French manicure: classic version and fashionable modern interpretations with your own hands. French manicure: ideas, photos, DIY How to learn how to paint a French manicure at home

French manicure perfectly combines simplicity and style. This nail design is at the peak of popularity, regardless of the age category of women. It is chosen by athletes, businesswomen and ordinary saleswomen. French is not vulgar, so it is ideal for teenage girls. Thanks to its technology, hands look well-groomed and neat. There is no need to change it according to the type of clothing, hair color, makeup or accessories. Its base is universal, suitable for any style, which allows you to save money and time on updating your manicure.

Content:

You can do a French manicure yourself using the recommendations. French is practiced on any nail length. How to do a French manicure at home, because there are many secrets regarding its design and application?

Selection of varnish for French manicure

A quality tool is the key to success in any job. And before you start, you should select the appropriate varnishes. A good kit for creating a French jacket will provide an excellent visual picture.

When applied to the nail, high-quality material will fit and look perfect.

  1. Buying low-quality goods from stores or stalls unknown to you is not even suitable for experimenting with French clothing, so you need to purchase a good branded product. It may not be cheap, but you can use it longer.
  2. There is a special line of varnishes for French manicure; ordinary colored varnishes will have to work with this; in this case, they will not work. It is recommended to buy a special kit containing various shades of varnish, stripes and base.
  3. As standard, for a French manicure you will need a colorless base, white varnish to create a smile on the tip of the nail, and a tint material. It can have a cold, warm or soft pink tint.
  4. When purchasing a French manicure kit or individual polishes for the first time, it is better to pay attention to the usual sets and colors. Purchasing flashy and expensive professional-grade materials is not acceptable for gaining experience.
  5. After mastering the simplest French skills, you can work with other scales.

Instructions

Before you start doing a French manicure, prepare the tool.

You will need:

  • file for processing the nail plate;
  • base coat;
  • tint varnish;
  • white coating for nail tips;
  • drying-fixer;
  • mechanical trimmer;
  • brush;
  • strips for forming a “smile”.

If you don’t have special strips on hand, you can use tape, but working with it will be problematic when learning.

Step 1:

Any manicure includes high-quality nail treatment. It is recommended to steam your hands in a bath.

To strengthen your nails, you can add a little sea salt. It is not recommended to apply cream to your nails and skin before applying polish.

Step 2

After the procedure, the overgrown cuticle is moved to the base of the nail and carefully removed with a trimmer. If the growths on the sides are strong, I use special tweezers.

Step 3

The nail is given the required shape using a nail file. The tool leads from the edges of the nail to the central part. This will prevent the formation of cracks and small chips on the nails.

Step 4

Nails are covered with base varnish; it has no color. It is necessary to distribute the base in an exact layer on top of the nail and the edges below it.

This will provide protection from exposure household chemicals and hot water. The base must dry thoroughly before applying the next layer.

Step 5

The entire surface of the nail is covered with tinted varnish and left until completely dry. If there are no flaws in the form of spots on the nails, then you can take a light transparent flesh shade.

Step 6

Strips to create a “smile” are glued so that the desired length of the tip of the nail stands out. It should depend on its length.

On short nails The length of the “smile” is not made more than two millimeters. The strips must be pressed firmly against the nail to prevent the varnish from spreading under them. They are glued very evenly so that the manicure does not seem skewed.

Step 7

White varnish is applied to each tip in one layer. After drying, it is applied a second time to enhance the contrast. After 10-15 minutes, the strips are removed. By this time, the white varnish should be completely dry.

Step 8

A drying fixative is applied on top for a protective layer. It will give a pleasant gloss to the nail and make the French manicure more resistant to external influences.

Advice

It is recommended to update your French manicure as your nails grow. This will allow you to gain experience and refresh the picture on your nails. After honing your skills, you can master fashion techniques French jackets, the cost of which in the salon can be of an impressive size.

At any stage of applying varnish, you must wait until each layer dries. If you ignore this, the manicure will not work. You can’t do a manicure if the skin near your nails has lesions and the nail plates are infected with fungus.

If you sweat excessively, your hands should be thoroughly dried. It is not recommended to treat your hands with cream or oil before cutting the cuticle.

The base for the French coat should be fortified so that under the top layers the nail plate does not suffer from a lack of oxygen.

