasingly complex designs. So when the actress nabbed the role of Cuca in \u201cIn the Heights,\u201d she suggested her co-stars get their nails done by Robles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, \u2018Why wouldn\u2019t I give this opportunity to an immigrant, a young Dominican girl in The Bronx, to showcase her art on-screen?\u2019 \u201d Polanco told The Post.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Dascha
Dascha Polanco flashes her fancy fingertips \u201cIn The Heights.\u201d<\/figcaption>
Photo by Jose Perez\/Bauer-Griffin\/GC Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the time, Robles was still working out of her parents\u2019 apartment in the projects. \u201cThat\u2019s where I did the nails [for the film],\u201d she said. She lacquered and adorned nails for about 15 performers, who each had their own inspiration board based on their character. \u201cIt took me two days, from 8 in the morning to 6 or 7 at night,\u201d Robles said. Her cousins helped, passing her a gem when she needed one, or keeping a nearby table stocked with snacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a lot of pressure, because I couldn\u2019t take more than an hour and a half on each person,\u201d said Robles. That\u2019s not counting Polanco\u2019s show stopping claws, which took an average four to five hours to create. One design that glowed in the dark included lines of Swarovski crystals forming different star-like patterns \u201ctook the whole day,\u201d said Robles. \u201cI think I started at 10 in the morning and finished at 7 at night.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lot has changed since \u201cIn the Heights\u201d wrapped filming two years ago. Robles has moved out of her parents\u2019 place into her own apartment in The Bronx. She no longer has to work at a salon and can focus on her own clients and artwork. And she can finally see her work on the big screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved the movie,\u201d she said. \u201cI felt so happy, saying to my family and friends, \u2018Look! I did that!\u2019 I just feel so grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"The
The salon ladies of \u201cIn The Heights\u201d performing \u201cNo Me Diga.\u201d<\/figcaption>
Warner Bros\/Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n