Cynthia Erivo's nails are as dramatic as her performances. This Broadway and Hollywood star has turned manicures into must-watch moments with the help of talented artists. It all started with a teenage passion for creative nail art. Now it has bloomed into full-on fashion statements. She even helped show her character Elphaba's journey in Wicked through evolving nail designs. Now, as OPI's Global Brand Ambassador, she's inspiring nail artists worldwide to push creative boundaries. See how she and her dream team including longtime collaborator Shea Osei, rising star Mycah Dior, and red carpet ace Rose Hackle, bring her bold vision to life.
Key Nail Artists Realizing Cynthia Erivo’s Stunning Nail Designs
Here’s a list of the principal artists mentioned in this article:
- Shea Osei – (@shadesofshea_) longest relationship (since Erivo was 16), created Wicked movie nails (over 35 sets!)
- Mycah Dior (@clawzbydior_) a 19-year-old prodigy, did Erivo’s nails for the LA Wicked premiere
- Rose Hackle (@rosedoesmynails) – has been working with Erivo since 2020, known for her Oscars looks
Brief Bio of Cynthia Erivo
Meet Cynthia Erivo, an actor and singer who's part of the EGOT elite group that have been nominated for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards. This British star burst onto Broadway as Celie in The Color Purple, winning awards for her soul-stirring performance. Then, Hollywood came calling, and Erivo answered with an Oscar-worthy performance as Harriet Tubman plus a stunning portrayal of Aretha Franklin. Talk about range!
Now she's enchanting audiences as Elphaba in Wicked, where her performance of "Defying Gravity" is a Top 10 hit outside the theater, too. But this brief summary doesn’t even cover her time on television or her solo album. No matter what stage she commands, she proves one thing. When it comes to limits, she doesn’t know them. And yes, that also applies to her nails.
Wicked Nail Art
In December 2024, Femme It Forward shared a series of Cynthia Erivo’s manicures created by Rose Hackle and Mycah Dior. The actor’s favorite nail shape is an elongated coffin and she wears both soft gels and acrylics. Many of her most exciting looks feature prominent 3D accents, vibrant colors, metallics, and crystals. In fact, Mycah Dior was thrilled to create hand-painted acrylics for the Wicked premiere in Los Angeles. She said she loves working with Erivo because they both think “outside the box”.
Nail artist Shea Osei has been Erivo's go-to since her teens. This Essex-born creative started mastering her craft at 14 and turned pro by 18. She's taken care of Erivo’s fingertips for fifteen years and understands how much Erivo’s nails compliment her overall style. Plus, she’s a mastermind behind Elphaba's evolving nail journey in Wicked, and collaborated on much of the nail art design while pregnant.
Her character Elphaba’s signature color in Wicked is green, but you can see that many of the manicures include the other pan-African hues like red, yellow, and black. Even though it may be part of the movie’s design choices, it’s also a nod to her heritage. Erivo’s parents are from Nigeria.
Photo Shoot for Variety
Mycah Dior created this luxurious look to match Erivo’s ensemble for a 2024 Variety article where she met up with Angelina Jolie.
The Evolution of Elphaba
Look closely and you’ll see that Elphaba’s nail looks change throughout the movie Wicked. At first, her nails have a basic green ombre tint. They’re simple. But as she grows into her magic powers, the nails become more elaborate and go darker.
Museum of Modern Art
In the fall of 2024, Erivo labeled these nails on her Instagram as “ENCHANTINGLY TIMELESS for New York”. Mycah Dior used the Wicked Collection polish from OPI to craft them.
“Emerald City Chic for Oz”
Also in November, Rose Hackle created this set for Cynthia Erivo as part of their collaboration with OPI. Yes, that’s her favorite shade, Ozitively Elphaba.
When Rose Hackle was interviewed about her collaboration with the actor, she recalled how Erivo would go shopping for extra trinkets for nail designs and would even add more jewels to a manicure after it was complete.
OPI Intelli-Gel - HPR09 Ozitively Elphaba - Gel Color 0.5 oz
The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards
All eyes on Cynthia Erivo’s nails. The black outfit and limited jewelry keep the focus on the manicure. This event happened near Halloween before the release of Wicked. It was the CFDA awards ceremony which she hosted in her role as a witch. Vogue magazine reports that the nails featured serpents, green flames, and plenty of black.
OPI Global Brand Ambassador
This was an eventful year for Cynthia Erivo. OPI invited her to be a Global Brand Ambassador because of her creativity and the way she expresses herself through her nails. They also launched a special gel color collection based on the movie, Wicked.
OPI Gel Color Intelli
Out Magazine
In mid-October 2024, the actor was featured on the cover of Out Magazine as Icon of the Year. This time her nails were done by Rose Hackle. We love that velvety cat eye shimmer and are fascinated by how some nails look partially melted.
The artist was interviewed by Essence and revealed her favorite manicure tool. Rose Hackle says she cannot do without a fine flame diamond bit to clean off cuticles for a flawless finish. She prefers products that get the job done in one pass. Moreover, she works one nail at a time to prevent flooding. And all of her hard work paid off when her nails went to the Oscars!
Not long after that, Rose Hackle also designed Erivo’s amazing encapsulated nails for the “Garden of Time” theme at the Met Gala.
Besides acrylics, the artist has also applied Après Gel-X tips to Erivo’s nails. Due to costume demands, many of the sets for Wicked were customized press-ons using soft gel tips.
Apres Soft Gel
Pink Before Green: La times Article 2023
Before green became Erivo’s dominant nail color, she wore pink as seen in this photo for the LA Times. She was interviewed due to her work on Drift, a film about a refugee dealing with trauma, trying to find healing.
Cannes
At Cannes film festival in 2022, Erivo wore festive translucent encapsulated nails.
New Years Day 2022
Here’s one of the shorter nail styles we saw Erivo wearing.
Nude Nails 2021
As always, Erivo the trendsetter wore “clean girl” nails before the aesthetic took over social media.
LDS Color Craze Collection - PINK
Forever
At the Met Museum in September 2021, Erivo wore crystal studded stilettos with a Moschino ensemble. Her comment on Instagram regarding this photograph was, “This shall be my mood forever”!!
Met Gala
There are so many more Cynthia Erivo nail looks we could show you, but let’s close with this one. She posted about the Met Gala in May 2019. She explains that this is one of her favorite events because fashion lovers are free to express themselves in unique ways. She said that every time she’s attended, she’s felt a “touch of sparkle” and worn it as well. That’s absolutely true, because few push boundaries and wear nails like she does.
Conclusion
You can’t un-see Cynthia Erivo’s nails. Her dramatic manicures will continue to open your mind to new possibilities. Fortunately, we have the supplies you need to stretch your horizons at prices that will help you stay within budget. Visit our store for excellent deals plus free shipping.
Sources:
https://www.essence.com/health-and-wellness/the-heart-of-the-matter/
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgej37z55y2o
https://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/a62910829/cynthia-erivo-wicked-manicurists-interview-2024/
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/cynthia-erivo-wicked-nails-shea-osei-interview