Winnie Harlow’s Nail Artist Breaks Down Her Engagement Manicure (Exclusive)

Winnie Harlow‘s nail artist accurately predicted one of their latest manicures would be her engagement manicure.

After considering a handful of nude polishes for her upcoming trip to Turks and Caicos, the model and her Los Angeles-based manicurist Loi Lien settled on a blend of two shades. “She definitely loved this combo the most,” Lien tells PEOPLE. “And I was like, ‘This going to be your engagement nail.'”

Neither Harlow nor Lien knew she would actually be getting engaged to NBA star Kyle Kuzma on her vacation (the couple announced the news in a joint Instagram post on Tuesday, Feb. 18), but the stars just happened to align.

“I was leaning toward something natural and not too bold,” the nail artist recalls. “There was definitely trial and error with her nude [because] there are certain nudes that when you put on, it makes your fingers looks really red or pink. She didn’t want that.”

Eventually, Lien explains, they found the right “peachy and translucent” shade that complimented her skin tone.

The two polishes came together to create Harlow’s shade? OPI Passion and OPI Put it in Neutral.

“We put one coat of Passion, which has that peachy tone to it, first and then we put two coats of Put On Neutral,” says Lien, who describes the latter as “a nude translucent tone that just neutralizes whatever you put underneath.”

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As for the shape, Lien says Harlow wanted to try ballerina nails, a softer take on the coffin shape.

“It’s not like a coffin shape where it’s so edgy,” the nail artist explains. “It’s between an almond and a coffin. So it curves in a way, where it’s not like a straight line on the side. It’s not sharp.”

When it comes to a neutral mani — especially for brides-to-be — Lien says that the key is keeping the color sheer and milky. “Nobody likes opaque color,” he says. “They want a soft kind of translucent, either milky white or milky pink.”

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Lien continues, “You’ve just got to find the right opacity of coverage for the nails where it still gives the color that you want, but it’s very soft and clean. And, I think you’ve just got to find the right person to give you a damn good manicure.”

Any good nail artist will also tell you the cuticles are crucial, and Lien is no different. “It’s a very important thing in a manicure because if you have hangnails everywhere, it really distracting to the set,” he says. The pro recommends keeping a cuticle oil handy for a quick refresh.

In this day and age, capturing your engagement mani is equally as important as the manicure itself. For that, Lien says iPhone’s portrait mode is a must. “It literally zooms into your ring and your nails, but in the background it’s blurry,” he says. “It really gives the digital, really professional, clean look.”