help with french polishing?

[niksaki]

Does anyone have any tips or tricks on french polishing!!??
you's are all probably experts on polishing by now and i went to do my first polish last thursday at the salon and omg it was bumpy lumpy and just shocking! luckily the lady didnt mind as she knew i was learning but i feel like a total loser having to LEARN how to polish!!!! :cry:

p.s. my normal polishing was a lot better than my french one!

 

[mervin]

What you should do is get the two coats of white polish onto the nail and then get a flat paint brush and dip in acetone to wipe the white off and have the client turn her hand where the back of her hand is facing you (not the palm) and swipe the white off like a windshield wiper until you get the amount of polish you want off and then lay the pink polish on the back of the nail laying from the side edge to the other side edge which allows you to not touch the white and you will have french.

Let me know how this works for you. Try it on yourself and you will see how it works.

Michelle

 

[scratchmyback]

You'll no doubt get a lot of different replies but I do perpendicular strokes of white enamel from the smile line down to the free edge and I don't really pay too much attention to how smiley the smile line is at that point. Then I take a small brush dipped in scrubfresh and I wipe the smile line. Finally I take the clear, or other enamel I am using for the nail bed, and polish over everything.

Important to try not to get a real thick coat of white on there as it can get lumpy. Even 2 thin coats are much better than one thick one, if the first coat doesn't cover enough.

HTH !

Laura x

 

[niksaki]

well the way she is teaching me is....
one coat base coat
one coat pale pink (or whatever colour the client wants
then using the white swipe across the free edge so it looks like a smile, she done it and it looked gorgeous but i done it and it was so tacky :lol: :green:

 

[grafxgal]

here's a link to a french polish post that had a few good suggestions
http://www.thenailgeek.com/chit-chat/16602-french-manicures-sassy.html?highlight=french+polish

 

[niksaki]

here's a link to a french polish post that had a few good suggestions
http://www.thenailgeek.com/chit-chat/16602-french-manicures-sassy.html?highlight=french+polish

thanks for that!
can i ask something else? do most people do the white smileline first with the polish and then the colour ie light pink? or other way around..? :o :Scared: and do you's use a basecoat first before starting the french mani?

 

[Northern Nails]

I normally apply the white first and then pink over the top. this way i can tidy up my smile.

sometimes though if the pink is too pink then i find this makes the white pink too. I still have to master the art of applying white after the pink.

 

[bubbabinks]

We've been taught to do basecoat and then your peachie/pink colour and then your white tip and then topcoat.
How to do french was one of my first threads when I joined here and one tip I was given that really works is:
When doing the white hold the brush still and roll the finger and then you should have a smooth line. Also practice, practice and more practice. It's only just coming together for me now. HTH

 

[Leece]

we were told to do white first and then your pink/peach over the top and then your top coat. i find it easier this way cos you can correct your smile line without starting all over again.

 

[Jacky]

I always ask my client which she prefers. One client may prefer the white to be whiter than white...so then I apply the white after the chosen complementing shade. Another client may prefer a less striking, softer approach to her style...and therefore I apply the white first followed by the complementing shade.

All that aside......in my personal and professional experience, the first thing you should do is invest in one DAMN good white enamel!......cheap and cheerful ones ALWAYS end up a gloopy mess at whatever stage you apply them.
Believe me Ive tried tons of makes over the years......Creme Puff...(creative) is my BESTEST friend when I begin my French Polishing....get some and youll see the difference.

 

[becki x]

The way i perfected my french was to do it on myself,i am right handed so i used my left,if you can do your own with your wrong hand you can do anyone.

Oh and i do base,pink,white twice then top coat,hth x

 

[Nail Freek]

I do my pink polish first and then do the white french on top. I just follow the client's natural smile line when doing the french tip. Then i coat it with top coat. Glide the top coat so that you won't get white polish in your brush or you'll smudge everything. Good luck and do a lot of practice:lol:

 

[GreekNails]

Hi

I do my french by firstly applying basecoat, then the white, then a very thin coat of sheer pink followed by topcoat. If the pink I'm using is on the opaque side (more dense in colour and not sheer) then I apply that first and then the white followed by topcoat.

I was tought (and find this the easiest) to tilt the clients finger to the side and sweep the white across from one side to the other, moving the finger as you go - hope this makes sense? I find that the thinner you apply the white, the longer it lasts and goes on nice and smoothly.

Keep practising and you will get there - it took me a while.

All the best.

Eva

 

[cutybuty]

i have a great tip for pink & white toes. use a striper polish! Apply the base color, then draw the thin smile line with the striper white. Start from deep in the corner and draw to deep in the other corner, it's easy to touch up any jaggedness with this technique. For the fingernails, like every one else I like to slap on 2 thin coats of white and clean up my mess later with a flat brush (use a gel brush, the synthetic bristles work well and don't dry out in acetone like boar bristles would) then slap some pale pink over it.

 

[beautynails]

thanks for that!
can i ask something else? do most people do the white smileline first with the polish and then the colour ie light pink? or other way around..? :o :Scared: and do you's use a basecoat first before starting the french mani?

I do my base. DO white & tidy up, then pink, Then if client wants them very white I do a second coat of white using the first as a guideline.Then top coat.

 

[Shelley Clarke]

I used to have problems with french polish before and I have tried a few white polishes and have found OPI Alpine Snow really good one swipe does the job and goes on beautifully.

Shelley