Sensory organs, elements of language, vector of emotions... Our hands and our mouth say a lot about us and their appearance reflects our way of revealing ourselves to the world.
For large-scale events, they are even at the heart of the concerns of beauty professionals.
“Whether it's a fashion shoot or a celebrity red carpet look, it's always crucial to harmonize makeup and manicure in order to convey an overall intention.
This is how we will decide where to place the focus,” explains Alexandra Falba, OPI manicure expert.
So, which nails or lips should take the spotlight?
“It all depends on the message we want to convey and the personality of each person.
We choose our focal point by playing to its strengths.
For example, someone who wears a lot of makeup can turn to a neutral nail polish color that calms things down. This way, she can change her lipstick every day without it clashing with her nails,” continues the specialist.
“Conversely, some wear the same signature makeup every day, like a dewy lip or clear gloss.
In this case, we focus instead on the nail, which then plays the role of a fashion accessory.”
The “I” rule
Once the “intention” is found, there are a multitude of ways to combine colors.
“Opposition or coordination, it doesn’t matter,” she continues, “but the essential rule is to harmonize the undertones.
If you wear a lipstick in cool tones, like fuchsia, the color of the varnish should also be a cool shade, like, for example, gray, black or white.
And to assure: “In this way, you will never risk making a mistake.”
For her part, make-up artist Leslie Dumeix offers a riskier alternative to bold ones: “We can rely on complementary colors, if we like to have fun and experiment with things with makeup.
For example, mix blue and orange, yellow and purple, or even red and green,” she advises.
Stick to safety or dare to be fancy?
Both sides unleash passions in the beauty sphere.
Discreet idyll
“Whether on social networks or on red carpets, the
quiet luxury
makeup trend is omnipresent,” observes Aurélie Payen, celebrity makeup artist.
And for good reason: “This style is adaptable to a wide audience because it works with several types of colors and very iconic shades,” adds Alexandra Falba, who confirms the domination of this aesthetic of “discreet luxury” until the end nails.
It brings together “the entire palette of nude and transparent tones which go well with jewelry,” she describes, specifying “that it is generally done on short, very neat nails.
Because even before the choice of color, it is a manicure very marked by hygiene and hand care.
It was also the most popular beauty look at the Golden Globes evening last January.
From Elizabeth Debicki to Margot Robbie, including Julia Garner, Jennifer Lawrence and Hunter Schafer, they have all combined their raw beige nails with their nude glossy or matte lips.
Jennifer Lawrence at the 2024 Golden Globes Awards. Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images
For Leslie Dumeix, the unmistakable variation of the moment is what Gen Z calls the
glazed donuts
look , popularized by model Hailey Bieber.
OPI has just launched a new shade of nail polish that bears the name of this trend.
“The base color remains quite natural, but we add a powder with mirror-effect highlights on top,” she explains, suggesting replicating the look of the frozen donut on the lips with an iridescent gloss.
The quiet luxury
look
can also be interpreted in its more sophisticated version, with more or less dark shades of brown or red,” continues Alexandra Falba.
The idea is to have your nails done, but in a delicate and elegant, Parisian way.
Aurélie Payen, who is used to working behind the scenes on Hollywood red carpets, has spotted taupe, brown, garnet red, purple and black shades en masse on the stars' fingers in recent months.
The perfect match, according to her?
“Pair one of these nail polish colors, with a nice lacquered finish, with a rosewood lipstick,” she suggests.
Monogamy
For those who are afraid of making a faux pas, “tone on tone always works,” assures make-up artist Leslie Dumeix.
The proof, Selena Gomez chicly matched her burgundy nails and her lipstick of the same color at the last Emmy Awards, when Rihanna raised the temperature, in the latest campaign for her lingerie brand Fenty × Savage, with a candy pink combo.
For her part, Natalie Portman caused a sensation at the Governors Awards with her bright red lips and matching manicure.
Also read: Why red nail polish will obsess us in 2024
Natalie Portman at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles.
(January 9, 2024) SPUS/SPUS/ABACA
“This combo of red remains a safe bet,” she concedes, but so that those most loyal to monochrome allow themselves a touch of madness and stand out for an evening, the expert suggests trying it. to the cherry cola lip trend that has become viral on social networks, and which we recently saw again on actress Zendaya during the last Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris.
Simply “draw the outline of your mouth with a two-tone lip liner on top of your red lipstick.
Then degrade the line from the outside to the inside of the mouth with your finger.
Finally, apply your lipstick in the center with a fine brush,” she says.
Our selection of red nail polish
In images, in pictures
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See the slideshow13 photos
Flirting with
nail art
Alongside this minimalist aesthetic, we see a mob
wife
trend emerging .
Accumulating hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok, this beauty praises
more is more
, drawing inspiration from fictional characters such as that of Sharon Stone in Casino, by Martin Scorsese, or even those of Carmela Soprano and 'Adriana La Cerva in the series The Sopranos.
The highlight of this flashy look?
A mouth drawn with brown pencil or lipsticks loaded with pigments.
But also ultra-long and square nails (often false), sometimes adorned with animal motifs.
“There are no more limits in nail art in 2024. However, it is not necessary to make very extravagant designs on your nails, you can place the cursor each at your own level,” reassures Alexandra Falba, who suggests, for example, “drawing a simple vertical line or doing a colorful French manicure whose shade changes from one finger to the other.
What is being done a lot at the moment is to create different patterns on each nail.
Also read Sharp, extravagant… XXL nails, new weapons of self-affirmation for Generation Z
Actress Isabella Rossellini has already succumbed to it at the Lancôme × InStyle evening in January by displaying three nails lacquered in bright red to match her lipstick, as well as two fingers on each hand adorned with a leopard print, like that of her jacket.
No offense to the good taste police, today “anything” is permitted, say our professionals.
“You can dare everything, very colorful makeup with very elaborate nails, or a 100% nude look.
It all simply depends on the way in which we assume ourselves in society,” summarizes Aurélie Payen.
The only fatal mistake would be to “wear a manicure or lipstick with which you don’t feel like yourself,” concludes Alexandra Falba.