Selena Gomez matched her nails to the Cannes Film Festival red carpet. The star, who jetted off to the south of France for the annual event to support her film Emilia Perez, may have been dressed in Giambattista Valli dresses and Christian Louboutin shoes, but her nail polish of choice was much more affordable than her wardrobe.
Gomez's go-to nail artist Tom Bachik was by her side for Cannes events, and crafted the perfect manicure for the occasion: a gorgeous, classic siren red, which he called “Parisian red.” The shade in question beautifully matched her off-the-shoulder Giambattista Valli dress, and Bachik used Essie's Gel Couture Longwear Nail Polish in ‘Rock the Runway,' a “fierce scarlet red” to bring the shade to life.
But don't let the word “couture” fool you; this nail polish is a budget-friendly $13! Bachik calls the final color a “young, chic, sophisticated look,” and I agree. (I'm a little biased, though, because I currently have a very similar color on my own nails.)
Before applying the candy apple red shade, Bachik prepped Gomez's short, rounded nails with his curated Tweezerman x Tom Bachik Ultimate Nail Care Set, then applied the color. Once the shade was dry, he added shine with a combo of an Essie topcoat and the brand's On a Roll Apricot Cuticle Oil, finishing with a “luxurious” hand massage with Rare Beauty's Find Comfort Hydrating Hand Cream. If you're looking for a classic, goes-with-everything red nail polish for summer, look no further than Rock the Runway; it does have the Selena Gomez stamp of approval, after all! All those diamond bands don't hurt, either.
Drugstore nail polish has come a long, long way, and today's formulas are just as top-tier as their salon and department-store counterparts. Just ask Gabrielle Union, who wore a shimmering Sally Hansen mermaid mani to the 2024 Met Gala, and Kim Kardashian, who chose a sheer pink Essie shade for an event in late 2023. See? You don't need to spend a ton to make your nails look like a million bucks.
This story first appeared in Allure.
