Dua Lipa’s Shiny Silver Nails Prove The Power Of Color Theory

Surely you’ve seen the videos all over your FYP. Someone’s sitting in a chair, facing forward, with no makeup on and all their hair pulled back while swatches of fabric in different tones and shades are draped over their chests. Color theory identifies what palettes illuminate and enhance one’s natural features best, and it includes metallics. The whole concept, though, can basically be corroborated by Dua Lipa’s love of silver nails — and really, silver in general. The “Training Season” singer has been spotted in the shade more times than anyone can even count, ranging from her manicures to her go-to jewelry pieces and even her chainmail-like 2024 Grammys grown. Her latest polish shade is especially shiny, and proves just how effective the color theory practice really can be.

Lipa’s long been a lover of everything silver, and thankfully, she doesn’t seem to be abandoning her signature shade as she launches her new album. The chromatic color made a lot of thematic sense during her disco-pop Future Nostalgia period and keeping it for her third studio release, Radical Optimism, is a nice through-line connecting the eras. In photos shared to the singer’s account during a recent trip to Mexico City, the polish is so luminous and metallic, it practically looks foiled.

There is one thing a bit different about Lipa’s manicures lately, though. In past years, she gravitated toward longer nail styles, often using extensions or acrylics for an extended look. They’d also regularly feature a square shape, whereas these days, she seems more into simply shellacking her natural nails with a cool shade of polish.

Though she’s on the record as a standing fan of silver, it must be mentioned that the futuristic polish color is in fact enjoying something of a renaissance among celebrities. It was one of the most popular nail trends at the Oscars this year, seen on stars like Florence Pugh and Lily Gladstone. It’s a hot — or cool, rather — look for makeup, too. Anne Hathaway just wore a smattering of silver sparkles on her eyes at the global premiere of The Idea Of You, a shadow color co-signed by so many of Lipa’s fellow pop stars, including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Adele.

Considering just how many times Lipa’s worn silver polish or nail art in the past handful of years, however, it’s safe to say she’s influenced by more than just a growing trend.