Get The Nail Look – Rihanna in the “I Love The Way You Lie” Video
A few days ago ALU reader Casey contacted me asking about Rihanna’s intense red nails in Eminem’s “I Love The Way You Lie” video. The flaming hue that matched her colorful hair definitely stood out against the fiery backdrop.
You couldn’t help but notice her nails and I LOVE that she worked them in the camera giving us all an up close look. Of course the woman responsible for this look is none other than Celebrity Manicurist Kimmie Kyees. She’s Rihanna’s go-to gal and, as always, her work was spot on. Curious about what she used?
That would be CND Shellac in Wildfire. Rihanna has been known to wear enhancements and soak-off gels so given the rising popularity of Shellac, it was only a matter of time before we spotted her sporting the product.
Shellac Wildfire is actually based on the nail polish from the old CND color line (pre Colour & Effects). You see when CND developed its initial color lineup for Shellac they looked at their top selling polish shades from the original color line including this cherry red creme.
Fortunately I still have a bottle of Wildfire so I can show you what the color looks like off screen. The old CND formula was great because it was thin, flowed well and leveled itself out. The only downside was that I needed three coats with Wildfire to get it opaque.
That’s where the CND Colour Comparison Chart comes into play. You can either spend $10 on eBay for an original bottle of Wildfire and hope the quality is still good or you can pick up a bottle of CND Rouge Red from the Colour & Effects line for $9.
The colors are identical plus the new CND formula applies phenomenally well and is pigmented enough that you only need two coats. The one caveat is that the new bottle is smaller so you’re getting less product for about the same price. If you’re a collector like me, you may want to jump on the Wildfire while it’s still available. I’m holding on to all my old CNDs regardless of any dupes.
CND Colour & Effects Rouge Red is available online at GoIndugle.com and BeBeautiful.com in addition to other etailers (see sidebar). CND Colours retail for $9/ea for a .33fl oz bottle. To get Shellac’d with Wildfire, visit the Shellac Salon Locator to find a tech near you.
ps BeBeautiful also has the Night Factory Duo for sale. I know some people were looking for it.
***EDITED TO ADD – Forget eBay, Head2Toe still has bottles of Wildfire for $2.99. BONUS!
Thoughts on Rihanna’s nail look in the video? Does anyone else still have a bottle of Wildfire tucked away in their stash?
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
ugh I’m so MAD! The hair color in the video is my once signature color! And I had been looking for a nail polish that matched and that’s it!
Ugh I’m gonna buy that polish and rock it!
Oh, thank you so much for this! Will be buying Wildfire asap!
Oh yes, I still have a bottle of Wildfire
And you remind me to use it more often.
I have the CND rouge red, I find it stains my nails
I love the color though
be sure to try CND’s base coat Sticky and the staining will go away and a bonus the color will stay on longer!
I LOVE this post! I love that you have an “in” with the celebrity stylist and can ask them what products they are using on their clients and then share it with us. I don’t know how many times I have seen a pic or video/movie and wondered what color of NP they were using! Love it!! Thanks so much!!
Thanks for this article
You can still get Wildfire at Transdesign for $2.99 + S&H. They still have several of the good, original core line colors.
Do you know of an OPI or Essie dupe for this color?
It’s a bold red color. Love it.
wow thats an amzing shade of red, nice!
I ended up going with the $2.99 Wildfire from Head2toe because I can always wait and get Rouge Red anytime, but Wildfire won’t be around on ebay or otherwise much longer and I’ve been wanting Wildfire for awhile anyway. Truth be told I kind of miss and prefer the old CND line. Rock Royalty was my favorite collection. The whole Color and Effects thing is just a pain to me, but I can easily see why it would really appeal to other people. The layering thing is just too time consuming for me personally.
That is one of the most amazing shades of read Ive ever seen
While we’re on Head2Toe beauty — what are your other old CND color favorites?
(searching your old posts now, but in case you can think of a few off the top of your head, do share!)
Well less product the new bottle may have, but if you need only two coats to get it opaque instead of three with the old formula it’s better value for money no?
Amazing colour and amazing swatch thanks.
hahahah that’s so funny – just watched this video the other day and I was obsessed with her nails. I searched all over to try and find out what colour it was but no website said. Thank you so much for this:)
ps, I was in my local Walmart and I saw this gorgeous matte green by Revlon called Emerald City and thought of you. It applies like a dream and the colour’s just gorgeous. For $3 how could you go wrong?
That’s an awesome RED color she is wearing! Amazingly Wild Fire!
Michelle, any chance, do you happen to know the (dark black?) color polish that Rachel Zoe wears on her, “The Rachel Zoe Project?” Bravo’s Reality Show? I am a Hugh fan.
Happy Labor Day everyone.
Mc Huggs
Try Chanel Rouge Noir. I’ve got Rachel’s book and subscribe to her daily newsletter and she’s said many many times in both that its one of her favorite polishes ever. Its the creme version of Chanel Vamp.
did we ever discuss her super sharp pointy nails! Those were so killer and only she could pull them off
How often do you check your email?
Hi Katherine! I’m sorry but my inbox has been swamped lately due to my upcoming trip to NYC for fashion week. I did get your email regarding Pretty Little Liars and I emailed the makeup dept head right away to see what I could find out and I never heard back. I apologize for not responding to your email but it got lost in the craziness.
Thanks so much for taking the time to contact them
Off topic, which I’m sorry about, but Michelle, did you know there’s a pop-up that comes up each time I try to click anything on your site? It’s http://itk.socialspark.com/success.html. Whenever I click anywhere on your page it opens up a new window. I don’t know that there’s anything you can do about it, but I just wanted to let you know. Thanks!
Hi Laura! Thanks for letting me know. That was from a program I joined but never did anything with. I forgot to remove the code and didn’t realize it was showing pop-ups. It should be taken care of now but if not, please let me know.
jesus, this kimmie kyees is everywhere!
@ Kathleen Some of my old CND must haves are Cuppa Joe, an incredibly rich but neutral brown (at least I don’t see any red, orange or plum in it), Decadence is another fantastic red, deeper than Wildfire. Dark Secret is a gorgeous red shimmer. Silver Anniversary is a great silver shimmer with no blue or green undertones that I can see and Hyde in the Dark is my favorite charcoal with silver shimmer. Toxic Perfection is a gorgeous pinky peach (some call it coral) with gold shimmer but it’s getting really hard to find Unfortunately, I only stumbled onto CND about 4 months ago and missed out on many of their classic shades. They apply like a dream for me.
Nice is a great silver shimmer with no blue or green undertones that I can see and Hyde in the Dark is my favorite charcoal with silver shimmer. Toxic Perfection is a gorgeous pinky peach (some call it coral) with gold shimmer but it