Selena Gomez’s Custom \201cMuted Red\201d Manicure Shade Took 40 Minutes to Create
A maroon nail trend is upon us.


There are more summer nail colors in the world than my brain can comprehend. OPI and Essie each boast well over 1,000 hues spanning every shade of the rainbow—and that’s not even including the dozens of smaller nail polish brands on the market. Yet when Selena Gomez sat down in celebrity nail artist Tom Bachik’s chair this week, a custom-made manicure was in order.
The Only Murders in the Building star revealed via Instagram on Thursday, August 1, that her go-to nail pro took 40 minutes to create the perfect “muted red” for her squoval (square-meets-oval) shaped manicure. The shade appears to fall right between a brick red and maroon hue, with a gorgeous, glossy top coat added for shine.
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I’ll be honest: This crimson color is not a stereotypical summer nail trend. You’re more likely to see an Orange Julius manicure or something like Hailey Bieber’s butter yellow polish this time of year. Deeper reds are traditionally winter nail polish shades. But over the past few weeks, a handful of celebrities have set out to prove that maroon manicures are poised to pick up popularity.
Last week, Zendaya stepped out during a shopping trip in London with a maroon manicure ignoring summer trends. Sabrina Carpenter also debuted a rich cherry hue in honor of her new fragrance, Cherry Baby. And Cardi B (who just announced her third pregnancy—along with a divorce) wore a similar shade for her just-launched Marc Jacobs campaign.
Zendaya matched her maroon manicure to her iced drink.
The muted red shade initially surged last winter under the guise of the cherry cola nail trend. “It’s a great way to embrace the darker tones for the winter months, while still honoring an age-old classic—red,” nail artist Natalie Minerva previously told Marie Claire.
If recent manicures like Selena Gomez's are telling us anything, it’s that a maroon nail surge is set to become an unlikely summer manicure trend. Be an early adopter and shop the look, below.
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Samantha Holender is the Senior 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.
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