This month, Angelina Jolie reprises her villainous Maleficent character in Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and she looks as wicked as ever—the horns, those chiseled cheekbones, the pale skin and creepy eyes!— thanks to a talented team of beauty, costume and prosthetics pros. Providing the finishing touch: Maleficent’s milky white tips, crafted by celebrity nail artist Emi Kudo, who’s worked with Jolie for 15 years. “[They’re based on a] mix of Angie’s naturally elegant nails and Maleficent’s intensity,” says Kudo of her inspi- ration. To achieve the natural-looking French manicure, Kudo applied Aprés Gel-X Stiletto tips and then filed them to Jolie’s preferred rounded oval shape before coating them with Essie Marshmallow and Mademoiselle. “To make the realistic-looking natural white tips, I mixed Marshmallow and clear base gel in a 20 percent to 80 percent ratio, and tried to make an imperfect smile line,” says Kudo. “Angie loved the process and the natural look.” Since the film was shot in London, Kudo made custom press-ons and shipped them to the studio whenever a new set was needed. “Although I didn’t work on set at the film studio, I did visit the special effects makeup studio in L.A. to give advice about how to match the nail color to the toenails they were making,” says Kudo. “It was lot of fun to see all the special makeup and costumes.”
–by Lotus Abrams
[Images: Courtesy of Emi Kudo; Instagram]
