Break from tradition with this zebra stripe French tip manicure

Have you ever heard the phrase “A zebra can’t change its stripes?” Well, you might not be able to change who you are, but you can certainly breathe new life into a traditional French tip manicure by giving it a wildlife-inspired finish.

The only thing this manicure has in common with the original pink and white version is the base color. Paint the tip black for a fierce look, and add metallic silver stripes to give it an animalistic edge. Cure each layer of gel before proceeding to the next step to avoid blurring the colors. Because this French tip is ultra-thin, you may want to draw added attention to it by filing your nails into a coffin shape.

Materials
- Sheer pink gel polish (Bio Seaweed Gel, Icing)
- UV or LED lamp (Akzentz, not shown)
- Black gel polish (Vetro, Nero #022)
- Silver metallic gel pigment (Kimagure Cat Capricious Pigment Liquid Metal Silver)
- Fine-tipped nail brush (Bonnail 3D Attacker #01)
- No-wipe gel top coat (Kupa)

Instructions
1. Apply two layers of sheer pink gel polish, and cure it in between coats by putting your hand into the gel lamp.

2. Paint the tip of the nail and one-third of the sides with black gel polish, and cure it with the gel lamp.

3. Dip the fine-tipped brush into the silver metallic gel pigment, and paint short, wavy diagonal lines over the black tip to replicate zebra stripes.

4. Cure the gel with the lamp once more.

5. Seal your manicure with no-wipe gel top coat to prolong the finish and prevent chipping.

6. Cure the polish with the gel lamp again.