FFor the past week and a half, Wicked has quite literally been the only thing occupying my brain, and I know I’m not the only one. I’ve watched what feels like hundreds of emotional interviews and thought endlessly about the choreography, not to mention all of the tiny details that make the film and its star-studded press events extraordinary. Among them: the cast’s nails, which have had the whole NewBeauty team in awe. To celebrate the last week of Wicked press and the official premiere of the now record-breaking film, Cynthia Erivo gave followers on TikTok a close-up look at her final nail look for the press tour, created by her close friend and life-long nail tech Shea—and the set is nothing if not extraordinary.
Cynthia Erivo’s Over-the-Top Oz-Inspired Set
As Erivo has mentioned in past interviews, Elphaba’s nails play a large part in her character development throughout the film, and Cynthia herself has a deep connection to her signature, long acrylics, so it’s no surprise that Erivo took her press tour nails seriously. Leaning on her life-long friend and nail artist Shea, Erivo’s premiere nails are not just a manicure but a true work of art.
Featuring pink and green tones to combine both Elphaba and Glinda’s aesthetics, Erivo’s TikTok gave followers an up close and personal look at her grand finale set, embellished with spiraling gel appliques, larger-than-life rhinestones, chrome detailing and tons of shades from the OPI x Wicked collab, which drew inspiration directly from the colors present on set. Truly, it’s like the Emerald City took up residence on the actress’s fingers.
In the caption for the post, Erivo paid homage to her nail tech, writing, “Meet my dear friend Shea, who I’ve known and have been working with since I was 16!! She was the first person I thought of when we decided to have Elphaba’s nails grow and change throughout the films, in tandem with her personal transformation.” Giving a quick shoutout to OPI, too, Erivo wrapped up the post by explaining, “For the final premiere and press tour finale, it was important to me to work again with Shea. Thank you OPI for helping us tell the story together with the OPI x Wicked Movie collection.”
