Warning: Spoilers for “Game of Thrones” Season 8, Episode 3 ― and serious nail envy ahead.
I still feel slightly in the dark when it comes to the full story of what exactly the Night King set out to achieve on “Game of Thrones,” but I’ll tell you one thing I want after watching Sunday night’s episode: his nails.
I’m not here to speculate over whether it really would have been possible for goddess master fighter Arya Stark to have snuck past a gaggle of White Walkers to subsequently catapult herself into the air, protecting Bran from the Night King and fulfilling her prophecy of being the one to defeat him.
I’m here to speculate on how the evil king managed to grow and maintain perfect stiletto nails that I would have trouble using to type on my computer with ― let alone ride dragons, wreak havoc and command my thousands in the army of the dead with whom to destroy the living.
When they showed a close up glimpse of that meticulously manicured hand with edges as sharp looking as the dagger Arya used to stab his midriff ― let’s just say I haven’t been so jealous of a GoT character’s look since Cersei’s perfectly beachy waves.
Twitter users were quick to notice, natch. HuffPost’s Ashley Feinberg was skeptical that nails would seriously be his grooming behavior of choice while others, like HuffPost’s Jenna Amatulli, wondered where she could get a set of her own.
And while it looks like we’ll never actually hear from the king himself about his nail care routine, celebrity nail artist Miss Pop graciously offered to shed some (much-needed) light on the look. Pop confirmed that these are a stiletto shape, noting that their curve is the reason they look so menacing, and suggested the following to achieve it at in the comfort of your own crypt home:
Step one: To get these claws, you’ll need full coverage nail tips or press ons. Look for the long press ons that look like the letter C or are marked C-Curve. You should be able to find them at any drug store.
Step two: Size up each finger. Each package should have 10 nail sizes. See which ones fit you best for each nail. Some nail tips can have a very square cuticle line. You can use a nail file to round it to match the shape of your cuticle to make them look more natural.
Step three: Completely cover your natural nails with the tip. Assess how high your nail bed comes up on each press on nail. Then, use a nail file that is 180 grit or lower to shape them from that point. I would file them to a triangle, then round the tip gently. If you are really dextrous, you can use nail clippers to get closer to the shape. Warning: If you have a length that is over the tip of your finger, you will most likely have to file or clip your nails to get this look.
Step four: Attach press ons to your nail with one of two options ― glue tabs so they will pop on and off, or brush on glue, so they will last. I recommend brush on glue because it’s easier to control.
Step five: You will need a buffer to help remove any excess plastic and smooth the filed edge.
And there you have it. Five steps to Night King nail chic.
