What do you think of DIY French manicure kits?

[Rachaelg]

Hi geeks,

I'm looking for some opinions on DIY French manicure kits for an article I'm writing for Professional Nails.
Do you think they are good eg more people come and ask you for a French manicure because they've tried them at home first?
Or do you think they are bad eg devaluing the classy appeal of the French manicure by having lots of people with home applied versions?
Or do you have a completely different viewpoint?! Should they be sold at all?

Also, if anyone has an idea of what the history of the French manicure is I'd be interested in hearing it as I have a few versions already!

Please include your full name, job title, business name and area.

It's about French manicures only, and any interesting opinions will be gratefully received! Either post here, pm me or email on [email protected]
Thank you thank you thank you,
Rachael xx

 

[Trinity]

Hi Rachael

I think DIY French Manicure kits are fabulous - everyone of my clients has one........and they are all stuffed in a drawer all gloopy and horrible because they just can't do it properly themselves.......and that's where I come in to the rescue!!

I especially love the ones with the sticky 'guides' - they leave such a hideous ridge and dodgy frayed edge to the white polish when they remove them that when I do mine by free hand my Clients love it and think I am a Goddess (which we all know I am...wink wink!)

Of course, all the above is in jest but anyone who has tried to do a french manicure for themselves knows how hard it is, so Clients tend to appreciate our skill when we do it for them, anything that makes my Clients appreciate me, is good in my book.

Trin
xx

 

[scattyfox]

I make you right Trinity, the client with me at the moment waiting for her nails to dry isl aughing her head off, she said it is so true she has pink ones and peach ones and told me to forget about them sicky white paper things what a nightmare. So there you are from the clients mouth lol.

We love them
x

 

[amyuk]

agree whole heartedly with this!!!! They seem like a good idea at the time, but when you try to use them they look awful and you wonder why you wasted your money!! I think we all have brought one at one time or another, and all regretted it. if you wanna do DIY french, buy a decent white paint, a large bottle of nail varnish remover and pads to use with it, and try it free hand until you get it right.

Failling that leave it to the professionals!!!

Hi Rachael

I think DIY French Manicure kits are fabulous - everyone of my clients has one........and they are all stuffed in a drawer all gloopy and horrible because they just can't do it properly themselves.......and that's where I come in to the rescue!!

I especially love the ones with the sticky 'guides' - they leave such a hedious ridge and dodgy frayed edge to the white polish when they remove them that when I do mine by free hand my Clients love it and think I am a Goddess (which we all know I am...wink wink!)

Of course, all the above is in jest but anyone who has tried to do a french manicure for themselves knows how hard it is, so Clients tend to appreciate our skill when we do it for them, anything that makes my Clients appreciate me, is good in my book.

Trin
xx

 

[Rachaelg]

That's great, can I quote you all? Love the fact a client agrees with you all!
Any more opinions anyone?
Rachael xx

 

[Jaffacake]

I think one of the things that clients don't think about when buying a DIY French manicure kit is painting your 'other' hand.... its hard enough painting with your dominant hand and making a nice job of it but unless you are ambidextrous forget it! lol

 

[Glorsclaws]

Well I went to a wedding last Saturday and there were lots of variations of French manis there. Some were terrible and only one person admitted to having done hers herself... and actually hers wasnt bad!
French mani's dont phase me now but they used to... looking at some of those wedding guests... they still phase a lot of other techs too! :wink2:

 

[bling nails]

i actually had a client come to me with the sticky guides on the free edges of her nails and painted over with the peach enamel!!!!! :smack:

i couldn't stop laughing and the client did see the funny side of it after the embarrassment, now, she's one of my long term customers who loves having her French polish the professional way.:wink2:

 

[Glorsclaws]

i actually had a client come to me with the sticky guides on the free edges of her nails and painted over with the peach enamel!!!!! :smack:

i couldn't stop laughing and the client did see the funny side of it after the embarrassment, now, she's one of my long term customers who loves having her French polish the professional way.:wink2:

Shhh!!! Cheryl!
Peeps think us Black Country bints are thick as it is :wink2:

 

[bling nails]

Shhh!!! Cheryl!
Peeps think we Black Country bints are thick as it is :wink2:

pmsl:lol:

 

[Trinity]

i actually had a client come to me with the sticky guides on the free edges of her nails and painted over with the peach enamel!!!!! :smack:

i couldn't stop laughing and the client did see the funny side of it after the embarrassment, now, she's one of my long term customers who loves having her French polish the professional way.:wink2:

Love her :lol:

If no-one tells you how they work then what are you supposed to do.........if you look at it from that point of view it's a good idea!! :lol:

Rachael - feel free to quote my ramblings!

Trin
xx

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

DIY French Manicure sets are like DIY Haircolours......and I dont hear of many hairdressers complain about those being sold, afterall they are the ones that put DIY hair disaster right and earn a pretty penny doing so..........
So saying this, they do not phase me at all..... because when I do a nice French Polish on a client, who has got one of those Manicure sets stuffed in her drawer, they allways comment that it aint as easy as it looks...specialy when I choose a shade of pink that complements her skin tone......and a white that will set it off so nicely.....so it doesn't look like they have had a nasty accident with some sticky tape and tippex.....

Ruth Fordham
www.nailsinlondon.com
Creative Master Technician

 

[kittenclaws]

i love diy french sets as the client always has a prblem then calls mwah to sort it, i have a friend who even brought a well known french set as she thought the name would make a diference but she soon reolised its not so much the polish as the way its applied, so now i do it for her all the time,

 

[twinkletoes910]

My first interest in nails started with those DIY french mani kits. I was about 10 years old, and my grandma bought one for me... I used those awful little guide stickers twice. They would peel up the white and look crappy. So then i chunked the dang thing... years later, I'm a little more than interested... maybe a little addicted?!?!?!

Clients will watch me do the white tips and say "HOW DO YOU DO THAT???? I'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT!" I tell them that it's magic.

 

[Kim Lawless]

My experience of home French mani kits is that they are often poor quality polishes. Those sticky guides leave a residue on the paint and they look awful. It's like anything, you can't beat having a professional do it.

I remember reading an article about how the French mani came about. I'm sorry but I can't think of his name but a nail/make-up artist had to do a fashion shoot in Paris and they were asked to produce something different. He came up with paining the white tip and that's how the term French manicure came about (allegedly LOL). xxx