At first glance, Constance Wu [1] arriving at the Oscars draped in marigold was a vision of elegance — but her nail artist slipped something into her beauty look that made it skew more toward sexy. Celebrity manicurist Christina Aviles chose a deep, glossy cherry red for Wu's fingertips. "We didn't want it to be too red or skew black, " she said. "Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish in Spiked With Style [2] ($12) gave her look a bit of edge to avoid something princess-like."

See a behind-the-scenes look at Wu's Oscars manicure [3] ahead.

Constance Wu's Oscar Manicure by Essie

Constance Wu's Oscar Manicure by Essie