Types of French manicure

Over time, this type of nail design has acquired many modifications.

The basis of the jacket is tone and “smile”, but you can add a variety of designs to this. This includes the shape or width of the nail plate, the use of different color range, various designs, additional decorations in the form of sparkles or rhinestones.

  • The classic French jacket combines delicate pastel shades. The “smile” at the tip is made with matte white varnish. In this manicure, the base color is in perfect harmony with the skin tone. Usually the classics give the feeling that there is no polish on the nails, but they look very well-groomed.

  • Millennium French or shiny manicure includes a bright, decorated smile that shimmers in the sun. The shiny material can be applied to the entire tip or carefully follow the “smile” line underneath. For the millennium, silver or gold dust, glitter, and shimmering varnish are used.

  • Colored French manicures include a variety of bold colors and shades for a “smiley” look. In this case, the finish of the nail tip is selected in accordance with taste preferences. There are no specific rules for nail treatment. Bright and acidic colors can be used for edging. Teenage girls can experiment by making a “smile” on each nail with a different color.

  • Decorative French- the most complex manicure option in this style. This is amazing art and exquisite work. Drawings, stucco molding, beads and even lace can be applied to the tip of the plate. Decorative processing is indispensable for holidays and grand celebrations. It requires good skills and patience.

  • The Hollywood or lunar French has come into fashion recently, but has already won its audience. In this manicure, the “smile” can be located at the base of the nail and at its tip, or only at the base. Dark, rich tones are often used for lunar design. Rich contrasting tones are suitable for the crescent moon.

  • Non-standard types of French have unconventional shape"smiles". It can be in the form of a zigzag or wave. A beveled crescent is practiced. You can often find an ombre manicure option. This is a special application of varnish in which there is no clear transition. There is a smooth gradation from the tip of the nail to the base of the plate.

French Manicure (French) and Moon Manicure!

A stylish, neat and unobtrusive French manicure can decorate nails of any length. Classic French, fan-French or French manicure with a pattern - you choose the type of coloring yourself.

French manicure options - fashion trends

French manicure looks elegant on both short nails and long nails. medium length. It is very diverse, and there are many options for applying it. In addition, you can be creative in this process and come up with something of your own.

The classic French style is characterized by painting the edge of the nail white. This technique is considered fast, so it will be convenient if you do not have a lot of time. Fan-french, in which colored varnish is applied to the edge of the nail, will successfully complement your bright and sensual image.

Several rich colors highlight the edge of the nail in a type of French manicure called twist-french, and the millennium French involves decorating the tip of the nail with decorative sand or glitter.

French manicure with a pattern is suitable for long nails. A design or pattern is made at the tip of the nail. Decorative French, such as, for example, French with abstraction, is a non-standard, but also very relevant manicure option.

French manicure for beginners: method No. 1

Gently file and round your nails. Using a white pencil, draw a line under the edge of the nail. Remove the cuticle or prepare a bath of warm water and use a stick to push back the skin at the base of the nail.

Cover your nails with base coat and wait until they dry. Apply white polish to the free edge of the nail, starting from the center and spreading out to the sides. Wait until it dries again, then cover the entire nail with clear pink polish and let your nails dry completely. Apply varnish sealer on top.

Applying a French manicure: method No. 2

Purchase special templates with a corner and round shape or make such templates yourself from thick fabric, insulating tape or tape. File and round your nails, draw a line under the edge, remove cuticles.

Stick the template onto the nail so that its free tip protrudes. Apply two coats of white polish to the edge of the nail. To keep your manicure neat, remove smudges and uneven spots with a cotton swab dipped in nail polish remover.

Remove the template and dry your nails. Cover them with pink or white varnish, wait until dry, then apply a sealer.

DIY French manicure: method No. 3

French manicure using the ombre technique is a gradient color scheme, in which the transition between shades should be as smooth as possible. To do this, choose varnishes of the same color range or similar shades, and distribute the coating with a sponge so that there are no visible boundaries between the colors. Ombre technique is used in horizontal, vertical or diagonal directions.

Prepare your nails and remove the old coating. Shape the nail surface, steam your fingers in a soap solution, remove the cuticle. Apply the base coat and wait until it dries completely. For the base, choose transparent or white varnishes, but you can experiment with colored ones.

