As far as animal prints are concerned, tortoiseshell is the most unassuming. Whether it’s infused into the frame of your eyeglasses or a lucite hoop earring, the blurred black-and-caramel pattern is the opposite of loud — which means it’s inherently wearable, too. Plus, considering the toasty wooden undertones, tortoiseshell is bound to be everywhere come fall, including the tiniest accessory of all: nail art.
In fact, we’ve already seen the print popping up on Instagram, with stunning inspiration posted by some of our favorite trend-setting nail artists. From minimalist accents to glossy statement designs, scroll through for the cutest way to style your tortoiseshell manicure — before it inevitably becomes the "It" print of autumn.
Manicurist Amy Rickaby is calling this design the "half-vertical tortoise." According to her caption, Rickaby used three polishes by The Gel Bottle to get the perfect caramel tone: Yellow Glass, Chocolate, and Jet Black.
Editorial manicurist Betina Goldstein (who brought us cuticle striping) recently posted a similar minimalist nail-art design on her Instagram. "I mixed 5 different colors to achieve the base and added more brown or black as needed," she explained of her technique in the caption.
Celebrity nail artist Imarninails posted this shot of the brown-printed manicure she calls "glossy tortoiseshell."
Up close, you can really see all the shades — black, chestnut, toffee, sand, caramel — that blend together to create the realistic tortoiseshell effect.
Here, L.A.-based manicurist Cecy Luna shows how cool a tortoiseshell print looks in nature. Just imagine the backdrop when fall foliage comes around.
Like this post? There’s more. Get tons of beauty tips, tutorials, and inspiration on the Refinery29 Pinterest page — we’ll see you there!
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Selena Gomez Just Wore The Perfect Teal Polish — & We Have The Exact Shade
Kaley Cuoco Proves Rouge Noir Is Fall’s Best Nail Polish Trend
The 6 Nail-Polish Colors That Will Be Huge This Fall
Source: Refinery29 – Megan Decker