How to Do a French Manicure
Remove your old nail polish., French manicures look more striking with longer nails, so you don't want to trim them too close to your fingertips.Start by trimming your nails to the desired length., File and buff your nails., Soak your nails., Push...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Remove your old nail polish.
Dip a cotton swab into some nail polish remover and remove all of your old nail polish, even if it's clear.
Be sure to remove traces of polish from all the corners and cracks, since you'll be able to see other colors through the pale French mani polish.
If you're wearing acrylics and wish to do the French manicure on top, use appropriate polish remover and don't let it soak into your nails for too long.
Note that acetone nail polish remover can dry and damage your nails, so you may want to choose a remover that doesn't contain this chemical. -
Step 2: French manicures look more striking with longer nails
Make sure all of them are even.
Use nail clippers to trim uneven spots and make sure all your nails are the same length.
If you want to apply acrylic nails, you can trim them down to your fingertips first.
After your nails are trimmed, apply the acrylic glue and nails according to the instructions on the package. , Use a nail file to finish shaping your nails so that they each have a smooth, crescent-shaped edge.
You can file your nails into a square or round shape, depending on your preference.
Use a nail buffer to buff the surface of your nails.
When you file your nails, don't push down, as this can damage them.
You want to gently drag the file across your nails. , Place your hands in a warm bowl of water, whole milk or olive oil.
This softens your cuticles and makes them easier to push back.
Soak for about three minutes, then dry your hands with a towel. , Use an orange stick or cuticle pusher to push your cuticles back.
Clip off any hangnails or bits of dead skin with a cuticle cutter or small nail scissors.
You may also massage some cuticle oil into your nails at this time.
After applying cuticle oil you could put a few drops of rubbing alcohol on your nails.
Make sure not to put on too much or it can cause your nails to turn brittle. , The base coat of a French manicure is usually pale pink, cream, or clear.
Start by painting a stripe down the center of your first nail, then two more stripes on either side.
Paint from the cuticle to the tip, with the brush angled forward.
Fill in the entire nail using smooth, even strokes.
Continue painting the base coat on each nail of both hands.
You can buy French manicure kits that come with a classic base coat color, a tip color, and other equipment you can use to create a perfect manicure.
If you want to stray from the classic French mani, choose a base color that isn't pink or cream.
You could go with red, purple, blue, green, or any other color you like.
For the tips, you can use white nail polish or another contrasting color.
Allow the base to dry thoroughly and apply a second coat.
Make sure the base is completely dry before proceeding. , Making sure your hand is steady, paint white crescents on your nail tips.
The white polish should stop right where the whites of your nails stop.
Allow the tips to completely dry, then apply another coat if you wish.
If you have a French manicure kit, you can use the crescent-shaped nail guides to make sure your tip paint goes on neatly.
You can also create your own nail guides by cutting them out of painter's tape.Using other kinds of tape might ruin the base coat, so stick to either painter's tape or the nail guides that come in a kit.
Use white nail polish to paint a tip on the nails.
Then use a nail polish remover pen to carefully touch up or shape the area.
If you don't have a pen you could also use a Q-tip. , Using a top coat will help the manicure last longer, too. ,, If you're not so great at painting a straight line, you can make your job a bit easier by using scotch tape.
Once your nails are completely ready and are just missing the white tips, put a strip of scotch tape across the top of each of your nails.
The tape will block off the majority of your nail, leaving just a small strip at the end exposed.
Paint this with your white polish; if you make a mistake, it won't matter since it will just get on the scotch tape instead.
When your nails are dry, peel off the scotch tape to reveal your finished manicure. , You know the little round moleskin pads you might use for blisters on your feet? Well, they happen to work perfectly for getting rounded white tips without wiggly edges.
When you've finished your nail color (the light pink or tan, whichever you prefer), and the color has dried, put a moleskin pad at the top of the nail, so that only a small portion of the tip is exposed.
Paint your white polish over the top of this, and when the paint is dry, peel the pads off.
Your white tips should be perfectly rounded, and any mistakes you made will peel off with the moleskin. , It may sound strange, but if you're having difficulty painting with a white nail polish, white-out (for pen mistakes) might be the perfect solution.
Because the application sponge for white-out is square, it makes it easy to dab the white color in a perfect line across your nail tip.
Just use white-out instead of white nail polish, and finish it off with a top coat.
Nobody will know the difference, and you'll have saved yourself loads of time!, and there you go,you are ready to show off your beautiful french manicure. -
Step 3: so you don't want to trim them too close to your fingertips.Start by trimming your nails to the desired length.
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Step 4: File and buff your nails.
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Step 5: Soak your nails.
