How to Do a Half Moon on Acrylic Nails

The half-moon manicure is sometimes called a reverse French manicure.

The half-moon manicure is so called because the natural half-moon shape at the bottom of the nails is either left free of polish or painted in a lighter color than the rest of the nail plate. The technique can easily be applied to acrylic nails with the right preparation to prevent polish from staining the acrylic. The key to glamorous half-moons is to keep the curved shape well-defined, flawless and proportional to the overall size of the nails.

Things You'll Need

• Clear base coat
• Light colored polish
• Dark colored polish
• 10 ring binder reinforcement stickers
• Clear top coat

Instructions

1. Apply a clear base coat to the acrylic overlay of each nail to prevent the colored polish from staining the surface.

2. Paint light colored polish onto the entire surface of the nails. Allow the polish to dry completely for at least 30 minutes.

3. Apply a second coat of light polish if needed and leave to dry for another 30 minutes.

4. Stick a binder reinforcement ring onto each nail so that the outer curved edge overlaps the base of the nail and follows the curved shape of the nail's natural moon. Press down with your fingers to make sure the stickers are firmly adhered to the nails without any gaps or wrinkles.

5. Paint the nails with two coats of dark polish, concentrating on the upper portion of the nails not covered by the stickers. Allow ten minutes drying time after each coat.

6. Carefully peel away the stickers to reveal the half-moon design.

7. Seal in the design by applying a clear top coat.

Tips & Warnings

• If you need to remove existing polish before creating your half-moon manicure, use regular acetone remover on a lint-free cotton or gauze wipe. After removing polish, massage cuticle oil into each acrylic nail and buff the oil into the surface to reseal the acrylic.

• Make sure the light nail polish has hardened completely before applying the half-moon stickers. Polish that is still slightly soft will come away when you peel off the stickers.

• Avoid changing your polish too frequently as nail polish remover will soften the acrylic over time, reducing the life of your nail enhancements.

• Create a small moon shape if your nails are short; a big moon will make your nails look even shorter.

• For natural colored moons, stick on the binder rings after applying the base coat and before applying the dark polish.

References

• MTV Style; Lauren Conrad's 4 Simple Steps To A Half-Moon Manicure; Chrissy Mahlmeister; Sept 2011
• Elle Canada; How to Do the Half Moon Manicure; Karen Kwan; Jan. 2011
• Hooked on Nails: Home Care Guidelines
• Nail Care by Cindy: Frequently Asked Questions