Source: Jeff Spicer / Getty
Wicked hit theaters just a few weeks ago and Cynthia Erivo’s stunning portrayal of Elphaba in the latest silver-screen adaptation of the Broadway classic is already racking up Oscar buzz. As Erivo captivates movie-goers frame-by-frame with her heart-centered performance and soul-stirring vocals, an unexpected co-star has slid into the spotlight: her nails. For generations, some of our favorite cultural icons have used their hands to express the expanse of Black women’s creativity, from Flo-Jo’s glamorously long, world-record-making, Olympic track sets, to Lil Kim’s mid-90s money manicure that earned its place in a museum gallery, Black girl magic has always manifested in our hands, and Elphaba is no different.
HelloBeautiful caught up with the artist behind Cynthia Erivo’s spellbinding nail designs, London-based creative Shea Osei, about how she conjured up Elphaba’s enchanting talons, including the glue she’s been using for years to securely attach press-ons (that was strong enough to withstand Hollywood action-scenes).
Cynthia Erivo Nails
Source: Bruce Glikas / Getty
HB: How did you fall in love with nail art? Describe your journey to this “Wicked” moment creatively.
I know it just sounds so cliche, but it started at a young age where I was always more interested in the art side of things. I always just wanted to draw and paint and just do things that seemed more fun to the mind instead of sitting there working out math questions. I also enjoyed writing as well, because writing became creative writing, and you can always tell a story and stuff like that. When I started going to [middle school], I was really good in my art class. Drama, that was more my type of thing where I would shine through. So yeah, I’ve just always been a creative person, and then stemming into now doing nails, and wanting to do nail art and things that are out of the box and daring. It’s just like the perfect equation to be honest.
I love the way you described this too, because it’s just another road on your creative journey. I read in the press that you met Cynthia Erivo fifteen years ago. At what stage in your career did you and Cynthia start collaborating on creative projects?
Basically at the start of my career. I was doing nails [in London], and I had my own space. And [Cynthia] came and she had, like most girlies, she’s been to a few nail salons here and there, and she’s just never left satisfied. You know, you want to leave a place, and you’re like, just overwhelmed with happiness that your hands look amazing. She just told me that she was just never fully happy. We just hit it off from there. I was always doing her nails, and she’d always come to me in my little space that I had, and we built our friendship from there. And ever since then, we’ve been inseparable. So she’s always brought me along on the journey with her, which has been amazing, and she’s always given me creative control, which is even more fun.
Wow. Okay. So then that means you’re really the mastermind behind all the nail looks that we saw in Wicked. Can you just go into how you all chose which nail design to go with?
I created a nail mood board, and I did a few different nail art ideas on there. From that, we narrowed down the ones that we were more into, or more drawn towards. In the first part [of the movie], we wanted the nails to look like an extension of her, like an extension of her green color. So I went along with that, and I did an ombre effect on the nails. I worked with three different colors. We started off with a black, and then an emerald-colored green. I’d probably call it forest green as well. Then I mixed in at the tip of her nails more of an olive- lime kind of look. So I ombre’d that, and I used the brush.I didn’t use an airbrush machine. I used an actual brush to do that. For the second half, when she went to Emerald City, I did a black base on the nails. And then I actually used green foil on top to give it that effect that you can see there. Also, when she goes to Emerald City, her nails do get slightly longer as well, which you will notice, because she gets more confident, and she’s found herself a bit more. So it’s just nice to see that the nails help to tell the story.
Yes, that is beautiful. I love that it’s just like a sweet love letter to the growth of Black women in general. That’s such a stunning detail. Thank you for sharing that. So let’s talk about press-ons. What kind of glue are you using for press-ons that can survive stunts? Mine barely make it through washing dishes. What is that?
This is a glue that I’ve always used ever since I started doing nails. So I just go with what I know works best. Because with press-on nails, we usually go for sticky tabs, don’t you?
So you just want the tabs where you can peel on and soak the nails off, and it will just come off straight away once you put your personal nails in like hot, soapy water. Cynthia didn’t want them to come off while she’s filming. So we made sure that we stuck them on with nail glue. It would look seamless, like a nice blend from her fingers to her nail beds. And just to avoid any of them falling off in between takes and stuff like that.
Wow. And so what is the name of this nail glue? Is it in the UK only? Is it something we can get here in the U.S.? We’re dying to know.
