Meet the 20-Year-Old Nail Artist Behind Your Favorite Celebrities' Manicures

During this year's awards season, eyes on Cynthia Erivo justifiably ogled her gowns, customized to channel Elphaba, her Wicked character. The English actor’s Louis Vuitton look at the Oscars, for example, was distinguished by its deep emerald hue. But almost as statement-making as her outfits are Erivo’s nails. Her kaleidoscopic talons also tell a tale, thanks to her go-to manicurist Mycah Dior, a 20-year-old nail artist from Los Angeles.

Dior, known on Instagram as @clawzbydior_, started working with Erivo in late 2024, just in time for Wicked’s Los Angeles premiere. That night, each of Erivo’s fingernails featured a myriad of charms, from tri-toned geometric drawings on her ring finger to chains on her pinky, and oversized crystals dotting her thumb. Dior freestyles each of Erivo’s sets.

“I have templates of nails, and I'll draw different things on them. That's [a huge part of] my creative process. I might look at what she's wearing for an event to get a feel of how I want her nails to look,” Dior says.

Dior had been curious about nails as a child, painting hers or her mother’s in front of the TV, but the pandemic became a tipping point. With the extra time, Dior bought an acrylic starter kit and dedicated herself to her practice, watching YouTube tutorials and aided by her mother’s support. Dior landed her first celebrity client (rapper Queen Key) before she even graduated high school, and her business continued to snowball, thanks to word-of-mouth referrals and social media. This led her to work with musicians like former City Girls duo JT and Yung Miami.

“I got a DM around 11 p.m., and I was on my way to bed to get up for school the next morning, but I took the appointment,” Dior remembers. After traveling to meet the hip hop artists and bedecking their nails, she finished at 4 a.m. “Of course I was tired [the next day], but it was worth it. Red Bulls and coffee were my thing in high school.”

Dior has continued to find and build her unique nail art style, and the manicure maven tends to have the most fun with “junk nails”: a look where flashy adornments top each OPI-lacquered nail. This is evident in her maximalist sets for Erivo, mixing sculptural elements such as  watch faces and eyeballs on her claws.

In addition to ongoing work with celebrities, Dior is expanding her brand in a major way this month, opening her very own LA beauty bar, Noire Luxe LA. Offering luxury services for hair, skin, and, of course, nails, the nearly 3,000-square-foot salon will also include a café, where patrons can enjoy a latte or glass of bubbly while getting the true A-list treatment.