Selena Gomez’s Micro-French Tips Are An Itty-Bitty Masterpiece

She was born in July, but Selena Gomez has always embodied a truly autumnal energy. She loves cozy knits, hot beverages, and all those fall holidays — her breakthrough was literally a television show about witches and wizards. It makes sense that she’d want to speed through the final weeks of summer and into cold-weather looks, and her manicures from past years are a great place to start gathering fall beauty inspiration for yourself. The best of the bunch might just be Gomez’s black French tips, an elegant yet edgy spin on the classic nail design that’s perfect for the long, exciting lead-up to spooky season.

Gomez’s go-to nail artist, Tom Bachik, shared a shot of the throwback manicure on Instagram, offering a close-up look at its surprising level of detail. Described by Bachik as “micro” tips, the black slivers are indeed quite thin. They’re painted at an angle, creating a soft V-shape rather than then usual arcing half-moons seen in a typical French manicure style. Best of all, though, they’re done in a striking shade of jet black, which adds a little witchy, fall-friendly fun. Considering For You Pages are already inundated with autumnal home decor hauls and Halloween costume ideas, it makes sense that Bachik would re-share the manicure now.

Gomez herself seems to be eager for the season to start, too. Just last week, Bachik created a custom-blended brick red nail polish for the Only Murders In The Building star. It’s a rich, deep color — dubbed “apple cider” by Bachik — that acts as an ideal transition shade for this no-man’s-land period between summer and fall. The lacquer’s warm undertones capture that cozy autumn feeling while still feeling punchy and bright enough for any last-minute beach vacations.

To get Gomez’s vampy look, it’s all about both the size and color of the manicure. An inky black base and razor-thin tips are essential, but don’t worry if you or your nail tech can’t perfectly execute Bachik’s delicate V-shapes. It’s more about the contrast between the stark micro tips and the simple nude of the rest of the nail beds. If you’re determined to master the angled shape, though, at least there’s still plenty of time to practice ahead of fall’s real start.