Burgundy and chocolate shades sing a particular siren song at this time of year when thoughts go to a wintery nail reset. Enter the ‘Blood Moon manicure’, a nail trend that marries both popular polish hues together and has the same DNA as a chocolate cherry manicure.

Better yet, Selena Gomez has just co-signed it as the sophisticated alternative to nude nails this winter. In an Instagram post on 16 October, the star’s go-to manicurist Tom Bachik posted a picture of Selena with the accompanying caption: “Blood Moon Mani for @selenagomez x @fortunepmw ‘Most Powerful Women’ Conference ♥️💅🏼 #nailsbytombachik”.

On closer inspection, Selena can be seen sporting a nail look that’s a million miles away from the blush-toned, ‘angel nails’ she wore for her wedding. Mimicking the dramatic red glow of an actual Blood Moon – when the Moon looks red after orbiting through the Earth’s shadow – Selena’s nails look a distinct oxblood colour with a touch of mahogany shot through it. Think of it as being like a neutral burgundy, if you will, which also makes it appealing to minimalist manicure lovers.

How to create a DIY ‘Blood Moon manicure’:

US nail brand Apres Nails famously has a gel nail polish shade named Blood Moon, which Tom used to create Selena’s manicure, slicking the polish onto coffin tips before applying his own brand of clear gel polish over the top.

This new riff on an autumnal burgundy nail has exploded on social media and while the brand Apres Nails isn’t available in the UK, good Blood Moon-inspired polishes include Manucurist’s Green Nail Polish In Hollyhock and Dior’s Vernis Nail Polish in 047 Nuit 1947 with a slick of OPI Top Coat over the top for a super shiny, expensive-looking finish.

Another iteration of the ‘Blood Moon manicure’ that is being popularised on TikTok is an aura nails effect – a mani that features a burst of diffused colour starting from the centre of your nail – which lends the whole look witchy vibes.

TikToker @lightslacquer provided a simple DIY hack for how to create this look, which involves dipping a sponge in water and then adding an oval-shaped dot of oxblood red nail polish to the centre of the sponge. She then circles around it with black polish before dabbing the sponge onto her nails and finishing with a slick of topcoat.