Thee Esoteric Meaning of Lipstick Nails

So many people tagged me in Megan Thee Stallion’s lipstick nail post yesterday that I felt compelled to post a quick reading of this unusual, dynamic shape.

So I’m not gonna lie. I typically am not a fan of lipstick nails – they usually remind me more of threatening box cutters than alluring lipstick.

That said, I love her take on it – the proportions are delicate and the translucent pink is soft and sensual, all of which balance out an otherwise aggressive shape and make the asymmetry more of an intriguing surprise than visual stressor. So let’s break them down:

The Lipstick Nail Elemental Shape

If you’ve read my Nail Reading 101 post or The Art of Onychomancy e-book, you’re probably already familiar with the categorization of nail shapes according to element:

Earth = Square, Rectangle
Air = Round, Oval
Fire = Spatulate, Coffin
Water = Narrow, Stiletto

Megan’s tapered lipstick nails are a combination of coffin and stiletto, or Fire and Water shapes. When you bring fire and water together you get steam. Which feels like the perfect description of this set – they look alluring and warm at first glance, but you might get burned if you get too close.

The Significance of Nail Asymmetry

The most important – and polarizing – quality of the lipstick nail shape is the asymmetrical tip. We typically are attracted to symmetrical features, so intentional asymmetry is inherently surprising – even disconcerting or rebellious. If you read the comments under the tweet featuring Megan’s nails, you’ll see what I mean. People have very strong reactions to this shape. Why is this?

In my nail reading book, I talk about how diagonal lines in manicures represent dynamic energy and change, whereas vertical lines are about pinpointed energy and progress (think of a magic wand), and horizontal lines are stabilizing and calming. In order to read lines visually, notice where the lines cause your eyes to gravitate toward and what they emphasize.

The big arrow in the diagram represents external energies coming toward her. The dotted lines represent the energetic aura of the manicure – if they were to “keep growing” so to speak, and meet their natural point, that is how far the aura of her nails extends. And the way her hand structure and nail direction is set up, the meeting point of her nails deviates to the left of the center line. So the energy coming toward her gets deflected to the side, away from her body.

This energetic dynamic makes a lot of sense especially in light of that IG Live she posted recently, featuring this manicure, about how she’s just having fun dating several men but not sleeping with them. And enjoying herself telling everyone to mind their own business. Rightfully so. This clip especially sums up the spirit of her manicure:

“Don’t worry about what I do. You can’t move how I move. I’m the only one that can do shit that I do.”

She is clearly inundated with a lot of unsolicited opinions coming at her, but it seems to all be rolling right off her shoulders. Like a martial artist, she appears to effortlessly deflect and alchemize her detractors’ opinions (to the benefit of her career), rather than internalizing them.

And her manicure reflects this pattern perfectly. Fun fact, the anime series Cowboy Bebop, above, and Megan are both sidereal Air signs (Gemini and Aquarius, respectively). Love it. Happy birthday Megan!

If you’d like to support my blog and leave a tip, you can do so here:

Hope this helps to demystify this unique manicure shape! If you’d like to learn more about nail reading, please check out my following writings on the subject: