Animal print may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you're picturing the perfect winter nail design, but the wild, animal-inspired look is becoming a go-to for Vanessa Hudgens, who's pretty used to thinking outside the box when it comes to her manicures. Back in December, for example, she opted out of wearing typical holiday nails and instead ended the year wearing a leopard print French manicure, but now she's back with a nail look that's equally wild.
On Jan. 6, Hudgens's go-to manicurist, Zola Ganzorigt, shared an Instagram video of the actor's new nails. In it, Hudgens is seen wearing medium length almond nails with a French tip design, but instead of classic white tips, she got a little more creative and added a black and white tiger stripe design with a holographic cat eye effect. A cat eye manicure is created by painting the nails with a magnetic nail polish before using a magnet to spread out the particles and give the nails a super-shiny, almost reflective finish that's meant to mimic a cat's eye.
This is pretty on theme with a handful of the manicures Hudgens has been wearing lately. She popped out wearing the aforementioned leopard print French manicure a few days after giving birth to her second child with husband Cole Tucker in late November, and before that, she was seen wearing metallic silver nails. She also wore pink and yellow guava nails with a reflective 3D finish over the summer, so it's clear she's not even close to being done with the cat eye trend—if anything, she's proving just how versatile the nail design actually is.
Animal print nail designs have also been making a pretty big splash this season, with celebrities like Hailey Bieber, Kourtney Kardashian, and Dua Lipa whipping out their wildest looks, from leopard print to snakeskin to tortoise shell. It's an unconventional design for this time of year, but maybe that explains why it works so well.
Choosing an animal-inspired design is one of the best ways to spice up an otherwise simple manicure, not to mention that it gives you something fun to look at in the midst of the winter gloominess. To get the animal print look at home, read ahead to shop some essentials.
The easiest way to achieve an animal print design? Grab a set of pre-painted press-on nails.
Sometimes all-over print can feel a little busy. These press-ons mix and match different colors and designs to add a little more edge.
If you're attempting to paint a design on your own, make sure you have a dotting tool or thin brush on hand to help with precision.
