Without access to a crystal ball, there’s no way anyone could have predicted most of this summer’s biggest beauty trends. Out-of-the-box nail colors, hairstyles, and makeup techniques have been all the rage since the weather first warmed up, and it made for some seriously exciting celebrity style moments. But even with so many fresh crazes dominating red carpets and social media pages, there’s still plenty of room for the more traditional — and even the straight-up nostalgic — looks. Case in point? Lupita Nyong’o’s shimmery turquoise nails, debuted at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con. The luminous, nearly holographic nail shade is exactly the kind of dreamy blue-green that comes to mind when you think of topical waters, but it’s not necessarily a color that gets too much play these days. With Nyong’o’s glamorous co-sign, though, the 2000s-favorite might just be back with a vengeance.
As one of the Marvel universe’s biggest and most celebrated stars, Nyong’o arrived at the convention in a stunning orange tank dress, with a matching blazer draped over her shoulders. The shade is ideal both for summer and the event’s sunny San Diego locale, but the actor took it one step further with her accessories and beauty choices. She paired the dress with a pair of emerald-green pumps, an electric-blue eyeshadow, and those eye-grabbing turquoise nails.
While each color incorporated into Nyong’o’s look is so different, the bright, summery tones all work together in perfect harmony. Really, the only “repeat” was the blue in both her eye makeup and nail polish, but the shades are so different that they only served to expand the color palette.
Part of the reason why Nyong’o’s turquoise nails feel so fresh because more overtly on-theme summer manicures have taken a bit of a backseat to more unexpected trends this year. Where classic floral and fruit-themed nail art used to rule, for example, looks like Megan Thee Stallion’s rainbow butterfly nails and Kylie Jenner’s bug-covered nails are edging their way in. The same goes for color — traditional summer shades include hot pinks, juicy citruses, and bright blues, but more muted tones have been everywhere. Nyong’o’s tropical turquoise could turn it all around, though.
That particular blue-green blend was massive in the early ‘00s — perhaps due in part to a collective cultural fascination with coastal living? — and the aughts are coming back in a big way. Considering how mesmerizing the polish color looks on Nyong’o, it could reach a fever pitch before Labor Day weekend.
