|
|
 |
DIY French Manicure
1. You will need :
Base coat/top coat
Tip guide strips
Neutral polish. (These polishes are very pale, sheer shades with a pink, beige or peach shade).
White nail polish
Many 'all in one' kits are widely available.
2. Clip, file and shape your nails. push the cuticles back, then wash and dry your nails completely. Next apply the base coat and let it dry completely.
3. Peel off a guide strip and affix it below the tip of a nail, following its natural curve. This will allow you to paint an even white tip easily and without mistakes.
4. Deciding where to place the guide strips based really on the length of your nails. As a general rule the longer the nail, the longer the white tip should be. Make sure that the arch of the guide is smooth and rounded and that the tip lengths are all approximately the same size.
5. Paint each nail tip white, extending the brush stroke from the top of the guide to the end of the nail. Take care not to get any white polish on the body of the nail below the guide. Let the tips dry.
6. Once dry, remove all the guide strips. Dissolve leftover adhesive by rubbing it gently with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
7. Apply two coats of the neutral polish, letting the first coat dry completely before the second application.
8. Finish off with a last thin layer of top coat.
Some French Manicure Tips and Suggestions
Limit neutral polish to one coat if you find that a second coat is too opaque.
If the classic french manicure is a little too conservative for your style, make your own color combination. Instead of neutral and white polishes, use red with black tips, red with gold tips or white with silver tips.
Give yourself time to practice. It may take awhile to get the hang of applying the tip guides. The point of an orange stick may help you position them.
Start with the pinky of one hand and work your way to the index finger. Repeat on the other hand. Do your thumbs last; they're more instrumental than your other fingers in giving yourself a manicure.
Before giving yourself a french manicure use nail hardener, to make sure that they're hard enough.
If you are ever in a jam and don't have any white polish, you can just use a white paint pen.
Toes are easiser to practice with since they aren't so close too your face and you don't have to look at how bad you messed up.
|
|
