How To Do: The French Manicure

This is a classic nail look and can be worn with literally anything. It makes nails look healthy, shiny and most of all, totally gorgeous! But I will confess, I am a cheater. I was not blessed with steady hands so for me painting that perfectly formed white line on the each of each nail is, quite frankly, impossible. So for those of you who are like me and can't quite get the hang of it, or just want a quick fix, here's my guide on how to do a French Manicure. These are the tools I use:

Top Left: Conditioning Nail Polish Remover Pads £1.49,
Bottom Left: Maybelline French Manicure Kit in 'Opaque Finish' £3.99,
Middle: Nailene Perfect French Tip Guides £3.05,
Right: Ms Manicure 'Set The Scene' 4 Piece Manicure Kit £5.10





Here is a close up of the tools you get in the Ms. Manicure Set: From Top to Bottom there is a mini cuticle pusher, mini sapphire file, cuticle trimmer and nail clipper. I love this set I've had it for months and use it all the time just to keep my nails in good health as I don't wear polish that often. There are four easy steps to prepping your nails for a manicure 1. Use the cuticle pusher to gently nudge your cuticles back where they belong 2. Carefully remove any excess ragged skin with the cuticle trimmer 3. Cut nails with the nail clippers 4. Finally shape and clean nails with the file. And now your nails are gorgeous it's time to get on with the polish! Before you start make sure nails are clean and dry with no residue.



Next, embrace your shaky hands and place a nail guide on the end of each nail just underneath the start of the tip. Stick down thoroughly so there are no gaps and make sure the lines are even. Take your white polish (I know I have a set but really they're not that different from any other polish I've tried so you can use any white polish you like) shake well and apply a THIN layer to the tip above the nail guide. HINT: Don't apply the white too thickly as it will take longer to set and will be easier to smudge.
Remember, you can always add another layer of polish but you can't remove one without starting again! Then wait for 1-3 minutes depending on which polish you use and gently peel off the nail guide. Et Viola! Nice white tips! Next take the coloured polish (Mine is called 'Icing Sugar' and is a nice opaque peachy colour) shake well and apply another thin layer over the whole nail, again waiting for a few minutes for it to set. I like to use one layer of white polish and two layers of coloured polish as I find this 'dims down' the white and makes it look much more natural, but it's all down to personal preference. Finally, apply a top coat (which i forgot to take a photo of... ooops) all over the nail and leave to dry. I use a Maybelline Top Coat called 'Forever Strong Pro' that is fortified with calcium, iron and silica to make nails healthier and stronger.
Nail Tip: To fake a fast French Mani, just rub a white nail pencil under nails.

And there you have it! A gorgeous, inexpensive, shiny french manicure! Enjoy my lovelies x

K