Fashion Girls Are Obsessed With Strawberry Milk Nails This Winter

Looking for new nail art to sport this winter season? Enter: cow print nails, the manicure every fashion girl is obsessed with this year. Syreeta Aaron, LeChat Nails educator, believes the design’s popularity increased largely following the rise of zebra- and leopard-printed nails.

Seen on It girls like Kendall Jenner and Ariana Grande, and in the thousands of Instagram results under #cownails, the nail art trend is surprisingly really easy to do, because perfection is not key here and every nail can be different.

In comparison with other animal prints (cheetah and leopard): “Cow print is slightly more whimsical and abstract,” says Brittney Boyce, celebrity nail artist and founder of NAILS OF LA. “They are slightly easier to apply as there’s no need to outline the abstract shape, and can be done using so many different color combinations.”

Some opt for bold prints on each finger or colored tips with the cow print trend, while others take the more subtle route, and sport the trend on a single accent nail. “The best thing about cow print is that it is simple, yet fun, and can be modified to fit whatever mood you are in,” says Salina Néou, StyleSeat sail technician. No matter how you recreate the look, you can make it your own with one of the nine cow print trends below.

Classic Black & White

The winter season is synonymous with holiday parties and get togethers. Show up in style with a long almond shape and classic black and white cow print nails. Boyce suggests using a very opaque white and a heavily pigmented true black nail shade to get the ideal classic cow print.

Strawberry Swirl

Turn heads this holiday with imperfect strawberry red spots sprinkled all over the nails. This style can be worn on each nail or on just a few for those testing out the cow print nail trend. Whatever you choose, Néou wants to make sure you keep your cuticles moisturized in order to create a clean frame surrounding your nail art.

Half Dipped

Ace two trends in one with the stark contrast of rich black half moon and half cow-printed nails. Simply apply two base coats to the nails to begin. Once dry, take your black polish and drag it down your nail. Use a nail brush to create the half moon shape and a toothpick to dot in the cow prints.

The Sky’s The Limit

Using a thin nail art brush, paint on your cloud-like patches in various shapes and sizes to create these sky-like cow print nails. The experts recommend starting at the sides and working into the center. Remember, perfection is not the goal and imperfect patches actually look better when trying the trend. “The look doesn’t have to be uniform (no two spots are ever the same!) so just have fun with it and don’t worry about perfection,” Aaron tells TZR.

The More The Merrier

Does the dry air, snow, and frosty temperatures make you miss warmer days? Look forward to summer by sporting a brightly colored cow print manicure. Opt for a nail brush or toothpick (and a steady hand!) to achieve the mix and match mani.

Accent Your Life

This classic glossy cow print creates an unexpectedly cool counterpart to red embellished accent nails. If creating the print manually proves to be too hard, you can always reach for nail foils or nail stickers to get the perfectly imperfect cow print nails.

Strawberry Milk

The strawberry milk trend is essentially the French manicure with a twist. To DIY: “keep the classic pink-toned base and add bright pink spots to the tip,” Néou tells TZR. And if you want to play into the negative space trend, Boyce recommends applying the trend on bare nails and finishing with a top coat.

Boba Cow Print

Have a soothing winter with these boba tea-inspired cow print nails. Grab a couple light brown nail polishes and match the look to your favorite winter drink. For a long-lasting manicure celebrity manicurist Maria Salandra, recommends starting with no oils on the surface of the nail and to use a base coat and top coat for extra strength.

Blueberry Fun

Still into the classic and sophisticated look of a French manicure? Same. Change it up this winter season with a blue rendition. To recreate at home, Aaron suggests having the polish of your desire and four main tools: cuticle pusher (wooden or metal), a file, cuticle nipper and a fingernail clipper.

Ready to try one of these cow print manicures this winter? Below are a couple items the manicurists recommend to get you started.

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