Coral Crush-Worthy Nail Look At Rebecca Minkoff Fall 2016

The nail look created by Michelle Saunders for essie for the Rebecca Minkoff Fall/Winter 2016 show was characterized by a distinctively ’70s color scheme and a geometric motif that nodded to a retro era while staying grounded in contemporary terms. Think of it as the Solange of manicures: bold, edgy, influenced by the funk and disco eras but completely in tune with today’s eclectic sounds, and completely unafraid of colors (especially sunny yellows, robust corals, and zesty oranges). According to Saunders, the look was, in fact, inspired by the “modern music girl,” so the Solange comparison might not be that much of a stretch!

To create the tone-on-tone look, Saunders began by applying the essie First Base Base Coat to nails in order to create a smooth canvas. Next, she applied the creamy, medium-intensity coral shade Sunshine State of Mind from the cuticle upwards toward the middle of each nail. To create a clean line across the center of each nail, she then cleaned up her work using a thin brush dipped in nail polish remover.

Once she’d created a neat horizontal line to divide the upper and lower halves of each nail, Saunders turned her attention to the top portion of each nail, applying the Lounge Lover hue, a significantly lighter and sheerer, almost melon-y coral tone from the middle of the nail to the free edge. Once she’d repeated the process for each nail, she waited for the color to dry, and finished off her design with a triumphant arch — specifically, she brushed the High Class Affair polish in a curved line across the free edge, creating a perfect upside down “U” shape that touched the middle line on both the right and left sides of each nail, thereby connecting them and bringing the whole look together. To set the look and give it more shine, she finished with one coat of the essie Gel.setter Top Coat.