Nowadays, nail painting is gaining popularity worldwide; not only among ladies, but also men and LGBTQ+ as well. French Manicure is one of the various types of nail painting, which grew rapidly during the last decade and has yet to stop. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought us the uncomfortable circumstances that physical contact is prohibited. So, we want to help you paint your nails on your own in the comfort of your home.

What is French Manicure?

French Manicure is a nail painting technique, which presents simplicity, yet elegance by applying the color only at the tip of the nails. This technique of nail painting had been famously serviced in several salons and nail salons in France for quite a while before it caught the American fashion designer’s eyes in the early 20th century. Later on, French manicure was brought to the US and became popular amongst actresses in Hollywood in the 1920s. Consequently, many American women wore this particular nail art. That said, this technique was only serviced amongst expensive salons.

50 years later, French manicures became available for almost everyone in the world who had an interest in the art of nails. At present, you can’t find a nail salon that does not have French manicure as one of their main services.

Doing French Manicure at Home

Original French manicure does not require any high skills or specialty in nail painting. Concentration and confidence are two things that you must have if you decide to do a French manicure on your own. Let’s see what we have to use to do our work:

1. Warm water
2. A towel
3. Basecoat
4. White nail polish
5. Topcoat
6. Your favorite color
7. Nail polish remover

French Manicure at Home – Step by Step

Get rid of your old nail polish

If applicable, you have to dip cotton into your nail polish remover and clean your old nail polish until it is completely clear and clean. Every corner and crack of your nails must be cleaned. If not, you may be able to see an old color through your new polish.

Trim your nails

Since French manicure is a technique where only the tips of the nails are painted white, it is better not to trim your nails too close to your fingertips. Furthermore, you can trim your nails to the desired length. In this step, it is recommended that you trim your nails equally in length.

Shaping your nails

This is one of the most important steps that you should pay attention to because it can make your nails look prettier. A smooth nail surface will make the application of nail polish and coat smooth and even. Before you begin to shape your nails, you can choose your preferred shape, such as squared or round.

Soaking nails

To soak your nails properly, you need a big enough bowl of warm water in which you can put your nails underwater for 3 minutes. The temperature should not be too hot because it can make your nails brittle. However, it is not mandatory that you use only water, you can also use milk or olive oil instead to moisturize your nails.

Pushing Cuticles

Cuticles are tissues that stick to your nails to prevent dust and particles to get into the gaps between your nails and skin. You may use a cuticle pusher to push the tissues back a little in order to let the nail polish application be more effective. Also, please don’t clip or trim your cuticles out because it can cause infection or inflammation afterward.

Base Coat Application

The base coat is the first layer of polish that will be used to apply to your nails. Generally, the base coat used for French manicures is a plain color, such as pale pink, cream, or clear. A good tip to perfectly apply the base coat is to paint a stripe in the center of your nail first, and then you continue to paint on the sides.

Favorite Color Application

After the base coat application, you can apply your favorite color of nail polish on all your nails before applying white tips, but if you want an original style of French manicure, you can overlook this step.

White Tip Application

After all your nails are dry, you can paint the tips of your nails using white nail polish. The target area of this color is on the white tip of every nail. By tracing the line from left to right, you can slowly apply the white nail polish, 1 nail at a time.

Top Coat Application

Now you may wonder how to apply a clear top coat polish on your dry nails? A top coat will help your nails look fresh and shiny, thus why it is an important last step to undertake. In order to do so, just thoroughly apply the proper top coat to your nails. A regular top coat is better for dry polish, while a fast drying top coat penetrates wet polish and dries everything until it’s solid.

Once you’re done, you will realize that a French manicure is not that difficult after all. At least, we hope!