Molly Marsh wore ‘tuxedo nails’ to the Love Island final

Molly Marsh just revealed the manicure she wore for the Love Island final, and her sleek black tuxedo nails are the perfect anti-Barbie monochrome look for the summer

The Love Island contestants have officially left the villa, and although we’ve already got the details of exactly what outfits they wore and how they did their makeup, one beauty secret remained – what their manicures were.

Thankfully, the manicurist behind Ella Bella Nails , Ella Jarvis, has revealed exactly what nail looks she gave each Islander, and we’re absolutely obsessed with Molly Marsh’s dramatic minimalist choice.

For the final episode, Molly wore a white beaded flapper-style mini dress, and opted for a sleek black take on the tuxedo nail trend to contrast against the white of the dress.

Showing a close up of Molly’s nails, Ella Bella revealed she’d given Molly a black BIAB manicure, shaping the Love Islander’s nails into a square with a very subtle coffin tip, finished with a glossy black polish.

BIAB is a gel-like nail varnish that applies over your regular nails and dries into a much harder, more durable finish that protects your nails and prevents them from breaking or snapping.

Molly’s minimalist black mani is a subtle take on the popular tuxedo nail trend which combines black polish with a traditional French manicure, with either a black base and white tips, or a white base with black tips.

Although Molly didn’t include any white in her final-worthy design, the combination of the black mani with her white embellished 20s style dress was definitely giving tuxedo vibes.

Although BIAB doesn’t typically come in colours – it's much more likely to be a pale pink or neutral colour – you can paint any other gel nail varnish over the top of it, meaning you don’t need to compromise on your nail designs.

BIAB manicures are tricky to do at home, however, as they require a UV lamp to cure it before you can apply any of your colours.

However, a layer of nail strengthener, like the Sally Hansen Double Duty Nail Strengthening Base & Top Coat, £6 here, helps to protect your nail beds from staining with dark colours whilst also strengthening your natural nail. It can also be applied as a top coat to prevent chipping and snapping after you’ve painted them.

To get Molly’s look at home, you just need to apply your strengthening base coat, before painting a black polish, like OPI Nature Strong Natural Vegan Nail Polish, £13.13 here (was £17.50), onto your nails.

To get an even, dense colour, you’re best off painting a couple of thin layer of varnish, rather than one thick one, as not only does it build up better coverage, but also reduces the risk of chipping or a lumpy application.

We’re loving this dramatic alternative to the Barbie pink shades we’ve been seeing everywhere recently, proving that sometimes you can’t go wrong with a bold, dark mani.