Natural Nails - French Manicure

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LBR

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Hi,

What is the best way to paint a french manicure look on natural nails please?

Does anyone use the nail guides or do you paint the white tip freehand?

Your help would be most appreciated!
 
I don't know anyone who has used the guides successfully - they are too sticky and when you remove them they take off the pink LOL.

I tend now to airbrush the whites but if you dont have that facility then it is something you need to practice with - I would use a basecoat then one coat of your pinky base colour then using your white swipe across the nail in line with the natural smile line - then I would use my topcoat - some people would put another coat of pink on over the white but I think it spoils the effect.

If you are new to this effect then get some tips and blu-tac them on to a practise finger or nail trainer and practise swiping.

Hope this helps.
 
Yes, I've only done this on myself once and then a client asked me to do it and I said yes, but I was cringing inside.

Anyway I did do it but I was not overly impressed with the results.

So the idea is to just swipe the free-edge once?

I seem to get alot of the white on the end of the fingers, is this normal or am I not very good?
 
I have just started to do a french polish and find the same thing, I cannot help getting white polish on the clients fingers - but I just clean up with a correcter pen or a pointed cotton bud in a bit of nail varnish remover, it comes off quite quickly.
 
Don't worry about getting white on the skin as this is inevitable if the nails are very short - I use microbrushes dipped in remover and wipe it off at the end.

There are different techniques - some do a swipe from side to middle then other side to middle - I have always managed to do a one swipe. Don't have too much on your brush as it will be too thick and never dry. If needed do two thin coats.
 
Thanks for your advice, this has been very helpful and at least I was on the right track and now just need to get my technique right.

Thanks again!

:lol:
 
Yvonne Webster said:
Thanks for your advice, this has been very helpful and at least I was on the right track and now just need to get my technique right.

Thanks again!

:lol:

One more tip of advice .....

The quicker you do it (the swipe) the better. You will always get white on the soft tissue near the corners of the smile if the nails are 'normal' length. Just clean afterwards as suggested. It is normal!!
 
I have found that by using base coat, then applyinf the white, in one clean sweep from side to side, I get the best result. I then apply my pink(negligee) and once this has dried I apply my top coat. I usually have fabulous results with this!!!! Sometimes, if the polish is new, I may need to touch up the white slightly, before applying the pink.

I also find a corrector pen, dipped in polish remover works wonderfully to remove excess polish from around the nail!
(My french polish was dreadfull in the beginning, !!! Never worry too much about getting the polish onto the skin initially.... the more you worry about it, the more likely you are to get it everywhere...

Sue
Yvonne Webster said:
Yes, I've only done this on myself once and then a client asked me to do it and I said yes, but I was cringing inside.

Anyway I did do it but I was not overly impressed with the results.

So the idea is to just swipe the free-edge once?

I seem to get alot of the white on the end of the fingers, is this normal or am I not very good?
 
Hi, i've found that i do the base coat, then do the pink then i apply the white. For me it depends on the length of free edge that determins my technique. if the free edge is quite short, then as Geeg says just a quick stroke once from left to right works best. If the free edge is quite long then i usually do the left to centre, then right to centre technique.

It also depends on the shape of the nail. If they have oval nails then you are less likely to get varnish on the skin but with a square nail i've found it is hard not to, but you can always take the excess off. HTH's.:D
 
I would never use templates, they are so unprofessional - basically i think it is a manicurist not being able to preform a manicure, freehand is a must. - Just my opinion
 
I apply two thin coats of white to the free edge, then apply the base coat, then apply the pink followed by top coat. I have found that it lasts a lot longer with my clients.

David
 
Just a little add on to this..........when you paint your smile line, support your painting hand....the hand that holds the brush............
I rest my little finger on my opposite hands middle finger, and the supporting hand on the desk and rotate the clients finger in sync in the direction I paint..... I hope this makes sense.....

Its like trying to write ,you cant do that very well if your writing hand is up of the desk and hoovering over the paper...................that would give you wobbly writing.............

Just my2 pennies worth
 
You know the striper pens with the little metal dotting tool in the lid .............. well I had a client with fairly short nails and these were brilliant for painting on the whites! :D
 
Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for all your tips and encouragement. I really appreciate this.

;)
 
I have a brush and some acetone handy when doing a french manicure- I apply the white from just below the smile line to the free edge(as opposed to from side to side) then use the brush dipped in acetone to perfect the smile line. I usually apply base coat to the area just below the smile line first,then when the white is dry, base coat the whole nail-hope that makes sense.
luv June ;)
 
Can you clean up the smileline with Nailfresh also?
 
Yep you sure can..............
Paint the white first, tidy up with nailfresh and then add the french enamle of your choice........... CND Moonlight and Roses is my fav at the moment.........
 
Hi,


I did a 'practice' last week - one hand using guides and one hand freehand - the freehand was definately a better result. The guides stick to the base coat and also which ruins the crisp line they are designed to create! Freehand might not be perfect but it still looks miles better than with guides - no so false. It will come with practice too.

I do base coat, one white coat swiping in one left to right, a coat of pink then top coat. Any white on the skin I just remove with orange stick/ varnish remover afterwards.

B
 
Hi :D

Smile line guides are a DEFINATE no-no in my book. Just practice as much as possible (on your toes, your mother, your friends, your boyfriend... :lol: they just av to put up with it). Definitely go with a smooth, quick, confident stroke - otherwise it'll come out all wrong! And getting white tip polish on th clients' nail walls is the very LAST thing you should worry about... it really is no biggie... we've all done it :o !!

Anyhoo, here's a run-down of my French manicure on natural nails:

1) Make sure have wiped nails over with N.V.R. really REALLY well

2) Application of "Chip Skip" from OPI - fantastic stuff, increases time of wear by DAYS and keeps clients coming back! :cool:

2) One coat OPI Natural Nail Base Coat

3) One coat of white tip polish, applied across-ways (quickly and confidently ;) )

4) Wait a teeny bit of time longer than usual before applying pink coat (this is where I lose my patience most frequently and smudge it :cry: !)

5) One coat of pink polish (I use OPI's Hopelessly in Love)

6) One coat of a blinkin good top coat (OPI top coat is great, or Orly "Sunscreen For Nails" top coat for those going on holiday)

Just for reference tho, I hardly do any French Manicures these days - all my French Manicure clients (bar one of them) LOVE American Manicure as it's much more natural-looking and (biggest plus-point EVER...) it's so easy to apply I can even apply it in my sleep (should know, have done it on many a hungover Saturday and Sunday morning!). :lol:

I get my American Manicure kits from Supernail, but you normally have to be Backscratchers qualified to buy from them, I think :confused: . However, their number is 0208 752 1924.

HTHs

G. x
 
Hi everyone, thank you all so much for your advice on this thread.

Just had my sister over and took her acrylic nails off her and now we're back to natural nails. Did my first french manicure since all your advice and I am very pleased with the outcome.

Tried out the white, basecoat, pink and topcoat suggestion. Worked really well as my sister smugged her thumb at one point and only had to re-do the white.

Thanks again. :)
 
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