French Tip: Behind Whitney Peak's Cigarette Nail with Artist Betina Goldstein
Welcome to Celebrity Secret Weapon, where I pull back the curtain on the most interesting beauty looks of the moment.
The Met Gala’s theme was “Tailored for You,” an extension of the Costume Institute’s exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” Actress Whitney Peak added layers to that extension wearing bespoke Chanel, designed by artisans for over 385 hours, along with a singular hand-sculpted cigarette tailored to her manicure.
She told Marie Claire that in addition to paying homage to the women in her life, she sought to honor Josephine Baker and Eartha Kitt, who Peak says, “Would have these beautiful, very overly feminine and extravagant looks, but then they would also wear a very well-fitting suit and a little hat and have like a cigar coming out, you know what I mean?"
What a brilliant and regal way to incorporate the dandyism theme. Cigars and cigs are as integral to the dandy look as a tailored coat — it’s why we saw so many of them on the carpet, although many opted for real versions (which are banned, by the way). Peak made it a distinct artifact to (literally) behold — and if I may, gave classic Chanel a youthful, contemporary edge.
I knew it had to be courtesy of celebrity secret weapon Betina Goldstein.
To know Betina is to love her. She’s kind, soft, interesting and she’s as beautiful to look at as the art she creates. Her distinct personality and keen eye for art is showcased in the nails she designs — a follower of mine commented she needs her own exhibit.1 Goldstein can fashion a dainty short nail with reflective glitter and make it as mesmerizing as an intricately sculpted almond nail adorned with preserved dead ants. She’s that good. Some have called her work “disturbingly chic” and even “creepily enchanting.”2 Which is on brand — this is a woman who showed up to a Halloween party3 10 days ahead of her own child’s birth with her belly decorated with a baby doll breaking out of the womb like a prisoner from a jail cell. She’s not afraid of being a provacateur.
“She had a couple of best friends in the room with her, and she was showing my designs to them while I started prepping her nails,” she said. Peak ended up praising the cigarette nail art to the group. Goldstein mentioned she had pitched it to another client but it didn’t work out.
“She turned to me and said, 'I want it.’”
One of my favorite “Betina” designs is her clever take on a “french manicure” with a small, hand-sculpted cigarette on the tip from September 2023. A year later, she pushed herself to create a full-size cig that floated in the nail so it could be “smoked.”4 When I saw Peak showing off her own cigarette nail, I was hoping Betina was the one who executed it.
Goldstein told me she chatted with Peak a few days before the gala to land on a design that complemented her look, however the cigarette was not part of the original design. “When I showed up to do her nails (the night before), she had a couple of best friends in the room with her and she was showing my designs to them while I started prepping her nails,” she said. Peak ended up praising the cigarette nail art to the group. Goldstein mentioned she had pitched it to another client but it didn’t work out. “She turned to me and said, 'I want it.’ She called her stylist [Leila Smara] to let her know the plan, who got on board and we agreed to do it. I was beyond the moon.”
Goldstein applied nail extensions to every finger with the exception of the index finger on her right hand, painting the other nine with an off-white french tip using Chanel Le Vernis Glaciale5 and Chanel Ballerina for the base. Afterwards, she spent three hours designing and painting the cigarette with Doublemoss Arte Brushes and Palette — Goldstein’s own brand — using sculpting gel and a secret technique to make the tip of the cig as realistic as possible. The day of, for the lone index finger, she applied the gel extension and then used a nail drill to create a hole for the cigarette to fit into, which she then applied right before Peak had to head out. “I made it bigger and bigger to make it as perfect as I could while not breaking the nail,” Goldstein said.
Photos Peak posted pre, during and after the gala confirm she had the best accessory of the evening.
Goldstein also created Ego Nwodim’s nail art. Nwodim co-hosted the gala’s livestream coverage for the first time and was one of my top five favorite looks of the night, sporting a custom archival Christopher John Rogers ensemble, an artful hairstyle by Miles Jeffries, and nails that initially Nwodim wasn’t totally sure of.
“At one point Ego said, ‘I am a piece of art today and I will let the artist use me as that,’ which I thought was incredible.”
“For Ego, I worked closely with her stylist Solange [Franklin]. I love working with her, she truly appreciates and trusts me,” Goldstein said. “She showed me Ego’s stunning look by [Rogers] who I was familiar with but I wanted to do a deeper dive into his work.” Known for his colorful designs and bold prints, she said what stood out to her were the arrangement of unique, colorful buttons that he uses in his designs, which happened to be on Nwodim’s sleeves.
Franklin approved the idea. Goldstein said originally she was going to sew the buttons to the nails, however Nwodim has naturally long, beautiful nails and you cannot sew into those, so instead the buttons were adhered with gel. “When I told Ego I was going to adhere buttons on her nails, her face was priceless,” Goldstein said. “She goes, ‘Okay, and what’s the second option?' I told her if at any point she said, ‘No, I don’t like this,’ I would take it off and we could do something else.” Goldstein said Nwodim noted she was familiar with her work so she trusted her vision.
Goldstein bought three pounds of buttons and picked out ones that best matched Nwodim’s sleeves. Her nails were painted CND Shellac in Black Pool so that when she placed her hands on her hips the actual nails would get lost and the buttons would pop more.
“I am still cross-eyed,” Goldstein said.
I am passionate about being able to share the hard work that goes into the beauty looks on the red carpet, in television and in film, which is often overlooked for fashion. However, if the hair, makeup or nails don’t work, it can take you out of the world being created. There’s intent, patience and creativity put into every hair, every lash, every stroke. To help me share more Celebrity Secret Weapons, consider a paid subscription. If you’re reading this from a corporate email, it would be a shame not to expense it. :)
I concur. Get her to Art Basel!
The latter is from me, affectionately.
Kirboween!
Why can I see Jenna Ortega asking her to supply a real ciggie for a manicure in the future?
Unfortunately I cannot find this shade in the US.