Jennifer Lopez's Anti-Valentine's Day Manicure Embraces the Cherry Mocha Nail Trend

Jennifer Lopez at an event with cherry mocha nails

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 18 February 2025

Jennifer Lopez has never been afraid to get loud for love. Her name is practically synonymous with the tireless pursuit of it—both in her real life and her fictional roles in romantic comedies like Marry Me, The Wedding Planner, and Maid in Manhattan. Naturally, Valentine's Day has always been special for the star. Last year, she even planned the release of her Amazon original This Is Me…Now: A Love Story around the occasion.

This year, Valentine's Day understandably looked a little different for Lopez. Having recently finalized her divorce from Ben Affleck, I wouldn't have blamed the beauty mogul for wanting to spend the holiday under the radar. Instead, she seized the opportunity to shower herself with affection—starting with fresh set of nails and a paparazzi drive-by to show them off.

A photo of Jennifer Lopez flashing her cherry mocha manicure on a makeup-free car ride on Valentine's Day. — Jennifer Lopez flashes her cherry mocha manicure on a makeup-free car ride on Valentine's Day.

On Feb. 14, the "Love Don't Cost a Thing" singer was captured in rare form whilst riding shotgun through Santa Monica. In contrast with her usual glam, the star's face looked pensive and makeup-free as she gazed out the car window. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun for the outing and around her shoulders sat a cozy gray cardigan. But the most captivating detail of her anti-Valentine's Day ensemble was her coffin-shaped cherry mocha manicure: a perfect marriage of the chocolate brown and burgundy color trends that continue to dominate fashion and beauty. (A continent away, Selena Gomez's BAFTAs red carpet look came with the same manicure shade.) The color also represents a winter-friendly take on the moody red nail trend that dominated TikTok over the summer.

What could be more fitting for Lopez's first solo Valentine's Day in four years? Equal parts sexy and surly, longtime manicurist Tom Bachik clearly understood the assignment when he selected this hue for the newly single star. Self-love really does look amazing on her.

Shop Cherry Mocha Nail Polishes Inspired by Jennifer Lopez

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Hanna Lustig is a staff writer at Marie Claire, where she gets to gab every day about the topics she holds most dear: fashion, beauty, and celebrity. Hanna’s editorial journey began with formative internships at Elle and InStyle, where she was lucky enough to work for some of the smartest women in media while she was still in college at the University of Tennessee. Hanna then accepted a digital culture reporting fellowship at Insider, where she helped carve out a new beat dedicated to covering influencers. Those experiences later served her well as a staff writer at Glamour, where she developed a knack for spinning quick turnaround celebrity news and trend reporting into juicy feature stories. Some of her greatest hits include an earnest ode to the no-pants trend, this meticulously reported feature exploring the rise of endoscopic facelifts, this snappy take on the Chanel-designed fantasy of Sofia Richie’s wedding, this tribute to WAGs past and present, and this timeline of Katie Holmes’s life and career as told through her denim collection.

Diane Keaton once hung up on Hanna during an interview, but thankfully that mishap did not derail what has otherwise been a deeply fulfilling career writing for and about women. As one of Marie Claire's resident experts on style and culture, her current coverage ranges from exploring TikTok's contrast makeup theory and the return of the boat shoe trend to interviews with costume designers for hit shows like Nobody Wants This and The Penguin. When she’s not at work, Hanna can probably be found listening to pop music, talking to her dog, and gossiping with her best friends. For more of Hanna’s perfect opinions on pop culture, you can follow her on Instagram and X.