How to Use a French Manicure Pen

For a more pronounced look, make your base line further up on the nail.

French manicures are a special kind of manicure where only the tips are painted, instead of the whole nail. Classic French manicures are done using white polish, but you can use almost any color of nail polish to create a colored French manicure. Although it is possible to paint a French manicure using a regular nail polish brush, nail polish pens make it much easier to draw a perfect line on the tips of the nails.

Things You'll Need

• Nail polish remover
• Cotton ball
• Clear base coat
• French manicure pen
• Clear top coat

Instructions

1. Clean your nails of any existing nail polish, push back the cuticles and apply a clear base coat of nail polish. Wait until the base coat dries and proceed to the next step.

2. Remove the cap from the nail polish pen, shake it and begin to draw a curved line one millimeter away from the tip of your nail. Hold the pen as you would a normal pen and simply draw the line by pressing down on the tip to release the paint.

3. Color in the rest of the tip of the nail, making sure to keep the paint below the base line you drew with the pen.

4. Use this technique to complete the rest of the nails. Allow the paint to dry and then apply a clear top coat to seal in the manicure.

Tips & Warnings

• If your base line for the manicure is not perfect, dip a rounded makeup brush in some nail polish remover. Use the tip of the brush to help round out your french tip to make a perfectly straight line.

References

• YouTube: French Manicure Using Sephora Pen