How to do a modern French manicure
Nail art is a way to express creativity while having fun with colors, styles, and designs.
The various color shades you can choose from will allow you to achieve bold, elegant, classic, or natural looks. So why not start off with a French manicure?
What is a French manicure?
French manicure is one of the most popular styles for your nails. It looks beautiful on every nail shape, short or long.
It is very easy to recognize a French manicure: the nail will have a transparent or nude polish and the tips will be white.
How to do a perfect French manicure
Before applying any nail polish, it is important to take care of your nails in a few simple beauty steps:
FIRST STEP
The first step is to wash your hands and nails and then soften your cuticles to ease their removal.
For this, you will need a cuticle softening pen. This product will not only soften your cuticles but will also moisturize your nails.
If you also want to gently smoothen your nails, you can use an exfoliating nail pen.
Both of these products are very easy to use: twist the base of the pen to dispense the product and apply it on your nails with the applicator.
SECOND STEP
The second step is to shape your nails according to your taste by using a nail file. If necessary, you can first clip your nails.
If the shape you want to achieve is a square, you will want to start by filing your nails straight and then filing the edges to get that square look.
If instead of square you want to go round, start filing your nails from one of the edges and slowly move to the other one for a flawless round shape.
Square and round can also go together: start off by filing your nails in one direction as if you would do for a square shape, and when you move to the edges shape them round.
Almond is another popular shape that works beautifully on long nails.
Make a small dot on the center of your nail tip to divide it evenly and then just start filing towards the direction of that dot. Round out the tip and there you go!
To smooth out your nail surface, the best tool to use is a nail file buffer.
THIRD STEP
The third step is to add a base polish to your nails. You can either choose a transparent nail polish or a nude one to enhance the beauty of your natural nails.
When the base is dry, you add the white to the tip of your nails.
There are different ways to achieve a perfect French manicure:
Pen: The white French manicure pen is a good way to get started if you don’t have a lot of experience with French manicures.
Apply the pen on the tip of your nails following the shape you filed them.
Pencil: Another way to achieve a natural French manicure is by using the French manicure white pencil. This product will enhance the natural white color of your nails giving them a pearly finish.
Nail polish: You can also apply white nail polish that comes with a thin brush just for this purpose. To stay within the borders try using KIKO MILANO’s French manicure guides.
Simply apply them on your nails, leaving uncovered the whites of them, and apply your nail polish.
If you want your nails to appear longer, you can achieve this by applying the color you choose for your tips also around the natural shape of your nails.
When the nail polish dries, remember to always end with a top coat to set your finish well.
Don’t worry if some product gets on the skin around your nails: just use a cotton swab with some nail polish remover to remove any excess.
French manicure for special occasions
For the holidays or for special occasions you can personalize your nails!
If Christmas is just around the corner and you want to have a festive French manicure there are different ways to achieve it.
After adding the transparent base to your nail, use red nail polish instead of white for the tips of your nails. You can also alternate the red to dark green or silver if you want to use different colors.
For a snowy touch, you can also use the French manicure pen on the colors or right below them and add some dots.
Easter is also a perfect holiday to have fun with your nails. Instead of topping your nails with white, you can use different pastel colors for each nail like yellow, lily, pink, light blue, and light green.
You can either apply the colors on your entire nail tip or proceed by first painting them white, wait for it to dry, and with the help of the French manicure guides, add the color slightly above the white to give it a nice festive touch.
The best French manicure ideas: colors and designs
A great thing about French manicure is that you can create different DIY fashion looks without going to a salon.
If you don’t want to use the classic nude shade on your nails and give them a modern look, you can use a bronze color and paint the tips of the nails with the colors you prefer. For a bold look, black makes for a great French manicure!
If you are getting ready to travel for the summer, paint your nails with bright colors that reflect this season.
You can get your inspiration from the sea and the ocean using different shades of blue.
For a sunset look, try painting the tips red, orange, and yellow.
French manicures are a timeless look, perfect for every occasion. Whether you decide to stick to the classic French or express your creativity by using different colors and shapes, you will never go wrong!