Cynthia Erivo's Met Gala Nails Reimagined the Sistine Chapel's Painting With Two Black Women

With a theme like Heavenly Bodies, there were bound to be religious references aplenty on the 2018 Met Gala's red carpet. Still, there was no way to see this one coming. For her nails, actress Cynthia Erivo went to Nicki Minaj's go-to manicurist, Gina Oh—and together, they put a wholly 2018 twist on arguably the most significant religious artwork of all time. Picture the Creation of Adam, the renowned painting Michaelangelo created for the Sistine Chapel's ceiling. Now, say goodbye white men: Oh and Erivo reimagined the scene with two black women, and then miniaturized it to fit onto three of Erivo's long nails.

Alone, that would've been impressive enough. But the rest of her nails got an equally jaw-dropping treatment, with tiny multicolored jewels, miniature religious portraits, and a dangling chain in the mix. Going by Erivo's Instagram stories, it appears the manicure was two days in the making—most Met Gala prep is involved, but for nails alone, that's something. First came the length, then the first round of tiny portraits. With the outline of the Sistine Chapel revamp done, it looks like Oh headed home for the night—and in a feat for the ages, Erivo continued to use her hands to do things (if you've ever had long nails, you know that's difficult. If you've ever had two-inch nails, well, you know that life more than we do).

Oh and Erivo's second session brought out the electric buffer, along with a hand drill to poke through Erivo's pinky and ring fingernails. How else could they hang an ornate gold chain between her nails, complete with a dangling cross? It's beautiful, and it's intense. It's difficult to put the Sistine Chapel to shame in terms of awe, but Erivo and Oh pulled it off with her Sistine Chapel Met Gala manicure. Turn on your sound for the full effect—god forbid (eh?) you miss the heavenly choir that Oh soundtracked her video with.

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