The first layer - gradient - is applied using a sponge or sponge with light patting movements. It is impossible to apply varnish perfectly with a sponge, but this is the trick of the “ombre” technique, which gives a mixture of colors and blurred boundaries.

Distribute the varnishes with a brush on the foil in the order that you want to see on the finished manicure. Dark shades It is better to apply at the base of the nails to make them look longer and more impressive. Renew each nail color color palette on foil. After the first layer has dried with a sponge, apply the second layer of varnish to the tip of the nail in the same way.

Next, all that remains is to apply the final fixing layer, and this must be done before the varnish has completely dried, since the sponge leaves behind an uneven, bumpy surface. The final base can be a regular clear varnish. French manicure is ready!

Home French manicure: shellac

Shellac is a hybrid of varnish and gel. It applies like a polish but lasts a long time like a gel. Its advantages are that it:

  • easy to apply,
  • does not wear off, does not chip, stays firmly on nails for up to four weeks,
  • does not scratch
  • heals nails, giving strength to brittle nails and flexibility to hard ones,
  • suitable for both manicure and pedicure,
  • harmless, because does not contain formaldehyde, toluene and other toxic components,
  • does not cause allergies,
  • dries quickly,
  • can be removed in fifteen minutes using liquid for artificial nails, does not require filing, and does not leave marks on the nail plate after removal.

To fix the gel polish on your nails, you will need a special ultraviolet lamp. Painted nails should remain under it for at least a minute. If desired, one color of shellac can be changed to another without filing.

At home, shellac can be removed by soaking nails in acetone. To do this, cover the nail with a cotton pad soaked in liquid and wrap it in foil. After ten minutes, remove the varnish layer with a wooden stick.

How to apply shellac on nails

Lubricate the cuticle with emollient cream and remove it with a stick. Wash your hands with nail degreasing soap. Dry and polish your nails. Apply a base coat to the prepared surface and hold your nails under an ultraviolet lamp for 15 seconds.

Apply the first layer of gel polish and dry under a UV lamp for one and a half to two minutes. Apply a second layer and also dry it for one and a half to two minutes.

French manicure today is considered one of classical types design. Due to its versatility, it will always remain on the crest of the wave. Therefore, those who are still unfamiliar with the implementation of this design using modern coatings should familiarize themselves with the features of the design itself and study the step-by-step technique for its implementation.

Peculiarities

French, French manicure or French design are all names for a single type of nail design. It did not appear in France, but in America; today the technology is already 40 years old. The idea for its creation was born due to the lack of time to paint the nails of actresses. That is why a design was needed that would fit any image, which is what the founder of the Orly Trading House created.

Classic version The French coat has a flesh-colored background and a white smile, which is used to decorate part of the regrown nail.

Today this trend is quite relevant in situations of strict dress code. The French style itself has long gone beyond the classics: the focus of fashion trends is color solutions, as well as decorating nails with a smile. The shape of the smile of a traditional French manicure can be different.

This depends both on the characteristics of the nail plate and on the shape of the cut of the regrown edge. The width of the contrast stripe can vary, sometimes it is very thin, in other cases it is completely diagonal. For example, almond-shaped nails have a wider smile compared to oval-shaped nails. And today, a smile can also be fantasy, which opens up a lot of opportunities for creating thematic and seasonal designs.

The inverted jacket differs from the usual one in that, in fact, it is its mirror image. That is, his smile is located at the base of the nail bed. This manicure is considered one of the most popular today. It is used by beauty bloggers and celebrities.

The shape of such a smile can be very diverse. For example, in addition to the hole and imitation of the growth of the nail plate, it can be diagonal, triangular, semicircular and made as a contour outline. One of the features of the modern French manicure is its combination with all known manicure techniques. Moreover, it can be the basis or its accents. Plates with a contrasting smile can be decorated with different nail materials.

Methods of applying a “smile”

A smile can be made in different ways. Beginners who are just starting to master working with gel polish should take into account the fact that due to the peculiarity of the composition, they can work without haste. Hybrid coatings, which are used today for French manicures, do not dry without a special lamp. Therefore, you can safely design and adjust it before drying it in a UV or LED device. As for the methods of applying the so-called smile, they depend on the design. In general, for beginners, the best option is to use auxiliary strips or foil tape. Main nuances different options can be roughly divided into traditional (brushes and stripes) and fantasy (stamps, dots, stickers, fimo).

