Do you ever wonder how some people have such perfectly manicured fingernails? Especially when those fingernails sport the always classy and in-style french tips? I always wondered whether everyone always went to the salon to have them professionally done, or whether the nails were complete fakes –simply too good to be true.
I’ve had my fair share of manicures and I know how talented nail artists/technicians are. It certainly is not a job that I could ever have the talent, ability, or coordination to do.
But, ever since I stopped biting my nails last summer, (hooray for kicking a bad habit to the curb!) I’ve been obsessed with keeping my nails polished and looking nice. This, of course, has led me to buying way too much OPI nail polish…but that’s a story for another blog post.
It also, though, led me to learn an easy an inexpensive way to french tip my own nails without going to the salon.
So, here’s my easy how-to guide to a Do-It Yourself French Manicure!
DIY French Manicure
Tools:
- French tip white nail polish (or any solid white nail polish)
- UV Top Coat (or any clear nail polish)
- French tip nail guide stickers (any brand)
- Nail polish remover
- Nail file
- OPI Drip Dry (optional)
Instructions:
1. Before you begin, you need to prepare your nails. Make sure your cuticles are pushed back and look even. Depending on whether you want your nails to be rounded or squared, file them appropriately and make sure they are even.
My fingernails are squared, so before starting my manicure I used a nail files make sure each of my nails looked neat and even.
2. Wash your hands and dry them thoroughly to ensure you are working with a clean nail surface.
3. Place one nail guide sticker on each nail. Be careful to leave enough room between the top of the sticker and the end of your nail for the french tip. Remember, the area you are painting will look smaller after you’ve removed the sticker guide.
The stickers are much wider than your fingernail. Try to center the sticker guide when you place it on the nail.
4. Using French tip white nail polish, paint the tip of each nail. Try not to paint too thick of a layer — this could make the polish gummy and cause smudges later. You can always go back and do a second coat if necessary.
For this tutorial, I used Avon’s French Tip White nail enamel.
This is what my nails looked like after one coat of the French Tip White polish.
5. Allow the first coat of French Tip White to dry for at least 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add a second coat of the white polish if necessary. Allow to dry another 15 minutes.
6. Once your nails have dried for at least 15 minutes after your most recent application, carefully remove the nail guides. Don’t be alarmed if the white polish pulls slightly when you remove the stickers. As long as you have let your nails dry long enough, removing the stickers should leave a clean line.
7. After removing all of the sticker nail guides, apply a coat of clear nail polish such as a UV Top Coat.
Here are my nails after one application of the UV Top Coat. For extra shine, apply a second coat after the first has completely dried.
8. To ensure that your nails are completely dry and to prevent smudging, consider applying a drying agent like OPI’s Drip Dry.
9. Your nails are now french manicured! Enjoy the classic and sophisticated look!
