How to Not Mess Up a French Manicure

Salon manicures are harder to mess up than ones done at home.

Whether you dress casually or formally, whether it's daytime or nighttime, a French manicure can be the finishing touch to your look. Giving yourself a French manicure can be somewhat tricky and may require a sturdy hand. To get the best result, use the correct products in the proper manner and avoid common mistakes. Otherwise, your nails may end up smudged and you have to start all over again.

Things You'll Need

• Nail polish remover
• Emery board
• Cuticle remover
• Cuticle stick
• Guide strips
• Base and top coat
• Quick-dry spray

Instructions

1. Start your manicure with clean nails. Remove old nail polish with nail polish remover. Leaving traces of polish on your nails may flaw your French manicure if the old polish is visible through the new polish. Use an acetone-free remover if possible to minimize the drying effect on your fingernails.

2. File your nails in one direction only. Avoid sawing them back-and-forth because this may trigger splitting and damage your nails.

3. Soak your fingers in warm water and apply cuticle remover before pushing your cuticles back with a cuticle stick. Pushing your cuticles back when they're dry may be painful. Avoid cutting the cuticles; if you do, they're unable to protect your nails from infections.

4. Use guide strips instead of manually painting on the white tips. Manually painting on white tips can result in tips that are all of a different size. Guide strips allow you to create similar-size white tips, without smudging too much of the nail.

5. Dry each layer of polish thoroughly. Not allowing sufficient drying time, may result in smudging and may cause the colors to bleed and blend together. Avoid using a hairdryer to dry your nails, because the pressured air and heat may cause the nail polish to expand past the nail's surface.

6. Apply a base coat and top coat to maintain your French manicure for a longer time. A base coat allows the polish to adhere better to the nail and a top coat protects the French manicure and adds a gloss.

7. Avoid using quick-dry nail polishes or quick-dry top coats. Quick-dry formulas may contain alcohol, which triggers chipping of your nail polish. As an alternative, spray on a quick-dry spray on your nails after your French manicure is complete.

References

• Taaz: Do It Yourself French Manicure
• Carefair: Give Yourself a French Manicure and Pedicure
• Become Gorgeous: Do Your Own French Tip Manicure
• Paula's Choice: Home Manicures and Pedicures
• Nail Aid: Six Top Tips for Healthy Cuticles