Issa Rae Paired a Swirly French Manicure With Hot Pink Velvet for the “Barbie” Premiere

Issa Rae for president.

Quick question: I know that Issa Rae merely *plays* a president in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, but can we start a petition to make that happen IRL, too? Whether Rae has the oval office on her manifestation board or not, she looked like one of the most stunning politicians while on the red carpet for the Barbie premiere. Unlike most politicians who stick to sleek lines and monochromatic tones, Rae took the vibes up a notch last night with a swirly, pink French manicure.

On July 9, Rae arrived at the Barbie premiere in LA wearing a custom pink velvet Marc Bouwer gown. The Dress features a keyhole cutout, a turtleneck with a structural bow at the neck, a sleeveless design, and a trailing train. Her stylist Wouri Vice paired the look with a hot pink Jeffrey Levinson clutch, diamond drop earrings, diamond rings, and a diamond tennis bracelet.

As President Barbie, it makes sense that Rae rocked pink from head to toe (because a president should represent their nation, right?)—her almond-shaped swirly pink French manicure matched perfectly. “Issa has been in the mood for pink,” says celebrity manicurist Eri Ishizu. “We wanted to have fun with the nail look for the Barbie premiere, so we decided on using different pink shades. Using the signature color and embracing the playfulness of Barbie, I put a spin on the regular French mani, creating an abstract version.”

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Ishizu first applied a coat of OPI’s GelColor Stay Classic Base Coat (professional only) and cured it under the OPI Star Light Gel Lamp (professional only) for 30 seconds. (Ishizu recommends using the OPI Natural Nail Base Coat, $11 for a standard manicure.) Then, Ishizi applied two coats of the OPI GelColor (professional only) in “Put it in Neutral,” which can be subbed out for the OPI Nail Lacquer ($12) in “Bon Voyage To Reality!” for a non-gel manicure.

After that, Ishizi used the OPI GelColor in “Two Timing the Zones” (professional only) and “I Quit My Day Job” (professional only) to create abstract twists along the nail’s free edge to create a swirly faux French. To mimic this step with a non-gel mani, you can use the OPI Nail Lacquer in “Hi Barbie!” ($12) and “I Quit My Day Job” ($12). Finally, she sealed everything in with the OPI GelColor Stay Shiny Top Coat (professional only), which can be substituted with the OPI Top Coat ($11) for a standard polish manicure.

To round out Rae’s all-pink outfit, makeup artist Joanna Simkin created a vivid graphic eye with pale pink eyeshadow on the lid, a hot pink cut crease, and a stark black wing. She then added highlighter and pink blush to add a dewy pop and rounded out the makeup look with a glossy pink lip. Finally, hairstylist Felicia Leatherwood created an iconic Barbie updo on the actor.

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