Common arrives at the 57th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
AP ImagesWe may not talk about them as much as we do women’s nails, but that doesn’t change the fact that men, too, get manicures for big events. Take Common, for example. “I’m 100 percent sure Common isn’t the only man getting a manicure, which usually entails just perfect grooming and a massage for the hand and nails,” says celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann, who gave him the full treatment before he took the stage for his performance of “Glory” with John Legend at the Grammys.
“It’s one of the things that often goes unspoken and flies under the radar, but in fact it’s really, really important,” adds Lippmann. “I’ve found that men actually enjoy the treatment a little more than women, because they don’t do it as frequently. After a manicure, they tend to feel better about their hands and will ultimately be more expressive.”
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From head to toe — and fingertip — Common did look impeccable, wearing a Givenchy tux that Lippmann calls “chic and sophisticated.” “He has really nice nails and isn’t the shine or polish kind of guy, so going for a perfect buffed, nonshine nail felt like the right fit for him,” she says.
To accomplish that, she first cleansed his hands and nails with Deborah Lippmann The Stripper To Go ($12). Next, she shaped the nails to mirror his cuticles, using a file with gentle motions to prevent breakage. Exfoliation was the third step: “To create a beautiful buff, use the Smooth Operator Four-Way Nail Buffer [$12].”
Following that, Lippmann removed dead skin from around the nails wherever the skin met nail with her Cuticle Remover ($20). She then gently pressed back cuticles with a cuticle pusher, using small, circular movements from corner to corner. Lastly, she wiped Common’s nails clean and rubbed a drop of her Cuticle Oil ($20) at the base of each nail, layered with Deborah Lippmann The Cure ($24), for ultimate nourishment.
