A French manicure is a great, classic style of polishing fingernails. Traditionally, white paint is applied to the tips of the fingernails, and the rest of the nail is painted with a soft pink or sheer polish.
French manicures have been in fashion for years, and are often thought of as too difficult for most people to do themselves. Many women choose the French manicure because of its simplicity and the natural look it evokes. A French manicure gives women a look that goes easily from office to evening and looks great with any outfit.
With a few tricks of the trade, the right nail care products and nail polish, anyone can give themselves a French manicure at home for a fraction of the cost of the nail salon. This simple guide will help teach you how to do a French manicure the right way.
Materials
Purchasing the right materials for a French manicure is imperative to your success. You will need:
- Off-white or bright white nail polish.
- Nail guides to cover the areas of the nails that should not be painted. This is essential to creating the perfect lines that are part of the French manicure.
- Sheer polish in light pink or beige depending on your preferred end result.
- A nail file for nail smoothing.
- Cotton balls.
- Acetone to completely strip off the polish.
- A nail brush that is about a half inch long and flat.
- A melamine or glass bowl.
There are many products available to help achieve the best looking at-home French manicures. The Borghese Nail Care line has various nail care products that are natural and great for creating a French manicure effect. The Borghese line is made with ingredients like olives, grapeseed oil, chamomile and micronized gems. This helps the nails to strengthen and grow; making this line of products a great addition to any French manicure.
Another fantastic way to get your at-home French manicure is with the Nailtini line. This line is filled with great nail care products and nail polishes that will give fingernails some sheer pizazz without overdoing it. The Champagne Brunch collection is the perfect combination for the traditional French manicure effect.
Preparation
The first thing that should be done in preparing nails for a French manicure is to use your nail file to smooth out any rough spots on your nails, shaping the tips to a square or rounded finish. Then clean them off individually using the nail polish remover and cotton balls. Now the nails are clean, smooth, prepped and ready for the next steps in the process.
The nails should then be soaked in warm water to soften the cuticles. Gently nudge the cuticles back using an orange stick. The first time this is done, there may be a healthy amount of cuticle to remove. This should be rectified by applying cuticle remover. Apply the hand cream liberally to the nails and rub them in. Leave the hand cream on for 2-3 minutes. Wipe the nails with a tissue to remove the excess.
Application
After cleaning, trimming, and caring for the nail it is time to apply a base coat. The base coat should be thin, even and as clump-free as you can manage. The next step is to use a tip guide on the nail that covers the lower part of the nail as well as follows the curve of the nail tip’s natural white shade. Once this is done, apply white polish to the exposed tips of the fingernails, and then let them dry. It is important to keep the area that you paint white as thin as possible. If you paint too widely your nails will look chunky. If the white is too much of a contrast, try off-white nail polish instead.
When the white polish on the tips fingernails is dry, remove the nail tip guides carefully. Next paint the entire length of your nails with a beige polish. Sometimes putting on two coats of this polish is necessary to achieve the desired look. All that remains is to add the top coat, which should be clear and free of bubbles. Fix little messes or splatters after painting with an orangewood stick wrapped in a wisp of cotton moistened with remover.
Give the nails time to dry. It will take a full 20 minutes before nails are dry enough to use them. All the same, it is a good idea to wait a full hour before really using your hands.
There are also some snazzy French manicure designs on the market. There are many products available that will give nails that little extra something when you want people to really take notice of your perfectly French manicured nails.
After Care
There are plenty of ways to keep a French manicure looking good. Extend the life of the manicure and keep your nails nice and looking well-groomed by remembering to apply an extra layer of top coat on your nails every other night. If that is too difficult to remember, then it should be done at least twice a week. The point is to keep the polish from chipping and looking dull, as opposed to looking elegant and freshly manicured.
For all of its apparent ease, putting on a French manicure can be difficult. Many beauty supply stores and websites sell pre-assembled kits specially made for French manicures. For those finding that they need a little extra help, these kits are very useful. In addition to this handy guide, for the visual learner there are many French manicure tutorials online that can be utilized to help you achieve the look you want at home.
If time is your reason for not trying a French manicure at home, then perhaps a visit to a nail salon is necessary. Just be aware that a French manicure often costs more than a regular polish because of the degree of accuracy needed for the job.
Whether you choose to do it at home where you save a few dollars, or prefer to go to a salon and have it done professionally, the investment is well worth it.
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If base coat is applied directly following hand creme or lotion, bubbling is sure to result, with the added possibility of peeling, since the base coat will not properly adhere to the nail, even if wiped with a tissue.
May I suggest a quick swipe with polish remover, rubbing alcohol, or even vinegar, to balance the pH of the nail plate and remove any barrier to proper adhesion.
I have a quick photographic tutorial on the actual method of applying the white portion of the french manicure with a rolling motion, similar to fingerprinting, on my blog. It is so simple, anyone can do it themselves!
You can find it here:
http://wixology.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/french-101/
The result is really good..thank you for the guidence..
Wow thank you so much for this article! Its been so useful! I normally go to the salon to get my nails done, however in this credit crunch I have been considering doing them myself! Now I know how!