Besides the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, another hot topic of the moment is a literal person: Blake Lively. The 36-year-old actress is starring in the highly anticipated movie rendition of It Ends With Us, set to release on August 8. She recently surprised beauty lovers everywhere by launching a hair-care line called Blake Brown Beauty. And now, she’s wowed us with an epic summer nail look courtesy of her go-to nail artist, Elle Gerstein.
Lively visited her go-to nail artist ahead of her It Ends With Us press tour. In the film, she plays the fictional character Lily Bloom, who fittingly starts a flower shop named Lily Bloom’s. To stay on theme, Lively and Gerstein dreamt up what she’s dubbed an abstract “micro-floral garden party” manicure. And lucky for us, the nail artist shared in up-close photos on her Instagram feed.
“This nail look was an incredible collaborative design with Blake, inspired by her character and chosen outfits for her press day!” Gerstein said in a press statement. “Chiffon the move was the perfect base in creating a striking contrast with the nail art. The micro-floral design pays homage not only to her character’s career as a florist, but also to the themes of growth, resilience, and the beauty that can emerge from life’s challenges.”
What’s even more fortunate for us is that Gerstein shared exactly how to get the look. Keep scrolling to learn how it’s done, starting with her base coat: Essie Gel Couture in Chiffon the Move, a timeless ivory hue.
Shop Lively’s base coat
Essie Gel Couture Longwear Nail Polish in Chiffon the Move
Then things get a little more complicated. Gerstein created the micro-floral designs by blending different colors of Essie polish to create depth, specifically using the shades All Checked Out, Blanc, and the Nail Art Studio’s Jelly Gloss in Blush Jelly.
Shop Lively’s micro-floral design colors
Then, Gerstein finished the micro-floral design with the Essie nail polish colors Off Tropic and Willow in the Wind “for the leaves and realistic greenery.” As the perfect finishing touch, she added a “tiny splash of gold and translucent gold foil for a glamorous effect.”
If you’re up for the challenge, you can definitely try recreating Lively’s micro-floral manicure at home. For a flawless result, though, showing your manicurist the aforementioned photo of her nails along with the exact polishes used will be super helpful.