Brush

Using nail brushes to create a French smile can be difficult for beginners. It is difficult to draw the same even lines on all fingers to make the design look professional. Of course, you can get clever and resort to fantasy drawings, but if you don’t have drawing skills, such a manicure won’t look beautiful. To learn how to draw the necessary lines, and even more so when drawing for yourself, it is worth training on special stencils.

Stencils

Stencils for French clothing mean special strips of different shapes and widths. Depending on the client’s wishes, you can use both traditional arched elements and corners, waves, zigzags, and hearts. However, stencils do not simplify the work 100%, as novice craftsmen may mistakenly think. Along with them, when separated from the base, part of the varnish that was used to create the smile may also come off. This means that you won’t be able to do without a brush, because you’ll have to correct the lines.

Dots

Sets of sticks with different attachments allow you to create one of the most popular French designs today. At the ends of the tools there are metal balls, which are dipped into gel polish, and then dots are placed on the nail plate in in the right places. It’s easy to work with such a tool, but at least without minimal training beautiful smile it won't work. In addition to the fact that you need to clearly put dots in the chosen shape, which should be perfectly the same on other French nails, you need to make dots of different sizes.

Stamping

This method is easy, because working with stamps that have an engraved pattern will be perfect the first time. Stamping is distinguished by the precision of its lines, which is why this type of design is chosen by nail technicians. Like the previous option, this type of smile turns out to be fantasy. It is also applied to the accent nails of the manicure.

Slider design

Another solution to beat the lack of experience in nail art is island or applique sliders. Water stickers on a transparent basis are easy to use, this jacket looks incredibly gentle and beautiful. It doesn’t take as much time to create the desired design as it does to tediously align the smile lines.

Fimo

This material is used for creative French. This decor consists of various elements cut into a thin layer of oblong sticks. These are a variety of stars, fruits, berries, which are simply glued in the area of ​​overgrown nail plates. The decor is voluminous, and therefore such a manicure cannot be called convenient in everyday life. However, fimo can be used in aquadesign, sealed on top with several layers of modeling agent.

Required tools and materials

Depending on the option taken as a basis, the type of tools and raw materials used for the design may differ. Let’s take the traditional technique as a basis, from which in the future we can build on and improve the design with various decor. It is also important to first decide on the type of manicure, because it can be regular or hardware.

As for working with the device, this method is more convenient and less traumatic for nails and the skin around them. If you don’t have a machine at home, and a woman is just starting to get acquainted with nail art, you can use a basic manicure set: manicure scissors, nail file, pusher, tweezers.

Also for work you will need:

  • rubber hoof;
  • napkins for manicure;
  • dehydrator;
  • soft polisher (buff);
  • nail drying lamp of the required power;
  • base material;
  • finishing agent;
  • pigmented varnish for the background;
  • contrasting pigment for a smile.

If you plan to design accent nails, prepare the decor intended by the design. When you need a dots for decoration, but don’t have one, you can use a regular wooden toothpick.

Preparation of nails and cuticles

Before starting preparation, the nails are treated with an antiseptic. After this, use a file to give the free edge of the nail plates the desired shape. At the same time, back and forth movements are strictly prohibited: all conditions are created for crumbling and further injury to the nails. In addition, two different directions of the file can cause manicure peeling.

After this, a special cuticle remover is applied to the side rollers and cuticle. It will help soften the skin and prepare it for faster and painless removal. After the product is applied to all 5 nails, it’s time for the most enjoyable step of the hygienic manicure. The hand is placed in a bath of warm water (the water temperature should be at least 30–34°C). The hand should be in the water for about 3-4 minutes. After the required time has passed, wipe your fingers and begin manicure. Using a pusher, push the cuticle and skin to the sides. In this case, you should not press too hard on the instrument so as not to injure either the skin or the nail.

Next, take tweezers or a cutter and trim off all excess and keratinized areas around the nail plate. It is important to keep the tool at the same angle and ensure that the cutting is not intermittent. If you do everything correctly, you can prevent the appearance of hangnails in the future. After you go through the tweezers, you should take a pusher or an orange stick and clean the pterygium. Before doing this, the stick must be soaked in water. When cleaning the pterygium, you need to carefully walk along the contour of the nail. This stage will allow you to evaluate the quality of the work done with tweezers: to understand how well you cleaned out the excess skin. If, when passing along the contour with an orange stick, skin remains are found, take the cuticle and clean off what was not cut off immediately.

