Nail Trends At Oscars

It’s mani Monday — Oscars edition! There were so many pretty nail looks at the Oscars on Feb. 26. We’re breaking down our favorites below.

It was mostly neutral, white, and greige shades on the Oscars red carpet as far as the manicures went. Despite a few pops of color, the tone was nude all the way. See some of our top nail looks here.

Celebrity manicurist Rosanne Sollecito painted Hailee Steinfeld’s pink shimmery nails and told us: “The metallic floral accents of Hailee’s whimsical Ralph & Russo gown called for a matching lustrous manicure. essie’s buy me a cameo had the perfect amount of frosted shimmer to top off her fresh, modern look.”

Priyanka Chopra’s white/greige mani matched her detailed dress perfectly. Manicurist Jolene Brodeur spoke about the inspo: “essie’s gel couture in make the cut, a pearlized nude greige, was the perfect polish to accompany Priyanka’s geometric Ralph & Russo gown.”

Nicole Kidman wore MiniLuxe’s Sunset Blvd nail polish on her fingers and toes. Debbie Leavitt, MiniLuxe Creative Designer in Residence says: “Nicole wanted something nude and soft for her nails. Rose gold is the new nude and this MiniLuxe polish is soft and sheer with one coat and gives opaque coverage with two. I used two coats for Nicole.”

Of course, not everyone went soft. Celebrity Manicurist Julie Kandelac gave Ruth Negga a bold red mani “to complement her incredible ruby jewelry.” Julie told us: “I layered two colors today. First, CHANEL Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colour in Rouge Noir to give the nail a deep and elegant tone, and second, a coat of CHANEL Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colour in Shantung. Layer colors to maximize your nail color wardrobe. Start with the deepest or most opaque shade first, and then go over it with the lighter or more sheer color.”

Meet the New Breakout Nail Color Line From a Cult Jewelry Designer

After years of full-blown nail-art hysteria, recent times have ushered in another extreme: bare, polish-free fingertips. And while there’s something to be said for no-fuss hands that seem just at home in a ’90s Calvin Klein ad as they do in the present-day Vogue office, sometimes it’s hard not to miss the satisfaction of freshly lacquered nails. Here to bridge the gap is a new line of varnish for the “color averse” from Jess Hannah—the 25-year-old Californian behind J. Hannah, whose sculptural jewelry creations have amassed her an Instagram following of 205,000.

           

Frequently asked about the sleek gold and silver bijoux she dons, Hannah decided that well-groomed, manicured nails were a must but was disappointed with the polish options on the market. “[The salon] never had the right ‘me’ color,” she remembers. “I want my colors muted and to blend in”—a sentiment that led her to dream up an 11-hue, seven-free collection, launching today, that offers quiet takes on even the boldest of shades. See Ghost Ranch, a soft, brick red inspired by the Southwest—a far cry from the fire engine and cherry apple tones we’re accustomed to—or Blue Nudes, a subdued midnight lacquer that borrows both its name and tone from Henri Matisse’s series of cutouts.
But those who have eschewed polish altogether will find themselves most taken with the four nude choices, which Hannah insists are, in fact, not nudes at all. “It’s really about understanding the subtleties that make them different,” she says of the quartet: Himalayan Salt is a pale peach; Chanterelle, an earthy beige; Marzipan, a milky yellow; and Agnes, a soft ballet pink reminiscent of Agnes Martin’s serene striped paintings.
“The sentiment behind my line is classic—not a bold statement piece that’s going to go out of style,” Hannah remarks. In other words, like her jewels, one J. Hannah hue will last a lifetime—but at only $19 per bottle, we suggest buying a few.