Kerry Washington's Liquid Gold Manicure Is Mesmerizing

Kerry Washington has been out and about since the release of UnPrisoned, a Hulu-original about a relationship therapist who is rekindling her relationship with her father after his release from prison. It’s one of those shows that’ll simultaneously leave you in tears of sadness and laughter, and honestly, no one could’ve nailed the role quite like Washington. Aside from being a fabulous actress and style icon, Washington is a voting rights activist and recently spoke at a convention on the topic wearing a liquid gold manicure.

On April 12, Washington attended the 2023 convention for the National Action Network, a not-for-profit civil rights organization founded by Reverend Al Sharpton in early 1991. The convention was held in NYC, and Washington had the honor of speaking with Sharpton during a fireside chat about voting rights at the event. Washington wore a Thom Browne skirt suit with a navy satin paisley design. Her stylist, Rob Zangardi, paired the suit with a cropped white button-up, a structured black handbag, black pointed toe shoes, brown Fendi sunglasses, and gold jewelry.

Washington typically matches her nails to her outfits, but unlike her black and white floral nails or her vintage lace manicure which both matched her dress, her nails were inspired by her jewelry this time. Washington wore a medium length manicure that was covered in bright, chrome gold from the cuticle to the tip.

Gold nails are having a moment right now—Chloe Bailey recently wore a gold dust French manicure, and Megan Thee Stallion opted for a two-toned gold chrome French. As the weather warms up, manicures are becoming more vibrant and flashier than the minimalist “my nails but better” (or MNBB) manicures that have been popular since the winter. Although we can’t see an end to MNBB wave—which includes the milk bath and French manicures—just yet, going for a vivid metallic color like Washington’s is a great way to switch up your nails this season.

Washington’s manicure is as easy to recreate as applying two coats of your favorite gold nail polish onto your nails, followed by a high-shine top coat. But if you need to crawl before you walk towards an all-chrome mani, you can try a chrome-dipped manicure in the interim. To create this look, you can apply any base color of your choice (you can go as mild as a milk bat” nail or spice it up with a neon polish), and then apply a clear gel topcoat on the nails in the form of globs. After that, rub a gold mirror chrome powder onto the topcoat, and then finish the entire manicure with another layer of topcoat.