The procedure is performed on each nail. After this, a special cuticle oil is applied to the skin treatment areas. It is at this stage that the trimmed manicure ends.

To avoid damaging your skin, you can take note of a few tips from nail professionals. For example, skin injury can be caused by incorrect movements of the cuticle or nail scissors. You can’t do this jerkily, and even lift the instrument up. The cuticle should be removed using movements as you cut the skin.

In order to minimize the risk of skin injury at this stage and not cut off excess, you need to slightly pull the skin at the cutting site. This way it will be visible where the cut ends, and the base line will not be torn. We must not forget that before cutting with the larger side of the pusher, the skin at the base of the nail is pushed back and only then lifted. As for the pterygium, it can also be cut off with the sharp edge of a pusher. In this case, you do not need to deepen the tool too far under the nail. Injured skin around the nail will ruin appearance manicure, and at the same time the mood. In addition, nails exposed to such stress will hurt for a long time. You can begin further work on your nails only immediately before painting them.

Step-by-step execution technique

To ensure a high-quality coating, you need to choose sharp and comfortable tools. It is important not to forget to disinfect them. If all steps are performed correctly, the French manicure on your nails will last for at least two weeks. One of the main reasons for its fragility may be insufficient drying of each layer. You should not reduce the overall work time at its expense, because as a result, the coating may begin to chip in just a couple of days. It is better, on the contrary, to add time for the last (sealing) layer.

Doing a French manicure on prepared nails is easy.

Whether in the salon or at home, the technology will be the same. It’s not always convenient to do a manicure yourself, and therefore it may require more time. If there is not enough information, you can refer to video tutorials professional craftsmen nail service. During the lessons, many professionals show the ideal technique step by step and teach how to perform it step by step correctly.

To work, move the top, base, pigments, thin brush, and, if necessary, stencils and lamp closer. You need to start by preparing the nail.

  • Strengthening and removing gloss. At this stage, you need to remove the top glossy layer from the nail plates. This is necessary so that all subsequent layers applied are held firmly and reliably. The durability of the manicure will primarily depend on this. Take a buff (a soft rectangular sander with a fine grit) and remove the gloss with light movements. Next, use a dehydrator, degreasing the working layer and removing sawdust residues. Now you can start decorative manicure or strengthen your nails. The strengthening process is necessary for thin and brittle nails. In addition, it will be useful for nail plates that rarely rest between manicures.

  • Base coat. After removing residual sawdust and oiliness, degreasing the surface of the nails, a layer of base material with a transparent texture is applied to them. This material should be applied in a very thin layer, because the accuracy of the work will depend on this (a dense layer of the product will flow behind the cuticle and side ridges). The base is dried in a lamp, the drying time depends on the type of device (from 30 seconds to two minutes). It is important to take into account that when working with gel polish, you will have to dry each applied layer. And with each layer you need to go over the end of the nail, because the durability of the coating will depend on this. The base may remain sticky after drying, so you should try to avoid accidental touches.

  • Background. With the traditional technique, after the base layer, a camouflage gel polish is taken to match the skin tone as much as possible. The pigment is applied in two layers, each of which is dried in a lamp. To prevent the composition from flowing beyond the skin and spread evenly over the surface of the nail plate, you need to take a little pigment. At the same time, it is not advisable to send the coating to dry immediately after application: you need to give the varnish the opportunity to distribute over the plate and get rid of streaks. Since it’s rare for novice artists to get close to the base of the nail, after the first layer of pigment has dried, take a thin brush and paint the edge at the base of the nail with it. This will prevent the varnish from bleeding, and will also allow you to even out the pigmented layer, thereby giving the coating an aesthetic appearance. After working with a brush, continue painting the nail with a second layer of pigment. The varnish is dried in a lamp.

  • Smile. It is better to apply a smile that will give the jacket status with a special acrylic paint or gel. To do this, you can use a gel polish that contrasts with the main background. For beginners, it may be easier to use templates; depending on the type of stencil, this can be quick and easy. But if the stencil is attached unevenly, the smile will also be uneven. If you are not afraid of hand painting, take a brush and first draw a thin line along the contour of the edge of the nail plate with white paint. Even a professional's hand can sometimes tremble, which will lead to the formation of a defect. In this case, you can use a special product by dipping a brush into it to correct the line. If the work is slow, the drawn line may bleed a little.

