Frightened of French Manicures. HELP!

[scattyfox]

have to say felt the same as the rest of you till i read the last posts on it and practised ractised practised and i think they are quite good but going to see Liza on friday and bet she tells me different lol
x

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

You do make me giggle Mrs Clooney. Frightened of French, scared of e.bay. Get a grip woman. xxxx

Yeh! and terrrified of snakes and my daughter is arachnaphobic. You have no idea. You must think I am a jibbering wreck. Not really, just really love what I do and don't want to disappoint my clients, like all of us I guess. Thanks for that, you made me giggle.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

have to say felt the same as the rest of you till i read the last posts on it and practised ractised practised and i think they are quite good but going to see Liza on friday and bet she tells me different lol
x

See that's what you get for being a good girl and practising! Now me, I tried it again and still no luck and threw my teddies out the pram! So I'd better nab that nail trainer off my daughter and get this thing sorted!

Lucia, which polish and colours did you have success with?

 

[Katelisa]

I LOVE doing french polishes!!!!

I kinda got them perfected when i used to do millions a week at nails inc!!! lol.

I think you just need to keep trying than you will find a way that suits you.

Make sure your polish isnt gloopy!! and also, instead of moving the brush from side to side try moving the clients finger under the brush. does that make sense?

i used to have trouble doing french on long nails, because you have to do it quick so the polish doesnt dry and drag. but after a little practice i got that almost perfected too. yay!

 

[MINKUS]

Just to add my two pennith...


i hate em too....one client insists has a manicure and french finish every 2 weeks...i keep trying to tell her a bio overlay will last longer and look better ( and take me the same time but i get better results) but NOPE she wont have it!!!

As mentioned b4 an off white is much easier to hide than a tippex white

My personal preference for frenchies is .....orly...who's who pink and picket fence for the tip...its a bit 'oyster white'

ambx

 

[LayStar]

Sorry for late reply.

The acrylic paint I use is just normal white artists acrylic paint, by Reeve's or Anita's (look in your local art shop!!) They're very cheap and good quality.

For polishes, I favour Creative Nail Design (Creme Puff is the best white I've ever used!). OPI polishes are quite good too.

 

[Karen]

...you don't need an expensive nail trainer to practise French polish - draw a smile line on the back of some nail tips and practise with them. You should be able to hold the nail tip at the top edge to practise, but if you find this fiddely you can BlueTak them to an orange stick!

Practise, practise, practise....

Good luck!

Kx

 

[marijane]

Sorry for late reply.

The acrylic paint I use is just normal white artists acrylic paint, by Reeve's or Anita's (look in your local art shop!!) They're very cheap and good quality.

For polishes, I favour Creative Nail Design (Creme Puff is the best white I've ever used!). OPI polishes are quite good too.

I love doing French Manicures, but they are not perfect yet. I'm curious about your acrylic paint, do you mean that you paint on a thin line marking the actual smile begins, or do you paint in the whole smile?

marijane

 

[LayStar]

I love doing French Manicures, but they are not perfect yet. I'm curious about your acrylic paint, do you mean that you paint on a thin line marking the actual smile begins, or do you paint in the whole smile?

marijane

Paint the whole smile! Then apply the enamel over the top. You could do 2 coats of acrylic paint and no enamel but I find it can look quite translucent and patchy, so I add the enamel for a denser look.

xx

 

[marijane]

Paint the whole smile! Then apply the enamel over the top. You could do 2 coats of acrylic paint and no enamel but I find it can look quite translucent and patchy, so I add the enamel for a denser look.

xx

thanks, I'm going to try that.

marijane

 

[aep155]

What's the panic - cheat!! lol

i got a great tip about applying 2 coats of white on the smile line roughly then a pointed cotton bud soaked with nail polish remover (preferably scrubfresh cos it drys quickly and doesn't smudge at all but either/or) and tidy them up - quick an easy and no mess. All i need to do is reassure the client when i'm doin it this way that they will be tidied up and wont be left as messy as when im applying the white cos they usually look a bit confused lol

I get no probs at all using this method.

