14 Tortoise Shell Manicure Ideas Trending This Season

We're all about a bold animal print moment—snakeskin boots, leopard-printed midi skirts, you name it. The latest iteration taking over our feeds? Tortoiseshell manicures.

For those unfamiliar, a quick overview: "Tortoiseshell nails combine two nail trends in one: A jelly nail color as a base and tortoiseshell patterns on top, [achieved by] applying the light color first and then lightly dotting the dark colors on top of it," explains Jin Soon Choi, editorial manicurist and founder of JINsoon Spas and Nail Lacquers. "They feature a speckled color palette of orange, brown, and black that mimics the pattern of a real tortoise shell. It's all about layering and blobbing the colors."

Best of all, tortoiseshell nails are actually pretty easy to achieve at home. According to Choi, simply apply a brown-hued burnt orange shade that's semi-transparent (if you don't have any jelly nail polishes, she suggests mixing a moody orange, like JINSoon's Earth Clay, $18, diluted with a top coat to create your own), and then blob on the other hues—between three and five colors—for the pattern, starting with the lightest shade. It's totally fine if your blobs overlap; just make sure all the colors are showing so that the layering gives off a 3D-like effect. No fancy tools or steady hand required.

Want to try out the trend yourself? Scroll on for 14 tortoiseshell manis we're going wild for.