Anne Hathaway and J.Lo Both Love Chocolate Cherry Nails: Here’s How to Wear Them This Fall

At this point, I know all too well that my fall manicure rotation will always include some variation of burgundy nails, chocolate brown nails, and black cherry nails. But what happens when you combine all three? You get chocolate cherry nails, the rich, red-meets-brown manicure that’s been getting a lot of love from Hollywood. Jennifer Lopez has given the moody shade her stamp of approval and Anne Hathaway stepped out wearing a similar cherry cocoa manicure earlier this year.“Chocolate cherry is one of those wonderfully safe, sophisticated colors that simply goes with everything,” says nail artist Max Estrada. “It’s versatile enough to complement almost any wardrobe, which is precisely why I think celebrities gravitate towards it. It’s glamorous without demanding too much attention, but it certainly knows how to make an entrance.” From short, glossy nails à la Anne Hathaway to longer, dramatic tips inspired by J.Lo, chocolate cherry is proof that sometimes the coolest manicure trends are the simplest ones. Ahead, everything you need to know about getting the look, plus inspiration for your next nail appointment.What are chocolate cherry nails?Chocolate cherry is the marriage of two fall nail colors: deep cherry red and chocolate brown. Unlike a traditional burgundy, which is more of a winey purple, chocolate cherry is a warmer with a brown undertone. (And it’s pretty dang expensive-looking, I might add.) “It’s incredibly easy to wear without being boring,” says Estrada. “You get the classic elegance of a red manicure mixed with the richness of chocolate brown, creating something that feels expensive, polished and a little mysterious.”The color is also a perfect transitional shade for fall and winter manicures. As the weather cools off, “we naturally move away from the bright, playful colors of summer towards deeper, warmer tones,” says Estrada. “Chocolate cherry captures that transition perfectly. It has the romance of a deep red and the warmth of autumnal brown, making it an incredibly flattering seasonal color.”The color looks gorgeous as a simple, solid-color manicure, but there’s also plenty of room to play around with different nail shapes, finishes, and designs. “Personally, I adore a beautifully tapered, long almond nail in chocolate cherry,” says Estrada. “There’s something incredibly vampy, sensual, and sophisticated about that silhouette, especially with an ultra-glossy finish.” He also likes the color with a square nail too.If you want to get into some nail art, you can go simple or get adventurous with it: “I would also love chocolate cherry with a magnetic velvet cat-eye effect, creating that gorgeous multidimensional movement in the color,” Estrada says. “Or imagine a deep chocolate base with an exaggerated cherry-red French tip.”A quick note on nail prepNail prep is always key to a professional-looking mani, especially when you’re working with darker polish, which can be less forgiving. If you’re doing a DIY manicure and you don’t know where to start, here are some tips from Estrada. First, push back your cuticles. “I always recommend gently pushing back the cuticle area, carefully removing excess dead cuticle tissue, refining the nail shape and ensuring every nail looks consistent,” he says.Next, before applying polish, make sure your nails are clean and dry. “The nail plate should be properly cleansed and prepared before application, while the surrounding skin should be kept beautifully conditioned,” he adds. “Proper preparation means better adhesion, longer wear and a much more luxurious-looking manicure.”Next, an insider tip: “One of my favorite professional techniques is leaving the tiniest clean margin between the polish and the surrounding skin,” he says. This way your polish is less likely to bleed onto the edges of your finger, which can look messy.After you’ve applied the polish, he recommends finishing with a cuticle oil for hydration.Chocolate cherry nail polishes to try:Chocolate cherry nails inspo:Joe Maher//Getty Images@tombachik@lolo.nailedit@mvk.nyc@disseynailsMeet the expertMax Estrada is a professional nail artist and founder and creative director of eNailCouture based in Tucson, AZ.Why trust Cosmopolitan?Catharine Malzahn is a contributing beauty writer at Cosmo. She’s covered and tested all things nails, from the coolest new polish colors to cuticle care and nail art trends.Catharine Malzahn is a contributing beauty writer at Cosmopolitan and was previously the beauty assistant at Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, and Prevention.