 

[rock*]

so i learned how to do french in school , after much practice i could do a good one but it took an extra 15 min.then i graduated and learned that there is a fool proof method for the perfect french polish every time!!!!.....1; apply clear base coat such as sticky by creative 2; take white or a cream for a more natural look and apply 2 coats like you were doing the sloppiest french smile line ever ....3; get an old or cheap l&p and dip it in remover not too wet or dry, then in a sweeping or circle motion, whatever works for you, refine your smile line 4; apply your 2nd color then clear....PRESTO perfect crisp smile lines and in less time....it takes a little practice but its super easy that youll feel your cheating

I feel comfortable a confident when applying a French with gel, but am nervous as hell with a French mani. My smiles go all wonky and I end up with white polish all around the fingers and over myself and I feel a failure. Did a bride and bridesmaid a week ago, and although they said they were satisfied, I don't think they were happy. I know I wasn't! I have another bride and bridesmaids next weekend (all wanting French) and I don't want to disappoint them. I have just done a French mani with pink shimmer on my 11yr old daughter and it looks lovely but I was like a commanding officer barking orders at her and it took me ages to do. I can't treat my clients like that. Any suggestions or similar feelings please?

 

[Prosperity]

I used to work for a big high street store that consulted with Leighton Denny on products and we used him on press days etc and I saw him doing this and his french polish was FANTASTIC. xx

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Half my problem is that I think it looks unprofessional to do a sloppy line and then tidying up afterwards - don't jump on me, there's nothing wrong in doing it that way, I just think it would look better to get it as crisp as possible with the polish brush and that's what I try to do - and fail miserably! Guess I'll have to change my attitude fast and get some nail fresh ( think that's what it's called!)

The other half is that when I apply it, it goes on all uneven, thick and blobby in places, and patchy in others, and no amount of nail fresh is gonna sort that!

I have a bride to be having monthly facials before her wedding in November - she said she wants a French Manicure for the big day and I can't let her down ... and I can't afford to lose the business! I WILL get this sussed!

 

[crystals]

I LOVE doing french polishes!!!!

I kinda got them perfected when i used to do millions a week at nails inc!!! lol.

I think you just need to keep trying than you will find a way that suits you.

Make sure your polish isnt gloopy!! and also, instead of moving the brush from side to side try moving the clients finger under the brush. does that make sense?

i used to have trouble doing french on long nails, because you have to do it quick so the polish doesnt dry and drag. but after a little practice i got that almost perfected too. yay!

girl your a star have been practising french today, crap at it ! just tried your method and it was brilliant. so much easier to move the finger than swiping the polish along. thankyou thankyou soooo much. xx

 

[Bag-a-Card]

Sorry i didnt read through all the posts so sorry if somone has mention this already.
If you cant get a perfect smile line, why not try adding some silver glitter across the smile line, Spangle's do a nice striper. Or even add some diamonte's.

Practice makes perfect.

 

[k8tie]

Never botherd me doing french manicures prob cos I cheat!-Ha!

I do all cuticle work, filing etc then apply white polish- doesn't have to be neat at all cos i then get a SPARE brisa gel brush wet it with varnish remover/scrubfreash and get my smile line with that. It is sooo easy that way. Then apply 1/2 coats of enamel dependant on clients wishes, topcoat, solarspeed and done-easy peasy!

Hope this helps

p.s not read all other replies so sorry if i'm repeating something someone has already told you

 

[MINKUS]

so...are some people putting a colour 'over' the white or am i reading this wrong?

Not tried it yet but does this 'blur' the white?

WIll have a go or two (ok fifteen million) tomorrow.

I like the painted on acrylic idea.....mtw do the trick? or does it chip?


Ambx

 

[ValencianNails]

i always put my colour over the white, the white doesn't seem to 'blur', the only thing that happens is the stark brightness is toned down a tad.

 

[k8tie]

Yep me too x

by the way just love your doggy- its like mine