Margot Robbie wore custom Khaki green nails on the red carpet

Margot Robbie spent most of 2023 rocking Barbie-core nails to match her archival Barbie outfits during the lengthy Barbie movie press tour. 

Celebrity nail artist Tom Bachik created a myriad of Barbie-inspired manicures for the actress during Barbie’s global takeover tour. Robbie tried a classic ‘50s red nail polish to reflect Barbie’s historical origins and the release of the first ever Barbie in 1959, sparkly bubblegum disco nails, and a minimalist baby pink nude manicure look too.

But, after months of imagining any and all potential Barbie manicure, Robbie and Bachik are now trying new things. And although one could conclude the natural next step would be to dabble in darker hues that serve as an antithesis to Barbie’s girly pink aesthetic like black nail polish, the duo have decided to create something wholly unique instead. 

For the recent Los Angeles premiere of Saltburn, Robbie (who co-produced the film) wore a corseted couture Schiaparelli gown that she accented with a bronzed smokey eye and a khaki manicure. The earth-toned nail look was created custom by Bachik for the event to compliment her dress, the nail artist shared via Instagram. 

Bachik prepped Robbie’s nails and created a clean, short shape using the Tweezerman x Tom Bachik Nail Care Travel Set. As for the custom colour? “I created a custom khaki green colour to compliment her dress using Chanel Le Vernis Nail Color in ‘Beige Cendre’ and ‘Brun Fume’,” Bachik told his followers. 

But the manicure is not only custom, it's also exclusive. 

Both of the shades ‘Beige Cendre’ and ‘Brun Fume’ were released in Chanel’s Limited Edition Fall Winter 2021 Collection and are subsequently extremely difficult to source.

If you have the time to vet eBay listings, then more power to you, but if you’d appreciate an easy-to-find alternative Essie Expressie Quick-Dry Nail Polish in ‘Buns Up’ ($6.99 at Chemist Warehouse) is a near-perfect Chanel Le Vernis Nail Color ‘Beige Cendre’ dupe. 

However, dupes for Chanel Le Vernis Nail Color ‘Brun Fume’ are unfortunatley harder to come by; Chanel’s ‘Duelliste’ ($45 at David Jones) comes close but its not as green as ‘Brun Fume’ and looks like a cool-toned grey-brown shade when applied to the nail. Still chic, though!

Normally we’d be annoyed, but following the mass appeal and accessibility of Barbie, it seems only fitting that Margot Robbie’s personal aesthetic allows her to shed all things Barbie both literally and metaphorically by embodying a distinctive style that can’t be copied or commercialised. 

Honestly, we’re happy to just sit back and  appreciate the manicure magic she creates with the help of Bachik. 

When the duo aren’t concocting custom nail polish shades, Bachik likes to give Robbie a French tip-inspired American manicure. 

Image credit: @tombachik