Kerry Washington Put a Sophisticated Twist on the Strawberry Milk Manicure

We all know at least one person who always has pristine and fresh nails. For some, it can be an arduous task to maintain a chip-free manicure for more than a few days, but not for Kerry Washington—the UnPrisoned actor has time and time again proven that she always maintains gorgeous nails, whether she’s wearing a vintage lace-inspired mani or a glamorous floral design on her digits. Her latest manicure? Well, it’s the strawberry milk manicure.

On May 30, Washington shared an Instagram story of her latest read, A Renaissance of Our Own: a Memoir and Manifesto on Reimagining by Rachel Elizabeth Cargle. Washington calls the memoir her “new book obsession,” but she reveals another thing she recently got her hands on (or got on her hands)—a strawberry milk manicure with a medium-length almond shape. Her longtime manicurist Kim Truong created a pale pink manicure with some sheerness and a high-shine finish that makes Washington’s nails look like a cold glass of strawberry milk.

The strawberry milk nail trend is a riff on the reigning “milk bath” manicure, which calls for a sheer white or cream manicure that makes the nails look, well, milky. The strawberry milk manicure, however, uses a pale pink color of the same opacity, lending itself to its flavored name. Thanks to the hype around Greta Gerwig’s upcoming film Barbie, there has been a revival in the Barbiecore trend that first surfaced last year. Celebs have been wearing pink everywhere, and the strawberry milk manicure is the perfect way to tap into the color while still maintaining the natural vibes that a milk bath mani can offer.

And on a logistical level, the strawberry milk manicure is likely gaining traction because it’s extremely easy to create, whether you’re a pro or an at-home novice. To achieve Washington’s manicure, first, push your cuticles back and file your nails to an almond shape. A high-shine finish like Washington’s relies on a smooth base, so buff your nail plate and apply a ridge-filling base coat. After that, apply two coats of your favorite sheer pink nail polish—if you only have opaque pink nail polish at home, you can sheer the color out with a few drops of top coat. Finally, seal the entire look in with two coats of a high-shine top coat, and reapply the top coat every few days to maintain a glossy sheen.