Achieve the classic clean, groomed look at home.
The classic French manicure with clean white tips adorning a natural nail is also known as a French polish, or French tips. There are many different types of French manicures to experiment with at home, from the clean almond-shaped nail of the 1990s, to '80s talons or showy squared-off tips. French manicures have also undergone a recent makeover, thanks to current fashion trends for re-working past styles. Modern French tips can now be eclectic and experimental, as well as look classically groomed. When doing your own manicure at home, prepare by using a scrub, then tidy cuticles and moisturize your hands. This gives a relaxing treatment as well as a professional finish.
Classic
A natural-looking traditional French manicure is also the easiest kind to start with at home. The classic method is to run a white clay-based pencil under the nail. You can still buy these from professional salon suppliers and the overall effect is more subtle than painting tips with white polish. After using the whitening pencil, buff nails to a shine with a smooth, soft board, such as Leighton Denny's Miracle Shine. This gives nails a proper vintage treatment, as well as making it easy to attain French polish perfection at home. If you prefer using polish, give this classic French manicure a modern finish with two coats of sheer flesh-colored varnish, rather than buffing the nail.
Nail Polish
Salon-style French manicure with squared nail tips.
Large, white squared-off tips became the salon finish of the new millennium, but the fashion for this is now waning, with a more natural oval shape popular again. The high-maintenance look of a painted French manicure became popular in the '80s, with an explosion of nail bars. To get this look at home, shape your nails with a good quality file then apply a base coat. Paint two coats of a sheer nude color over the whole nail. Once this is touch-dry, pick out the tips with two coats of white polish. Then seal everything with a super-glossy top coat for lasting shine. You can do this on natural or false nails and stick-on guides are available from drug stores, for those who struggle to paint the tips neatly.
White Tips
Take into account your skin color when choosing the right polish for your tips. There are many white shades on the market, from pearlized ice-white to cream. If you like a subdued look, try a slightly sheer formula that will just brighten up tips rather than looking like an opaque, painted-on white.
Base Color
Choose your natural shade with care. If you want it to look demure, find a color quite close to your natural nail, either pink-toned, peachy or beige. Sheer formulas often work best to achieve a simple groomed look. Or you could go for a classic sheer baby-pink, which always looks fresh and bright.
Decoration
If you like decorative nail-bar style fingertips, doing your own French manicure at home does not have to be boring. For a little bling, try using a glitter top coat as your last coat, or embellish a classic French manicure with stick-on nail crystals. The recent clash of color on the runways has been reflected in French manicures with bizarre color combinations, seen on traditional almond-shaped nails.. These give a bright makeover to an otherwise classic look. For a vintage feel try a dark brown-red with cream tips, or mix art deco-inspired pastel colors, such as duck-egg blue, pistachio and lemon. Or you could just go for '80s neons.
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