Breathe New Life Into Classic French Manicure With These Simple Tips

CHOOSE: Traditional French manicures call for white nail polish to be painted over a nude base to mimic natural nails, but don’t be afraid of mixing things up. Experiment with different colour or texture combinations — there are no rules here, and the possibilities are endless.

BASE: Like make-up primers, base coats allow nail polish to go on smoothly and enhance the longevity of painted nails. It also protects your nails from being stained from darker nail polishes.

PAINT: If you’re afraid of painting onto the skin surrounding your nails, fill a clean nail polish bottle with white craft glue and use it to paint around your nail before putting on nail polish. “Simply peel off the glue that surrounds your nail. It will leave your skin clean of all the mistakes that you have made earlier,” suggested Jenrine Tan of The Nail Artelier.

Start off by painting the base colour, ensuring that each coat is completely dry before brushing on the next layer. Depending on the opacity of the base colour, about two to three coats should do the trick. Those that are skilled or have steady hands can go on to paint the tips, but if you require a little bit more help, use French tip guides or nail art pens. Let dry completely before painting on a shiny top coat, and voila, runway-ready nails!

Bonus points:

• Use a small paintbrush dipped in nail polish remover to clean off mistakes. If you don’t have brushes on hand, cotton buds and toothpicks work as well.

• French tips don’t always have to be curved, paint a V-shaped one for an edgier look. If you really want to upgrade your nail game, go for a tri-colour V-shaped tips!

• Give yourself enough time to paint your nails. Instead of doing it 30 minutes before your dinner, cater more time so that the nail polish has enough time to set and dry.

• “Besides manicure guide stickers, you can also use clear plasters and ring hole reinforce stickers to help you with the curved edge,” said Jenrine.