Keke Palmer's Aura Nails Are Equal Parts Dreamy and Witchy

The perfect winter nail trend.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

Keke Palmer has never done anything boring in her life—especially not when it comes to her nail art.

The actor and musician (and Marie Claire cover girl) is currently in the midst of a press tour promoting her new series on Peacock titled The Burbs. Just ahead of her appearance on The Tonight Show this week, she attended a special screening event for the new series in New York City, where she wore black trousers and a black, mesh top featuring a leopard print pattern and velvet patches covering her chest area. Her glam for the night was a little less understated, as she wore her orange-red pixie cut (which she debuted last summer) in a gelled-down style along with a blood red lip color. And instead of wearing a dark or neutral nail color to the mid-winter event, she opted for something a little more fun in the form of orange aura nails with a nude base. If you look a little closer, you can also see that she included tiny studs on each nail and added a light-colored chrome powder to her thumb.

a black woman with short hair photographed at a premiere event wearing an all-black outfit

Keke Palmer attends a screening of Peacock's "The 'Burbs."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The aura nail trend typically combines two to three colors to create an ombré-like effect that extends from the center of the nail to the outer corners—it's supposed to look like an actual photo of an aura. This isn't a new trend, but it really took off last summer, and it's become a go-to design choice for celebs like Kate Hudson, who wore blue aura nails to the Song Sung Blue premiere back in November.

On the more woo-woo side of things, aura nails aren't just a pretty, colorful design. Some aura readers believe that you can incorporate specific colors into your aura nail design in order to manifest the things you want most in life.

“Color and especially something like aura nails can act as a wearable ritual because it subtly programs your subconscious, whether you’re manifesting love, leveling up in business, or calling in peace," aura reader, Susanna Merrick, previously told MC. "Color choices have the power to influence and transform the colors of your aura—only if you want them to, of course.”

Obviously, you can recreate the trend using whatever colors you want, depending on the look you're going for or what you want to manifest. Read ahead to shop everything you'll need to achieve Keke Palmer's look.

Danielle Jackson
Danielle Jackson
Senior Beauty Writer

Danielle Jackson is the senior beauty writer at Marie Claire. She has nearly a decade of experience covering beauty, lifestyle, and entertainment and was previously the senior beauty editor at Women's Health, where she thoughtfully covered topics related to skincare, haircare, aesthetics, and wellness. Before that, she spent three years as an assistant beauty editor at PS, and in the years since, her work has appeared in titles like Vogue, InStyle, Glamour, and more. Danielle graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in English, and has lived in Brooklyn for almost ten years. When she's not writing, you can find her reading romance novels and talking about sunscreen. You can find her on Instagram @danielleknecole.