If you’re having trouble reaching polish stuck around the edges of your nails, dip an orange wood stick with the end covered in cotton into your polish remover and use it to remove the stuck polish. Acetone in nail polish remover can dry and damage your nails, so consider choosing a non-acetone nail polish remover that doesn’t contain any.
Gently drag the nail file across your nails without pushing them down—that can damage them. If you have shorter nails, you can still do a French manicure! Instead of wide tips, simply draw a thinner white line along the free edge of your nail when it’s time to paint on French tips.
Hydrate your hands at the same time! Apply some hand cream after you’re done pushing back your cuticles. Don’t trim your cuticles; this leaves your nail matrix (the area your nails grow from) open to infection and can cause deformities on your nails, like ridges or discoloration.
Don’t use a low-grit buffer or put a lot of pressure on your nails as you buff. Either can actually strip away layers of your nails and damage them.
You can buy a French manicure kit that comes with a classic base coat color, a tip color, and other equipment designed to help you create a perfect manicure.
Turning your finger to create white tips is a lot easier than moving the brush, especially when you’re holding the brush in your non-dominant hand. Try balancing your pinky under the finger you’re painting to keep your hand from getting shaky, too! You can also use a striper brush to paint the tips onto your nails.
If you want to stray from the classic French mani, choose a color that isn’t pink or cream. You could go with red, purple, blue, green, or any other color you like, and use white nail polish or another contrasting color for the tips.
With several layers of nail polish including top and base coats, it can take a couple of hours for the manicure to fully dry. Alternatively, use a UV nail lamp to dry your nails in just a few minutes. Before applying the topcoat, clean up stray polish on the sides of your nails with a Q-tip soaked in nail polish remover. It’s harder to remove if you wait until after you’re done with the manicure!
When the sticker peels away, you’ll have flawlessly straight French tips! After they dry, proceed with the sheer coat and top coat of nail polish as usual.
After that, paint your white tips just like you would using French tip guides. Peel off the tape when you’re done, let the polish dry, then continue with the rest of the manicure.
Similarly, consider using a nail art stamper to apply white tips. A French tip nail stamper is a simple device; just gently press the tips of your nails into it to get a perfectly even manicure.
Choose this method if you want the white of your nail tips to be a little softer and more natural-looking. Manicure pens aren’t as bright and stark-white as regular nail polish.
Be sure to lightly wipe the brush on the side of the nail polish remover bottle before using it, since you don’t want polish dripping all over your nails. After the tips are painted and dried, add your sheer pink or beige layer and the top coat. Once they’re dry, voilà! You’re all done.
