Lil’ Kim’s “Money Manicure” may have put Bernadette Thompson on the map, but it’s her quiet confidence that has shaped the way we view nails today. “Without the risk of sounding cocky, there was nothing anyone was doing that was going to be better than what I was going to give them,” she says.
It’s the kind of trust an artist must have in themselves and their craft: steady and built to stand the test of time.
For Thompson, that belief was tested early when she was asked to do nails on the album cover shoot for the R&B trio Total, signed to Bad Boy Records, in the ’90s. She had a young son and no one to watch him, but there was no way she was missing the opportunity. She packed her bag — along with one for him — and headed to set.
As her son ran around the studio, Thompson got to work customizing acrylics and mixing colors. Her work caught the attention of photographers Constance Hansen and Russell Peacock, the husband-and-wife duo behind the photography collective Guzman.
Hansen asked if Thompson had ever considered working outside of hip-hop videos and shoots. When she hesitated, Hansen replied, “My agent is going to call you—we have a job.”
Within hours, Thompson got the call. She had no idea who the assignment was for, but she agreed. A week later she learned it was for Louis Vuitton. When asked about her rate, following the advice of her mother, she quoted $1,500 for the day.
“I worked for two years at Wendy’s just to save enough money to buy a real Louis Vuitton bag,” she recalls. “So walking into that shoot wearing a red leather suit and carrying the bag I spent nearly everything I had on felt surreal.”
At the time, Thompson was already creating sets that were vibrant, sculptural, and full of life. So when stylists asked her to give the models something “pink and beige,” she nearly lost her mind. “I said, ‘I’m sorry—that’s not gonna happen.’”
Slightly taken aback, they asked what she had in mind. Thompson’s eyes went straight to the bags. She laid them out and decided the nails would match each one—some with animal print, others with textured lines and bold colors. They were long, curved, and dimensional, something high fashion hadn’t seen before. “And that’s how nail art became global,” Thompson says. “It was so new for them because in France then there was nothing intricate happening with nails.”
By the end of the day, the team asked her to stay on for 13 more days. When the shoot wrapped, Thompson sent an invoice for $1,500 total, assuming that was the only rate she could charge. “I just thought, yeah, that’s not a lot for that many days, but I met great people, had a great time, and didn’t have to pay for food,” she says.
She was shocked when she got a confused call telling her to bump it up—to $2,500 a day.
“I’m glad someone there saw value in my voice and my time. That was the start. I did their campaigns for seven years.”
A New York native, Thompson attended cosmetology school before later studying at FIT. She says her earliest inspiration came from her mother. “She had, and still has, the most gorgeous natural nails,” Thompson says. “She filed them herself because we couldn’t afford salon visits, but they were always perfect.”
She also drew inspiration from women in Detroit and Atlanta, where elaborate nails, bling, and abstract designs were already a language of style.
“To me, nails were always the least expensive way a woman could feel intentional and luxurious,” she says. “Your hands are one of the most noticeable parts of the body, so many Black women used nails to send a message and express themselves.”
With that perspective in mind, Thompson has long treated nails as the main character — whether on Lil’ Kim, Mary J. Blige, Eve, M.I.A., Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, or Renée Zellweger.
Her influence also extends into her namesake nail line. “I’m not the only Black nail artist doing insane nails,” she says. “But I took it to the top. I took it from the streets to mainstream.”
Her work was further cemented when she was asked to recreate Lil’ Kim’s “Money Manicure” — originally created for The Notorious B.I.G.’s single “Get Money” — for the Museum of Modern Art’s 2017 exhibition Items: Is Fashion Modern?
“I used real money on the nails—green glitter and stones,” she says. “I didn’t even understand why they wanted those nails. I had done so much by then.”
Seeing them in the exhibit brought her to tears. “I saw they were placed alongside the first Rolex watch, the first Tiffany engagement ring, and the Cartier hardware bracelet. I let out a whole cry.”
Thompson says moments like that are especially meaningful as a Black woman working in a creative field not always seen as lucrative or lasting. It can be easy, she explains, to assume you’ll eventually fade into obscurity.
Instead, she’s learned to claim her accomplishments. “I’m very good at what I do and I’m very present.”
Though Thompson isn’t particularly trend-driven, she’s currently enjoying working with hard gels and magnetic finishes—materials that allow for the kind of texture and dimension that have long defined her work.
At the upcoming Be+Well | Beauty and Wellness Show in New York, Thompson is leading sessions exploring creativity, technique, and the power of trusting your own artistic instinct.
That attitude shapes how Thompson approaches her work. When she receives a brief for a shoot, she doesn’t spend hours building decks or mood boards.
“I do nothing,” she says. “I just prep my bag the day before. I have probably 100 different nail colors—gels, acrylics. I love mixing and creating my own shades.
“I never look at the call sheet or location until the morning of,” she says. “I like to be spontaneous. That thrill promotes true innovation.”
It’s a mindset she brings to the classroom. Thompson often leads freestyle exercises where tables are filled with gels, acrylics, bling, lace, and unexpected materials, encouraging students to experiment.
“The key is to stop following trends and get into your own psyche.”
Bernadette Thompson is teaching “Beyond Basics: Advanced Nail Techniques to Boost Profits,” "High-Fashion Nail Art Techniques that Turn Heads," and “Signature Nail Designs with a Hip-Hop Legend” at the Be+Well | Beauty and Wellness Show New York (formerly International Beauty Show–NY), taking place March 8–10. Registration is here; use promo code EDSALON20 for 20% off education classes.