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Step 6: Push back and trim your cuticles.
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Step 7: Apply the base coat.
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Step 8: Paint your nail tips with white polish.
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Step 9: Add a clear top coat to protect the look of your freshly painted nails.
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Step 10: Finished.
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Step 11: Use scotch tape.
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Step 12: Use moleskin pads.
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Step 13: Try using white-out.
Detailed Guide
Dip a cotton swab into some nail polish remover and remove all of your old nail polish, even if it's clear.
Be sure to remove traces of polish from all the corners and cracks, since you'll be able to see other colors through the pale French mani polish.
If you're wearing acrylics and wish to do the French manicure on top, use appropriate polish remover and don't let it soak into your nails for too long.
Note that acetone nail polish remover can dry and damage your nails, so you may want to choose a remover that doesn't contain this chemical.
Make sure all of them are even.
Use nail clippers to trim uneven spots and make sure all your nails are the same length.
If you want to apply acrylic nails, you can trim them down to your fingertips first.
After your nails are trimmed, apply the acrylic glue and nails according to the instructions on the package. , Use a nail file to finish shaping your nails so that they each have a smooth, crescent-shaped edge.
You can file your nails into a square or round shape, depending on your preference.
Use a nail buffer to buff the surface of your nails.
When you file your nails, don't push down, as this can damage them.
You want to gently drag the file across your nails. , Place your hands in a warm bowl of water, whole milk or olive oil.
This softens your cuticles and makes them easier to push back.
Soak for about three minutes, then dry your hands with a towel. , Use an orange stick or cuticle pusher to push your cuticles back.
Clip off any hangnails or bits of dead skin with a cuticle cutter or small nail scissors.
You may also massage some cuticle oil into your nails at this time.
After applying cuticle oil you could put a few drops of rubbing alcohol on your nails.
Make sure not to put on too much or it can cause your nails to turn brittle. , The base coat of a French manicure is usually pale pink, cream, or clear.
Start by painting a stripe down the center of your first nail, then two more stripes on either side.
Paint from the cuticle to the tip, with the brush angled forward.
Fill in the entire nail using smooth, even strokes.
Continue painting the base coat on each nail of both hands.
You can buy French manicure kits that come with a classic base coat color, a tip color, and other equipment you can use to create a perfect manicure.
If you want to stray from the classic French mani, choose a base color that isn't pink or cream.
You could go with red, purple, blue, green, or any other color you like.
For the tips, you can use white nail polish or another contrasting color.
Allow the base to dry thoroughly and apply a second coat.
Make sure the base is completely dry before proceeding. , Making sure your hand is steady, paint white crescents on your nail tips.
The white polish should stop right where the whites of your nails stop.
Allow the tips to completely dry, then apply another coat if you wish.
If you have a French manicure kit, you can use the crescent-shaped nail guides to make sure your tip paint goes on neatly.
You can also create your own nail guides by cutting them out of painter's tape.Using other kinds of tape might ruin the base coat, so stick to either painter's tape or the nail guides that come in a kit.
Use white nail polish to paint a tip on the nails.
Then use a nail polish remover pen to carefully touch up or shape the area.
If you don't have a pen you could also use a Q-tip. , Using a top coat will help the manicure last longer, too. ,, If you're not so great at painting a straight line, you can make your job a bit easier by using scotch tape.
Once your nails are completely ready and are just missing the white tips, put a strip of scotch tape across the top of each of your nails.
The tape will block off the majority of your nail, leaving just a small strip at the end exposed.
Paint this with your white polish; if you make a mistake, it won't matter since it will just get on the scotch tape instead.
When your nails are dry, peel off the scotch tape to reveal your finished manicure. , You know the little round moleskin pads you might use for blisters on your feet? Well, they happen to work perfectly for getting rounded white tips without wiggly edges.
When you've finished your nail color (the light pink or tan, whichever you prefer), and the color has dried, put a moleskin pad at the top of the nail, so that only a small portion of the tip is exposed.
Paint your white polish over the top of this, and when the paint is dry, peel the pads off.
Your white tips should be perfectly rounded, and any mistakes you made will peel off with the moleskin. , It may sound strange, but if you're having difficulty painting with a white nail polish, white-out (for pen mistakes) might be the perfect solution.
Because the application sponge for white-out is square, it makes it easy to dab the white color in a perfect line across your nail tip.
Just use white-out instead of white nail polish, and finish it off with a top coat.
Nobody will know the difference, and you'll have saved yourself loads of time!, and there you go,you are ready to show off your beautiful french manicure.
About the Author
Teresa Gray
Creates helpful guides on pet care to inspire and educate readers.
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