I’m Officially Wearing Zoë Kravitz's “Cloudy French” Manicure for the Rest of Winter
Subtle yet heavenly.
Zoë Kravitz's beauty looks always earn a spot on my mood board (her micro bob! wavy side bangs! Nina Park-ified blurred lips!), but I audibly gasped when I saw her soft-girl glam at this year's Golden Globes. Everything about it was pure perfection, from her elegant updo—complete with wispy tendrils and a silver flower pin—to her rosy lips and lids to her "cloudy French" mani. Yes, I really did zoom all the way in on those red carpet photos and clocked a sheer, foggy polish that made her tips look swathed in silk. Luckily for me, celebrity manicurist Betina Goldstein shared all the details on Kravitz's manicure du jour, plus a close-up shot to take to your next nail appointment. Scroll ahead for all the heavenly details.
Goldstein dubs this set "soft, natural nails with a touch of cloudy French," which takes it a step further from your average clean, naked mani. Essentially, think of it like sheer dressing for your nails. Just as how you might don a see-through garment cut from organza, tulle, or lace, this manicure incorporates a translucent veil over a classic sheer French. To get the look, Goldstein first applies a coat of milky-pink polish on Kravitz's nails (The GelBottle Inc's Chiffon, to be exact), then adds one thin coat of milky white lacquer "just on the tips of the nails to color correct." Seal everything with a glossy top coat, and you'll wind up with that perfectly foggy finish.
For even more of a "cloudy" effect, you can even reapply another sheer layer of your base polish and dial up the haze. Just make sure your two previous coats have completely dried, otherwise you might wind up with more of a blurred, ombré French (aka, Frombé)—a stunning look in its own right, but I'll personally be wearing Kravitz's cloudy iteration all season long.
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Jamie Schneider is Who What Wear’s senior beauty editor based in New York City. With over seven years in the industry, she specializes in trend forecasting, covering everything from innovative fragrance launches to need-to-know makeup tutorials to celebrity profiles. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English before moving to NYC, and her work has appeared in MindBodyGreen, Coveteur, and more. When she’s not writing or testing the latest beauty finds, Jamie loves scouting antique homewares, and she’s always down for a park picnic in Brooklyn.