J.Lo's $14 nail polish shade proves that the minimalist manicure is back

Nail art? Not this time

Editor / June 03 2024

Jennifer Lopez is basically the queen of ‘extra’. From her famous fluorescent nails (remember that highlighter yellow mani snap we all screenshotted?) to the glitzy nail art she’s often seen embracing, ‘minimalistic’ isn’t usually her vibe. And hey, that's a big part of why we love her!

But it seems there’s a shade chic enough that even J.Lo is down to rock it solo. And it’s only $14! Lopez’ nail artist Tom Bachik (an icon in his own right) took to Instagram to share her latest nail look, and it was a far cry from the bolder styles the pair have sampled in the past. Yep, she was spied at a recent Ralph Lauren runway show with a classic merlot manicure.

The star’s colour of choice? A rich, glossy burgundy, brought to life by none other than the Essie Nail Polish in Bordeaux ($13.99 at Chemist Warehouse). A winning wine shade that works a treat on skin tones across the board, it looked stunning against Lopez’ golden glow.

Essie Nail Polish in Bordeaux

Bachik went on to describe exactly what went into the understated shade selection. “Beautiful, classic [and] minimalist was the vibe and nails needed to complete the look,” he shared in his caption. “We went with Essies #424 Bordeaux to do just that! Short, strong, natural shaped nails helps the colour pop.”

As for his prep-and-polish process, Bachik broke it down into a few simple steps. “I started by first giving a meticulous mani,” he noted, referring to what we would guess consisted of a trim, buff and shine.

“Next [I] cleansed the natural nails and applied base coat [and] then two thin even coats of Essie Bordeaux. Let [the] colour dry a minute or two before applying top coat to protect and create that high gloss red carpet shine. [I] finished by rehydrating cuticles and skin with Essie Apricot Nail & Cuticle Oil ($15.49 at Chemist Warehouse).” Ah, so that’s how her nails are out-shining her giant yellow diamond!

Essie Apricot Nail & Cuticle Oil


Main mage credit: @tombachik

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Delaney began her career in the Australian beauty media industry in 2015, landing amidst the glossy world of women’s lifestyle magazines (or more literally, in their beauty cupboards). Since then, she has gone on to write across a multitude of beloved Australian media brands, including OK!, NW, InStyle, and Harper’s BAZAAR. She’s covered every side of beauty content, from directing beauty editorial shoots to rounding up the best glossy serums for golden hour skin. Having spent nearly a decade immersed in the beauty realm, Delaney’s knowledge of beauty is as extensive as her collection of tinted lip oils (read: extremely extensive). Delaney is currently the Digital Managing Editor of BEAUTYcrew, and her beauty wisdom also appears across beautyheaven, ELLE and Marie Claire. She enjoys channelling her personal hobby (testing beauty products) into her professional work (talking about testing beauty products), and considers perfecting the art of a cat eye in a moving car her life’s greatest accomplishment.