Drippy “Ice Cream French” Manis Are All Over Insta

We’re not even halfway through the year, yet we’ve already added countless entries to our list of must-try trendy summer manicures (butter yellow nails, colorful ombré nails, etc.). And now, we have another one to add to the list: Drippy “ice cream” Frenchies.

Also known as paint drip nails, these manicures look like Jackson Pollock dreamt them up (albeit a little less splattered)—they’re creative, unexpected, and incredibly fun. They’re also easier than you might think to DIY. To prove it, we chatted with two nail artists about all things “ice cream” French nails, including ways to wear them and how to get the look at home. Read on for more.

What They Are

“Ice cream French” nails are a manicure trend characterized by drippy nail art designed to look like melting ice cream. Also known as French frosting nails, “ice cream French” nails come in various colors and designs. While some are solid, others are layered with sprinkle-like glitter on the tips to really play up the dessert vibes. Likewise, some “ice cream French” nails feature bare or nude bases, while others take a more color-blocked approach. Regardless of how you rock them, they make a statement.

How to Wear Them

Again, “ice cream French” nails can be worn in many ways. You can take a literal approach with pink, cream, mint, or brown polish to lean into the ice cream theme or switch it up with any bold color of your choice. “You can get really creative with this,” says Nailing Hollywood CEO Mazz Hanna. “If you want to create an ice cream look, opt for colors you’d typically see on an ice cream cone—white base, chocolate colored drip.” 

Meanwhile, if you just want to embrace the drip aesthetic, Hanna says any color works. “You can also experiment with colors since the drip look is so versatile—you could opt for chrome for a metallic drip, neon green for a slime drip, or even red for a blood drip around Halloween,” she explains.

Polish colors aside, nail shape comes into play with “ice cream French” nails, too. “For this look, any length and shape will work, but I prefer rounder shapes since [they complement] the drips beautifully,” Hanna says. “Medium-length almond nails are my favorite length and shape for this look.”

How to Get the Look

“To create this look, you’ll want to use a dotting tool and a liner brush,” says Nailing Hollywood artist Rachel Joseph. “My favorite way to do this is creating the little dots, big and small, on the tip of the nail—making some long and short to give the drippy effect—then using my liner brush to pull the dots down. After that, connect the sides in a curved shape like you’re painting a French manicure.” (Psst: No dotting tools? No problem. Hanna says using toothpicks works just fine.)

Like most manicure trends, “ice cream French” nails take practice to perfect. “Play around with the drips,” Joseph advises. “Make some skinny and thick, as paint drips are usually not all the same width.”