To prevent this, you can remove residual stickiness after drying the background gel polish. Now you can safely draw the desired line, adjusting its width. This way you don’t have to worry that the material will flow and the line will spread wider. To achieve better precision in your work, you should dry two nails in a lamp: your smile will definitely not spread.

  • Sealing. After the smile is dried in the lamp, it is necessary to seal it. To do this, apply a thin layer of topcoat. The self-leveling material will level the background covering with the smile, making the step near the smile line invisible. However, if the smile initially turned out to be too thick, you need to use a buff, carefully trimming the smile line in a delicate manner. After this, you can apply another layer of top on top. Final drying will be the last stage of work.

  • Decoration. Having understood what the technique of performing a French manicure is, you can diversify it by leaving one or two nails for the design. You don’t have to put a smile on them, but instead place a sticker on the accent and transfer the pattern using disposable stencils. A design with a pattern will also look beautiful. You can paint anything on these nails: a French manicure can even be decorated with a seasonal design. Today this trend is quite popular.

Don't cover up your smile with glitter polish. This erases the clear outline and the coating may lose its expressiveness. As for mother-of-pearl, the rub will look more weightless against the background of the jacket. It is applied before sealing and a smile is made on top of it. A French jacket with pearl dust looks especially gentle; today it is considered the best material for creating a special background covering effect.

You can quickly and easily decorate your French manicure with stickers or the so-called slider design. To do this, after applying the base material and pigment with their obligatory drying, another thin layer of base is applied to the accent nail. Place the applique picture on a wet napkin, wait 30 seconds, then remove it from the paper backing and apply it to the nail on a layer of undried base. The slider is leveled, then dried, strengthened with a base and sealed with a layer of top coat.

How to use the strips?

Stencils and strips for French today can be used in different ways. They are glued, retreating the required distance from the edge. There is no need to press the template into the newly applied and dried coating. Immediately after covering the prepared area, the strip or stencil is removed, since this cannot be done after drying.

Strips are sold in ready-made sets, as well as rolls. Rolled versions only provide a straight edge, which is not always convenient due to the characteristics of the nail plates. The sets vary in form and are easy to work with. Beginners can be advised to use, in addition to strips, a special silicone product that protects the skin around the nails from varnish. Anything that gets on the film can be removed, thereby increasing the accuracy of the work.

To learn how to do a French manicure with gel polish, watch the video below.

French women are girls who know how to properly highlight their natural beauty. French manicure is the simplest, but at the same time, beautiful and stylish nail design technology that can easily be repeated at home.

Species

Not everyone knows that in fact, French nail design technology appeared in the USA. There are several techniques that differ from each other not only in the principle of execution, but also in style.

Types of French manicure:


Naturally, in this way, you can do not only a manicure, but also a French pedicure. On the feet, only the big toe is framed with a pattern.

The technique is also classified according to the varnishes used to carry out the procedure. French manicure can be done with gel polish (aka Shellac) or with simple polish. Also, beauty salons often offer nail extension services with biogel; they can immediately provide the design of nails with stripes, bows and other patterns.


Some features of gel and regular varnish:

  • It is more convenient to paint various patterns with gel polish. In addition, liquid stones, which are now considered the most fashionable trend, are made into gel;
  • Some girls don't like consistency. Gel polish is quite difficult to remove on your own, so you will have to wear this design for at least 1.5 weeks. Plain varnish can be repainted every day;
  • Acrylic manicure, biogel, as well as extensions, can be decorated with modeling, stones, stickers;
  • The durability of the varnish deserves special attention. Shellac adheres to the nail plate regardless of external factors. High-quality coating can be compared to ceramics.

#1 Manicure for short nails

Latest fashion trends They say that a beautiful French manicure can be done on short nails. It should be noted that previously it was believed that French was only suitable for long plates, so for this technique it was often necessary to further increase the length.

