It's a story that seems like an industry urban legend, and yet it's true: When Christian Louboutin designed one of his first shoes in 1992, he thought it was missing something—so he grabbed his assistant's red nail polish out of her hands and painted the sole that now-signature shade of scarlet. Now, the tale comes full circle as the king of high heels releases his latest nail lacquer, called Loubi Under Red, meant to be applied to the "soles" of your nails (as in, underneath). But it's not just the launch of a new nail polish: We've officially been introduced to a vampy new kind of nail art. Click through to find out how you can match your manicure to your favorite pair of Louboutin heels.Nails by Teresa King at cityMANI, which now offers a Christian Louboutin nail package for $50.
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How To Give Yourself a Louboutin Manicure
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Step 1
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Note: This manicure works best on long nails—the better to show off that flashy red! In the interest of really showing a clear tutorial, we opted for acrylic nails this time around.
Apply a base coat of clear polish. (No need to apply the coat underneath your nails.)
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Step 2
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Apply two coats of black polish.
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Step 3
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Let dry for a few minutes.
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Step 4
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Flip your hand over: It’s time to apply that Louboutin red. The key to a mess-proof under-mani is to keep a fairly dry brush—just a tiny bit of color is necessary. Try holding down the skin on each finger as you apply. Carefully brush it on, but don’t worry about getting it on your skin. You’ll clean that up in a minute. Let dry for a few minutes.
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Step 5
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Have a Q-tip and either a bamboo cuticle pusher or another Q-tip with most of the cotton removed on hand. To get rid of any red polish on your skin, dip your tool of choice in nail polish remover and gently brush off the red, while trying to avoid removing the polish that’s underneath your nail. Tip: Holding down the skin on each finger as you do this makes it a lot easier!
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Finish off with a clear top coat. No need to apply it underneath your nails. Instead, as you paint the top of each nail, swipe the polish along the edge as well.
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Et voilà!
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Your now have a vampy Louboutin mani to match your stilettos.