Kate Hudson Just Inverted Every Holiday Beauty Trope With This Nail Color

It’s high time the celebrity world came around to embracing reflective chrome nail polish as the holiday season’s top manicure shade. Silver is both appropriately festive and just celebratory enough thanks to its inherent metallic shimmer, a minimalist way to channel all the holly jolly fun. But now that it’s established as a beloved A-list move for winter, the industry’s most stylish stars are thinking outside the box with interesting takes on the color. Just look at Kate Hudson’s dark silver nails, a stormy shade of pewter that manages to feel a little edgy and a lot glamorous all at the same time.

First, it’s critical to know that Hudson’s been a low-key manicure muse for years now. She doesn’t seem too into more elaborate looks — though she does appear to have a soft spot for simple nail art — but the shades she chooses are always interesting, often featuring unexpected colors that either nod to the event she’s at, the time of year, or act as a continuation of her always-killer outfits. In this instance, her deep gunmetal nail polish nods to the dark cement Max Mara suit she wore out to the brand’s dinner celebration honoring fellow actor Yara Shahidi.

The nails are long, a softer almond shape that doesn’t come to too fine a point at the ends, and each one is so shiny, it’s noticeable even with photos held at a distance. That gentler take on almond manicures is Hudson’s go-to, her preferred shape seen in virtually all of her best nail moments. For the Max Mara event, Hudson’s look was created by celebrity-favorite professional Brittney Boyce, also known as Nails Of LA. Boyce creates straightforward and ultra-intricate manicures alike for other A-listers like Kerry Washington, Megan Fox, and Kim Kardashian, but her silver and gunmetal styles are always something special.

The key to Hudson’s look is the shade of pewter, which appears to be darker than the true platinums and white-silver chromes typically favored by fellow celebrities. It introduces some edge, which is only underscored by the long, sharp shape. Even this time of year, when red carpets are jam-packed nearly every day, they’re guaranteed to stand out.