It’s called KDS.
You said that you designed 35 sets of press-on nails. How long does it take to make 35 sets of press-on nails times 10 fingers? That’s 350 nails, right?
Source: Jeff Spicer / Getty
I’d say around 35. It could be more because we had to make sure there were always spares available just in case, I don’t know, something happened to one, or we needed to change one because maybe it’s smudged or maybe the gel is peeling off or something. The amount of time it took for me to do it, around roughly one hour to an hour and a half per set. Because I mean, mistakes happen, right? So sometimes I’d look, and once I’ve finished one hand, and I can see maybe the ombre is not the same on a few different nails, I’d go back over it again. So sometimes it could take two hours just for one set of nails.
Wow, that’s an incredible amount of work, and it definitely paid off because it’s almost like, as I was looking at the nails, I really felt like they were an ode to Black women as pioneers of everything that moves culture, including nail art. Why do you think the nails were so important to tell Elphaba’s story, but also the story of the Black woman?
It’s something that I feel, as a Black woman myself, it’s just a culture thing. We’re just so used to getting our hair done, and getting our nails done, and just enjoying that self-care. Elphaba, for me, kind of spoke to that, you know, like, especially when she went to Emerald City. In a sense, it was like, I’m a Black lady, and I’m getting my nails done, and here’s my new set. You can resonate with it.
Absolutely. And just like you said, the way that our nails are a part of the life changing moments of our lives, whether it’s birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, any type of celebration, like it made sense for her to have that same experience, even in a fictional land of Oz. It’s just so sweet. Do you have any tips to maintain the longevity of press-ons? Mine pop off easily. What am I doing wrong?
It’s all about prep. I would say prepping your nails is just so important. Make sure that you’ve buffed your nails. You’ve removed everything. Your nails are smooth. Push away your cuticles a bit and any excess skin around your nails. And then you need to apply your glue correctly as well, like make sure it’s even, and I’d probably advise to put the glue on your actual nail beds, and not the actual press on nails. Put [the glue] around everywhere on your nails. And definitely avoid water. Make sure you’ve got cuticle oil. I cannot stress how important it is to have cuticle oil. Cuticle oil is so important. It keeps your nails healthy. It keeps them strong. It stops you from getting hangnails.
Wow. Cuticle oil. That’s definitely what I’ve been missing out on. Do you have a favorite set that you’ve done on Cynthia to-date? Is there one in particular that stands out to you?
Definitely the London premiere nails.
Source: Theo Wargo / Getty
What made those so special for you?
I’ve done her nails for red carpets many times, but this one was special because I feel like I was a part of the entire journey from start to finish. Because we filmed in the UK, and we were able to do most of everything that we had to do over here, and the UK is her home, and it just felt like it was meant to be. So me creating this set of nails was important, and I also wanted to make sure that I did the best for Cynthia, and she genuinely loved it, and the feedback I’ve had from everyone else as well has been that they’ve really, really enjoyed those nails. So it’s just nice to know that not only myself really liked them, but everyone else did too.
Absolutely. I saw someone say “those nails need to be in a museum.” They’re stunning. How did you guys pick the look, the color, the jewels for that night?
I first asked her what she was thinking of wearing so we could get the look. And then I went from that, and then I started drawing. I did another nail mood board of the 10 nails, and I just put pen to paper, and I drew out all the designs that were in my head, what I was thinking.
I wrote down the colors. I drew the diamonds where I wanted to put the diamond placements. The colors that I wanted to use were rose golds, because underneath her dress there was this rose gold going on, and the black, and then we wanted to pay tribute to Elphaba, so I still added the green. I had pink diamonds as well, which complimented Glinda. So I made sure that we were still on the theme, but exaggerated.
What a gorgeous homecoming for both of you to have been in this game together for 15 years, and now you’re on the red carpet for arguably one of the biggest movie premieres of a generation. I’m very, very proud of you all, and thank you for the way that you have spotlighted our nails, and the power that they play in telling our story.
Thank you. I appreciate it. I’m just so glad that it’s been received in such a great manner. Like everyone’s been so welcoming and so happy to see nails on screen. And the feedback has always been, “I’ve never paid attention to nails in a movie, but I paid attention to Cynthia’s nails the entire time I was watching.” And I’m getting it from everyone. I’m getting it from men, women, everyone. It’s just amazing. I’ve cried so many times. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve cried.
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