Remember the nail polish obsession of the late 2000s and early 2010s? Nail polish was the “It” beauty product of the time and I spent hours driving around to snag the most coveted shades and products, including matte polishes, which perfectly suited the “indie sleaze” vibes of the era with their edgy, rock 'n roll finish and cool factor. If you, like me, have been yearning to return to that time period of flashy colors, fun nails, and pop bops, we've got company! Rihanna's new nails are basically a time machine transporting us back to those glorious days.
The matte black manicure, created by manicurist Pika, makes a prominent cameo in some new promo pics and videos for Fenty Beauty's Gloss Bomb Oil, a sparkly, shiny lip product made for summertime shining. Rihanna's nails are short and square-shaped (her preferred silhouette, she told us!) and painted with a matte black polish, then tipped with a shiny formula in the same inky shade for contrast. This mani would've been right at home in the “We Found Love” video, or 2007's gothy “Umbrella," which is probably why it feels so delightfully unexpected nearly 20 years later. In a sea of subtle glazed nails and micro-French manicures, Rihanna's matte black nails are a breath of fresh air.
The nails aren't the only throwback element of the imagery, either. Rihanna's hair also gave me serious flashbacks, given that she's rocking a warm, golden auburn red—not the fire-engine scarlet she wore during the Loud era, but a 2025 version, perhaps. Don't these photos make you want to log into Tumblr, drink a Frappuccino, and pop into American Apparel for a new night-out outfit? Because I sure do.
Rihanna's matte black nails are a total 180 from her most recent manicure, where she defied all our spring 2025 nail color trend predictions in a classic sheer, milky pink and a pedicure to match. But then again, this is Rihanna we're talking about; when everyone else zigs, she's gonna zag, and that's what makes her the ultimate beauty trendsetter.
More celebrity nails you need to see:
- Demi Lovato Took Glazed Donut Nails and Made Them Rock 'n Roll
- Tyla's Radioactive Butter Mani-Pedi Is Going to Be Such a Big Summer Trend
- Selena Gomez Is Wearing This $13 Nail Polish Right Now
Now, watch nail trends evolve over a century:
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