Rihanna’s Purple Plum Manicure Confirms a Very Anti-Summer Nail Trend

Consider this the royal tone resurgence.

Rihanna wearing a blue jersey top, camo pants, metallic sneakers, and a Gucci tote in New York City July 2024
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Summer 2024's staple nail shades have mostly resembled Hailey Bieber's butter yellow manicure or Meghan Markle's bubble bath polish. They’re soft, sweet, and elegant while simultaneously hewing toward typical summer nail colors. But as the season winds down, a handful of celebrities are flipping the summer manicure trend script.

In the last month, Zendaya and Selena Gomez have co-signed the moody red nail trend, effectively bringing a traditional winter hue into the warm weather. Now, it appears the one and only Rihanna is following suit, painting her nails a plum-like purple and ushering in what can only be described as an anti-summer nail trend.

rihanna holding a cart of fenty snackz with a pruple manicure

"Trust @badgalriri to level 🆙 your Target runs! ♥️," the singer captioned her joint Instagram post with Fenty Beauty.

(Image credit: Instagram)

Rihanna debuted the gemstone shade via Instagram on Sunday, August 11—alongside a sports jersey and another very exciting piece of beauty news. Fenty is dropping new “Fenty Snackz,” aka cutie mini-sized Fenty Products, at all Ulta doors in Target. The singer shared the announcement by posing with a miniature Target cart in her bed, with her plum manicure playfully resting on the handlebars.

A deep, royal violet such as Rihanna's has a richer base and warmer energy—it’s far unlike the neons and pretty pinks common during July and August. At face value, it’s a fall-winter tone, but bringing the darker shade into the warmer weather is doable.

The key to making an off-season hue summer-appropriate is all in the undertone. “You want a polish that has a deep color but still the ability to see the shade, as opposed to just seeing darkness,” celebrity nail artist Tom Bachik previously told Marie Claire.

Anti-trend polishes like Rihanna's are currently stocked just down the beauty aisle from her Target minis. According to her announcement, you can shop mini Fenty concealer in 50 shades, an itty-bitty Gloss Bomb Heat in Cherry or Fu$$y, or a Killawatt Highlighter that’s tiny enough to fit into your micro bag. These pint-sized products are great for summer travel and on-the-go applications—just like the best purple plum polish. Shop them all below.

Samantha Holender
Beauty Editor

Samantha Holender is the Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and shares the breakdown on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty space. She's studied up on every ingredient you'll find on INCI list and is constantly in search of the world's glowiest makeup products. She's constantly tracking the biggest nail and hair trends to pop up in the beauty space, going backstage during fashion weeks, tracking celebrity looks, and constantly talking to celebrity hair stylists, nail artists, and makeup artists. Prior to joining the team, she worked as Us Weekly’s Beauty and Style Editor, where she stayed on the pulse of pop culture and broke down celebrity beauty routines, hair transformations, and red carpet looks. Her words have also appeared on Popsugar, Makeup.com, Skincare.com, Delish.com, and Philadelphia Wedding. Samantha also serves as a board member for the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). She first joined the organization in 2018, when she worked as an editorial intern at Food Network Magazine and Pioneer Woman Magazine. Samantha has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. While at GWU, she was a founding member of the school’s HerCampus chapter and served as its President for four years. When she’s not deep in the beauty closet or swatching eyeshadows, you can find her obsessing over Real Housewives and all things Bravo. Keep up with her on Instagram @samholender.