Popcosmo

How to do a French Manicure... Effortlessly

BEAUTY, DIYKim & Chloe73 Comments

Nothing beats a clean, crisp manicure (ombré mani), but they can get expensive at a salon. So here's a fail proof way how to do a french manicure, as inspired by this gorgeous a Rue La La Tumblr post. Well, why not neon? Of course, the tips could be any color, but we wanted to funkify a plain-jane manicure and try something different. Our foolproof way how to do a french manicure is simple and so easy that you'll be doing it for fun every day this summer. Well, maybe not every day, but we can imagine changing nail polish more often than we used to. Our photos shows how to do a french manicure using paper hole reinforcements for a curved line, but we have also used blue painter's tape for a straight line. It's also great to use to extend a manicure.  Although many of you have said you had success with regular tape, our french manicure doesn't end up as clear and crisp as we would like when we use regular tape. Since painter's tape and paper reinforcements are so easily available, we suggest giving them a try! Here's what we did .. . and we'd love to hear your tips too!

How to do a French Manicure

Step 1: Apply a base coat and let dry. It's important that it is completely dry before you proceed. Step 2: Apply either blue painter's tape or paper reinforcements to your nail. Step 3: Paint a neon color on the tip, or whatever color you would like to use. Use 2 light coats for coverage. Thick coats are not advisable because it leaves a ridge (you can see one in our ring finger... oops!) Step 4: Remove tape or reinforcement AFTER the polish has dried. Step 5: Apply a clear coat and enjoy!

UPDATE: Check out our NEW French Manicure {<--click} to use manicure tape; and click ----> How to do an Easy French Manicure {Again} to find out how we use a common household item to create another clean line for french manicures! We can't get enough :)

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