Dua Lipa is looking to the animal kingdom for nail inspo—and reviving a mid-2010s mani trend in the process. These days, tortoiseshell-print hair accessories are everywhere—call it the Carolyn Bessette Kennedy effect—but the tortoiseshell manicure has been fairly dormant since its 2010s heyday, when it was one of the reigning nail art trends. Until now! The Radical Optimism pop star just brought tortoiseshell nails back and proves the reptile-inspired manicure as timeless and versatile as ever.
Lipa’s nails were the work of manicurist Kim Truong, who filed the pop star’s nails into medium-length oval shape, then created a tortoiseshell effect across Lipa’s entire nail. She started with a light caramel base, then applied a darker brown color in a series of small blobs in various sizes to replicate the signature shell pattern.
Kim Truong