By now, you’ve most likely solidified your favorite looks from the Oscars and its ultra-infamous after party. If you’re a fan of more avant-garde looks, you likely leaned toward Florence Pugh or Anya Taylor-Joy. If you love classic glamour, Zendaya and Kirsten Dunst probably scratched that itch for you. Or, on the more playful side, Billie Eilish and America Ferrera brought some fun to the red carpet. But, who brought the best nails? Sabrina Carpenter made it on our list.
After Hollywood’s biggest award show, Carpenter headed to the Vanity Fair Oscars party alongside numerous A-listers like Lindsay Lohan and Sydney Sweeney. Though her outfit was good enough to have us tune it on its own, it was her viral moments with her presumed-BF, Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan, that put her manicure front and center.
Just search “Oscars” on social media, and a candid photo of the pair playfully posing while covering their mouth is most likely a scroll or two away. That and a cute video of Barry being unable to look away from her as she poses on the red carpet. Though Keoghan probably wasn’t staring at her chic black French manicure, we, for one, were—and we couldn’t get enough.
The most picture-perfect of French manicures, each of Carpenter’s nails started with a medium-length almond shape. As is always the case with a French mani, the base coat of the nail was different from the tip. In the case of Carpenter’s nails, the bulk of her mani was a glossy, nude shade that was almost exactly color-matched to her skin. Then, where her nails naturally extended past her fingers, the black tips formed. Glossy jet black, the tips fell right where they would naturally be—just, obviously, black instead of natural beige.
To go with the nails, Carpenter wore an all-black Tory Burch dress. The skin-tight bodice of the gown was made of what seems to be faux reptile skin. Then, at the waist, the skirt became an ultra-sheer black fabric with bedazzlings of black and tan sequin. She accessorized with diamond rings and earrings. Also, with Keoghan, who added to the accessorizes with a Carpenter-themed friendship bracelet. Both Carpenter’s and Keoghan’s skin was prepped with Cetaphil for their love-struck glow.
Lucky for us, you don't need an A-list boyfriend to pull of this manicure, and it's super easy to recreate at home.
First, as with any nail look, remove any lingering nail polish with remover. Then, cut and file your nails to the desired length and shape—this would also be the time to apply any tips or press-on if you want. After that, buff the surface for an even nail bed before applying your favorite base coat.
You can either just leave the base coat clear, or you could reach for something that matches your skin tone like Sabrina did. Either way, wait for the base layer to dry, then create the shape of your French tip with tape. With the shape finished, paint a color like OPI’s Black Onyx ($12) over the top, peel the tape, and let dry. Then, finish off with a high-shine top coat, and you will practically be at the Oscars.