Rihanna’s French Manicure Is so Subtle We Almost Missed it

Rihanna is known for putting her own sexy spin on pregnancy fashion, so it makes total sense that she’s entering the maternity wear game herself. On August 8, she revealed that her brand Savage x Fenty is launching a maternity bra—and she wore the coolest secret French mani while doing so.

To announce the new bra, Savage x Fenty posted photos of Rihanna breastfeeding her first child, RZA. She wears the new black maternity bra, diamond earrings, gold rings, blunt bangs, and pin-straight hair. She went for a softer makeup look with a pop of peachy blush and bright cherry cola lips.

Rihanna does everything with a hint of glamour, so the fact that she was holding her baby while wearing a long, gorgeous manicure is no shock to us. Rihanna’s secret French manicure sits in a medium-long square shape and features a sheer, almost white cloud nail base. As for her nail tips, they fade into a more opaque white, creating a soft-focus French design. You really wouldn’t notice the French tips unless you looked closely, hence the name. Her manicure aligns with the reigning muted French manicure trend, along with the dreamy cloud nail trend.

Recreating Rihanna’s secret French manicure is pretty simple: first, ensure that your nails are buffed and filed to perfection, as the key to a high-shine finish like RiRi’s is a ridge-free base. Next, apply a ridge-filling base coat, and then follow that with a coat or two of semi-sheer white nail polish like the Jinsoon Nail Polish ($18) in Dew for a standard manicure or the Le Manoir Gelcare Gel Polish ($20) in Cloud for a gel manicure.

“The muted French manicure is a twist on the classic French mani, creating a seamless blend of both contrasting colors to appear ‘muted,’” Amy Ling Lin, Founder & CEO of Sundays, previously told Byrdie. To create a soft tip, Lin suggests using a color that’s slightly off-white, like Sundays no. 48 ($18), and painting a French tip. “Depending on your skills, you may use a French design brush or tape to paint the tip,” says Lin. “Always make sure to allow time in between coats for a seamless finish.” Finally, finish your look off with a high-shine top coat.