Seasons come, seasons go, but chrome nails never seem to leave. In fact, they keep reinventing themselves into new creative renditions—after Hailey Bieber’s viral “glazed” chrome nails came spider web designs, 3D drip effects, chrome French tips, and accents like swirls, stars, and dots.
On August 13, Vanessa Hudgens became the latest celebrity to keep chrome nails going. However, she put her own twist on the trend with French tips, lavender laser effects, and flame designs.
The manciure was done by her longtime nail artist Zola Ganzorgit, and was almond-shaped, long, and ultra-eye-catching. Each nail extended a few inches past her finger and, as a base, featured a standard white tip French tip—but that’s where the basic ended.
On top of the white French nail was a lavender iridescent shine that Ganzorgit calls a “laser effect,” which reflected the light and shimmered every time Hudgens moved her hand. Then, on top of the shimmering purple, outlines of flames drawn in gold chrome raised slightly above the rest of the nail finished the look off with some edge.
Now, this manicure is a little too hard to do at home, as the chrome used is a salon-only offering, and the laser effect is Ganzorgit’s secret. However we can offer you a simplified step-by-step to channel a similar shimmering look on your nails.
@nailsbyzola/instagram
Of course, as with all manicures, start by filing your nails to the desired length and shape, apply cuticle oil to your cuticles to soften them and push them back, then wipe clean and get ready for polish.
Then, take an opaque, pastel polish—lavender if you want what Hudgens has— and apply two coats onto your nail bed. Finally, apply an iridescent top coat to seal the deal.
To get even closer to Hudgens’ look, add a French tip to the shimmering base. Once your base of opaque lavender has dried, apply tape to the tip of your nail in the shape of a French tip. Then, apply two coats of white on the tip and, once dry, seal it in with a shimmery top coat, and you will have a simplified version of Hudgens chrome mani.
This isn’t the first time Ganzorgit and Hudgens have created a mind-bending nail look together. When Hudgens went to the 2023 Oscars, she wore another abstract take on the French tip, “[putting] a twist on the classic French mani, doing that half-reversed and half-traditional French nails connecting it with a straight line in the middle,” Ganzorgit told us about the look.
ZOLA GANZORIGT
The result was a look “very reminiscent of classical Hollywood, evoking effortless chic and sophistication,” because “nails are a form of self-expression—nails are meant to be fun and light.”