Step-by-step instructions on how to do a French manicure on short natural nails with your own hands:

  1. You need to trim your nails. Depending on the condition of the cuticle, it is also recommended to trim the skin, clean the plate from roughness and lubricate it with oils or other nourishing composition for a while;
  2. The base coat is applied first. It fills gaps on the plate and promotes more even color application;
  3. It is believed that it is better to draw stripes than to use stencils. To draw “smiles” you need to buy white polish with a thin brush or a separate brush for painting on nails. First, the outline is drawn, then it is carefully painted over with white;
  4. If you cannot draw the stripes evenly, then it is better to use a stencil. Such stickers are sold in any cosmetic store. You can also make them yourself from tape. You need to draw a template on the surface of the tape, then cut out the desired smile using it. It is very convenient that you can make any pattern;
  5. After treating the ends with white, you can stick rhinestones along the edges. If you have an interesting bright varnish, then you can paint over a thin decorative strip, as a transition line between white and beige (pink);
  6. A fixative is applied on top, which will help extend the life of the manicure.

You can also place sparkles or rhinestones above the tips. For work, you can use ready-made sets from Miss Selene, Avon or individual varnishes from Orly, El Corason. By the way, now there are new products from these companies that offer durable options (the varnish lasts up to 7 days).

Video lesson: how to easily do a French manicure

#2 Gel polish technique

Gel polish is much easier to paint with. With its help it turns out very beautiful and interesting design, you can use it to design any pictures (if you have at least a little experience). We will look at how to make a French manicure with a pattern at home using gel polish step by step:

  1. Let us immediately note that this technique will do for any nails: square, round, oval. Therefore, it all depends only on your own preferences and suitable shape plates;
  2. To get started you will need a beginner's kit. It includes an ultraviolet lamp (the simplest one has a exposure time of up to 2 minutes, but this is quite enough for a simple nail design), a base, a fixative, and colored varnishes. You may need to additionally buy a degreaser;
  3. First, the plate is wiped with a degreaser, which will help clean the pores. After the nails are dried, a base is applied to it. Depending on the brand, it needs to be dried under a lamp for 1–1.5 minutes;
  4. Now the drawing process begins. As in the previous method, a contour is drawn with a brush. Sometimes an acrylic pencil is used (you can buy it at almost any professional store for manicurists). First you need to paint the plate with color, then dry it;
  5. Next, the outline of the smile is painted over. If you do a manicure yourself, we recommend not making a deep oval curve - an even contour is easier to draw. The outline does not have to be white. Pink, gold, red and green curves look very stylish;
  6. The decorative addition of some marigolds looks very nice. To do this, butterflies, bows, hearts or flowers are drawn on the ring or middle finger (near the outline). Making them is not as difficult as it seems, and they look very stylish and feminine;
  7. Afterwards, the nails are dried again, after which the last layer of fixative is applied. All that remains is to dry it and wipe the varnish with degreaser.

So in this way you can create any French manicure: New Year's design, wedding, everyday, colored and plain. We recommend that you turn your attention to airbrushing techniques, which are now offered in every second salon. It uses an additional device that is similar to a standard sprayer. With its help, you can apply any patterns on your nails, everyone can use it. By the way, this new product costs about $10.

#3 How to make French shellac

Classic French shellac is done without stripes or clear transitions - this manicure turns out light and elegant. It should be noted that its time is spring-summer, when makeup colors become lighter than in the cold season.

A French manicure with shellac is performed in the same way as the options described above, so we will look at how to make yourself an original winter pattern:

  1. All points, until the moment of applying varnish over the edge, are completely repeated from gel polish. When the outline is applied, you need to carefully draw the selected pattern with a brush. Let's take the bow design as an example;
  2. Variations of shades can be any, but with white and pink, bright red, blue and gold look most beautiful. If you want a more strict version, the pattern can even be drawn in black;
  3. The bow is drawn as two triangles, with sharp tails extending from the center of contact. They shouldn't be wide. You can make them slightly curved;
  4. First, a white tip is drawn, then the nail is dried in a lamp. Next the bow is painted over;
  5. All that remains is to dry the last layer of varnish and fixative and wipe the plate with a degreaser.

French manicure, or French is universal design nails and suits any woman. Despite its name, this manicure has nothing to do with France.

It was invented by American designers, and called French for advertising purposes, since France has always been considered the trendsetter of world fashion. To make it at home, just a little skill is enough.

French manicure has nothing to do with France.

How to do a French manicure correctly

French manicure is painting the edge of the nail in a different color. A classic French manicure is when the tips of the nails are white.

