Celebrities Are Reuniting With Nail Techs Post-Lockdown — Get Ready For Some Serious Mani Inspo

Published on 6/24/2020 at 9:00 AM

We've missed getting our nails done during the coronavirus lockdown — there's no two ways about it. But we've also missed seeing other people's manicures filling our Instagram feeds with nail art inspiration. With movie premieres, award shows, photo shoots, secret projects, and, well, everything else on hold, our favourite celebrities have had to say a temporary goodbye to their glam teams, which includes their nail technicians — and our Instagram feeds have been seriously lacking because of it. Now, we know that there are way more important issues to worry about right now (and trust us, we worry about them, too), but we are beauty editors with a love of nail art, and we miss admiring celebrity nails and the exceptional talent of the manicurists behind the looks.

With many states beginning to reopen their salons for customers, we're also starting to see some of our favourite celebrities reunite with their beloved nail techs for the first time, and one thing is for sure: they didn't stick to a simple shade like Essie in Ballet Slippers and leave it there. Nope. These celebs got all the bells and whistles (or shall we say neon lacquers and designer decals) for their very first post-lockdown manicure.

So, if you're searching for some inspiration for when you jump back into that manicure station chair (mask and all), or just want to feast your eyes on beautiful pieces of tiny art, check out these celebrities' first manicures after being reunited with their nail techs following a long lockdown and nail art hiatus.

Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion made our sci-fi aquamarine nail art dreams come true with her first set post-lockdown. Manicurist Coca Michelle spared no details when it came to these lengthy tips that literally looks like light bouncing off the clearest ocean waters you've ever seen.

Dua Lipa

Last week, Dua Lipa reunited with London-based manicurist Michelle Humphreys for a studio project resulting in some seriously vibrant smiley faces. With just a small inspo photo from Lipa to go off, Humphreys whipped up the perfect custom-yellow hue using BioSculpture gel, and it's got to be one of our favourite nail art creations from the duo so far.

Khloé Kardashian

Khloé Kardashian chose a matte, pretty-in-pink gradient — created by Chaun P. — for her first manicure. For this set, he used polishes from The Gel Bottle in soft shades of blush pink and peach, and we can safely say this is going straight on our mani inspo board.

Cardi B

Trust Cardi B to turn up with the most exceptional Louis Vuitton stiletto tips for her first manicure after a three-month break. Chaun P. was also behind this set, which featured a red-and-purple ombré effect with the LV monogram and designs hand-painted onto each nail. Chaun P. pulled out all the stops for this extralong set because post-lockdown, nails matching your purse is essential business for Cardi.

Lucy Hale

Lucy Hale opted for the sweetest negative-space floral mani for her first trip to see manicurist Thuy Nguyen. The pretty nail art features a glossy, neutral base with hand-painted white and red flowers randomly space on each nail. This is going straight on our summer inspiration board.

Rita Ora

Rita Ora and manicurist Michelle Humphreys reunited at the weekend, and it resulted in this stunning seaweed green and bright yellow lightning bolt design. The singer-songwriter liked the nail art so much, she got it on her toes, too.

Camila Mendes

To celebrate the release of her newest film Palm Springs on Hulu, Camila Mendes got a light green french manicure with a tiny, hand-painted cactus illustration on the middle finger by her go-to manicurist Thuy Nguyen.