Tortoiseshell, the next big animal trend might be our favourite yet. And if you’ve been looking for an understated nail trend, tortoiseshell nails are the one for you.
Of all the animal prints, tortoiseshell is the safest. Zebra print takes a brave soul, leopard print is not for the faint of heart. Tortoiseshell is reserved for sunglasses and your grannies wallet.
It’s the French woman of the animal prints.
Sorry, I know we’re supposed to have finished fetishizing French women but it’s been ingrained in me too deeply. I will be always drawn to red lipstick and basket bags and Marlboro Lights and pastries and tortoiseshell sunglasses thanks to a lifetime of books titled How Frenchwomen Maintain Their Birth Weight and Why Frenchwomen Are Better Than You At Everything.
I digress.
If you were among those too unostentatious for nail trends like tie-dye and confetti, tortoiseshell nails are the unassuming trend you’ve been looking for.
Attempt a DIY job by following this tutorial from Masha Create shared by Allure editor-in-chief Michelle Lee, or start with a nude base, add your blobs of brown and top them off with blobs of black.
Or if that seems like too much effort (I certainly wouldn’t have the skill for it, I can barely paint my nails one shade all over without getting it down to my knuckles), screenshot your favourite from the following selection and take it on your next visit to your nail technician.
Photography by @beautyworksbyamy.
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