Depending on the color of the nail tip there are different types French:

  • fan-french,
  • millennium,
  • stained glass and others.

In order to understand how to properly do a French manicure at home, you need to become familiar with the terminology and the correct technology.

Nail smile line

The smile line is the border between the flesh and white color of the nail. The larger the “smile”, the higher the corners of the white part of the French manicure are raised - the so-called mustache. Their height is determined by the two top points. The height of the white part of the jacket is determined by the lowest point in the center.

Every person has their own nail smile line. This is the line after which the free edge of the nail grows, and up to the line itself it is attached to the nail bed. To make it clearer, we note that we can trim our nails “to zero” along our natural smile line.

To make a French look not along the natural line of the smile, but otherwise, for example, below, you must first cover it with flesh-colored varnish - “camouflage”. Then this bodily part up to the new smile line will be called nail bed extension. Basically, this term is used when doing French on artificial nails, since the nail bed with this method is lengthened with gel or acrylic.

How to do a French manicure at home

In order to do a French manicure at home, you need to remember the main requirement: the height of the white tips and antennae must be the same on all nails.

How to make an even French manicure? At home, you can use two methods:

  • using adhesive strips for French jackets,
  • manually.

The disadvantage of adhesive strips is that they often stick strongly to the nail and can ruin the nude polish. In addition, doing French with them takes much longer. But the main disadvantage of this method is that it is not very stylish and “smiling” - there is no smooth transition - just one half of the nail in white.

How to do a French manicure without stripes at home

The best way to french is to paint by hand. To do your own French manicure at home without stripes, you will need white, nude and clear varnish plus the thinnest brush with natural bristles.

French manicure sequence:

  • Get your nails in order: file them and make them all the same shape.
  • Apply nude polish twice.
  • With a thin brush, mark 3 points on all nails: the height of the white part of the French manicure, the other two should show where the antennae will reach.
  • Draw a smile. Try to draw the line slowly.
  • Pinch the side ridges of the nail and then paint the tip of the nail with white polish using a nail polish brush. Try to paint from one and the other antennae to the middle.
  • Wait a minute and cover your nails with clear polish.

If you are doing French for the first time, the process itself may seem very complicated. But everything comes with experience: after several times, mastery will appear, and you will do French only by hand, abandoning adhesive strips.

How to do a French manicure on short nails

Currently, French manicure on short nails is becoming more and more popular, because everything natural is fashionable. This manicure looks great on square and oval nails. To add some piquancy, you can safely add different designs and patterns.

Drawings and patterns will add spice to your manicure.

French on short nails is done in the same way as on long nails. But it is worth paying attention to some features:

  • The edging of the nail with white varnish should not be wide: otherwise the nails will visually become too short. Make a neat and thin line.
  • To visually lengthen the nails, decor is made on them. But just don't overdo it. Everything must be done very skillfully.
  • To urgently tidy up your nails, use a special convenient pencil or chalk for a French coat. In addition, they are convenient for tinting nail plate from the inside, it won’t take you much time and effort. Remember that such products cannot be used for peeling nails.

How to do a French manicure with Shellac gel polishes

The main question in the French technique: how to carefully create a beautiful French manicure. The highest quality method is to coat your nails with Shellac gel polish, which is the first hybrid of polish and gel. It is interesting that from the gel he adopted the absence of odor, strength and durability, and from the varnish - the bright shine, ease of removal and application.

Shellac gel polish is a unique development of the American corporation CND. Its advantages include the fact that it perfectly treats nails and does not cause allergies.

The cost of applying a French manicure with Shellac varnish is not cheap, but one must make allowance for the fact that it is the most modern development.

Buying Shellac gel polish online for home use will cost much less than in beauty salons.

The design of a French manicure can be supplemented with decorative elements, for example, drawings. As a rule, it is better to choose designs in white, adding a little pink. Most often, drawings are made on the thumb or ring finger.

You can choose as pictures:

  • abstractions,
  • flowers,
  • openwork lines.

A French manicure with a pattern can be done at home, but it will take a lot of time and effort. It is better to go to a professional nail salon.

VIDEO - How to do a French manicure at home

In the video, Darina Panferova shows how to do a French manicure at home using adhesive stencil strips.

You can find additional information on this topic in the section.