The Best of Jennifer Lopez’s Nails for Your Manicure Inspo

Jennifer Lopez debuts a new manicure every week—sometimes bi-, or even tri-weekly. And with each polish job comes the sort of fascination that stops scrolling and sparks trends. This is thanks to both Lopez’s high-glamour tastes and her relationship with longtime collaborator nail artist Tom Bachik, the mastermind behind some of the year’s most viral mani moments.

“With Jennifer, it’s always about making it the best that I can,” says Bachik. “She’s very meticulous, so we try to make them as perfect as possible.” For Bachik, that means starting with a thorough manicure (no misshapen tips or dry cuticles here), consistent shapes and healthy nails feeding both his and Lopez’s sensibilities. 

The two are constantly collaborating, texting inspo back and forth, and generally iterating on Lopez’s sumptuous signatures. “Jennifer loves rich and classy [style]. That’s her kind of overall aesthetic in everything she does,” says Bachik. “And then as we get into JLo, then we get a little more extreme, a little more street, so it’s playing with what works for both.” A medium-length tapered square serves as Lopez’s go-to silhouette (“This gives you an elegant look, because it kind of elongates the finger”), while her current palette is all down to nudes—and shimmer (“she loves sparkle”). Since coining rich girl nails late last year, neutrals and tone-on-tone looks have found favor with Lopez. “Perfectly high-gloss-looking nails,” explains Bachik. “She’s really been into those earthy tones, taupe-y nudes.”

When conceptualizing a nail look, Bachik ensures that the manicure fits within the narrative, rather than attempting to overpower it. “We sit down and analyze the look for the night and ask, ‘Who do we want to be? How do we complete the look?’ because that’s kind of what it comes down to,” he says. “Nails are the punctuation. Sometimes it’s a period, sometimes it’s an exclamation point.”

Here, a selection of Lopez’s best manicures of 2023. 

Lipgloss Nude