DIY French Manicure Hacks

DIY French Manicure Hacks You Need To Try Now

Nail trends come and go, but you can never go wrong with a classic pink and white French manicure. Although it may seem impossible to do a perfect set on yourself at home, you'll be surprised. In this article, we'll share our top 5 DIY French manicure hacks we absolutely swear by!

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French Manicure Press On Nails

Press On Nails are one of the easiest and quickest ways to give yourself a French manicure at home. They are pre-painted nail tips that come in a huge range of colors and designs. Got a party or event coming up? No sweat, just pop on these nail tips the day of and save yourself a trip to the nail salon.

For a classic French manicure, we're obsessed with these ones from BTArtbox:

🏷️ Use our discount code TC15 to get 15% off your BTArtbox products!

For a modern twist, give these a try:

Want to know more about how to apply and remove Press On Nails? Check out our Complete Guide To Press on Nails.

Flawless French Manicure At Home With Full Cover Tips

For a longer lasting French tip manicure, we love the salon quality results you can get from premade French full cover gel tips. These tips are a bit thinner compared to press on nails, and are applied using nail gels and a UV/LED light.

It might take a few tries to get it right, but it's totally worth it. It also helps that you can get kits that include everything you'll need for a few sets. We've tested this kit from BTArtbox, and we can't rave about it enough!

This kit includes:

  • 150 Nail Tips in 15 sizes - We appreciate this large range of sizes as it'll cover most nail plates!
  • Nail Glue (10 mL) - This is actually a gel nail base coat that acts as a glue to attach the gel tips.
  • Top Coat (10 mL) - A shiny, protective gel top coat that will seal and protect the tips. For a longer lasting nail set, try using the X-Coat Tips® French Protecting Duo - Builder Gel + Top Coat.
  • Mini UV/LED Lamp with USB cord - The shape of this mini nail lamp is designed especially for applying full cover tips.
  • Nail File - The full cover tips come pre-shaped, but we used this to lightly file off extra bits from the tab attachment.

Check out our Ultimate Guide To Full Cover Tips to learn more top tips and tricks!

French Tip Nail Stamper

The hardest part of a classic French mani is painting the smile line, aka the curved white strip. Thanks to the internet, this simple diy French tips hack has made the process a hundred times easier!

All you need is a jelly stamper, and a white polish (regular nail polish or gel polish) of your choice.

Check out this nail tutorial: Tips for making French nails with short nails

Paint The Tip With A Built In Angled Brush

Since the brush that comes with a bottle of nail polish is usually too thick and wide for accurate painting, many nail artists use smaller and thinner nail art brushes instead.

Luckily for us, innovative brands have caught on to this and have swapped out traditional nail polish brushes with angled brushes that make painting French tip lines a breeze! Try SAVILAND French Gel Nail Polish White Gel Polish French Manicure Brush.

DIY French Manicure Nail Guides

For those of you who want to DIY your own French manicure the traditional way, French manicure stickers are a lifesaver! Before these were invented, DIYers would use scotch tape, which weren't nearly as user friendly. The advantage of using these nail guides is that they curve with your natural nails to create a beautiful French design across the tips of your nails. Straight French tips don't look nearly as elegant.

Avoid ruining your polish by painting in this order:

  • Apply nail guide stickers to your bare nails.
  • Paint two thin layers of white nail polish. The white tips should be opaque.
  • Let the white polish dry before you peel off the tape.
  • Clean up any polish on your skin with a nail polish brush or q-tip soaked in polish remover.
  • Apply a thin layer of base coat.
  • Apply a layer of sheer or pale pink from the cuticle to the free edges of your nails.
  • Finish with a layer of top coat to your nails to add shine and to avoid chips.

Here are some other tips for painting the perfect French tips at home:

  • Before painting your nails, clean up your cuticles by soaking your hands in a bowl of warm water (optional: use a cuticle remover), push them back with a cuticle pusher or orange wood stick, and trim off hangnails with a cuticle nipper.
  • Use classic base colors like sheer pinks and nudes, and a bright white nail polish for the tips. Try this French Manicure Duo Nail Polish Kit.
  • Apply thin layers of nail polish. It'll take a long time for thick coats of polish to dry completely. Nail polish takes at least 20 minutes for the surface layers to set, and 1 hour for the layers underneath to fully dry.
  • Nourish your hands with cuticle oil and lotion.

Additional Tips For the Perfect French Tips:

  • File Your Nails: For French nails, the most traditional nail shape is square. However, in recent years, shapes like oval have gained a lot of popularity. Whichever nail shape you decide to go with, keep it consistent throughout your ten fingers as French nail designs can highlight any flaws.
  • Cleaning Up Stray Polish: The secret to a professional looking manicure is to clean up any polish that's gotten on your skin. To do this, dip a nail brush or q-tip into polish remover and use it to remove any excess polish on your skin.
  • Use A Good Base And Top Coat: There's nothing worse than seeing your manicure get ruined quickly after you've spent lots of time on it. Avoid this by priming your nails with a base coat, and sealing everything in by applying a top coat.

Base coat creates a smooth base of the layers the go over top. It also helps polish grip onto your nails better. Try Orly Base Nail Coat.

Besides giving your nails a beautiful shine, top coats also protect your polished nails from chipping. Try Orly Top Nail Coat.

FAQs

How Do You Make Your French Manicure Last Longer?

If you want your French manicure to last longer, follow these simple tips:

  • Use a nail buffer on your nail plate before applying polish. Gently buffed nails help polish to stay on better.
  • Prep your natural nails by wiping them with lint-free nail wipes soaked in nail polish remover or alcohol to get rid of excess oils.
  • Use base and top coats.
  • Save

About the Author Catherine

As a kid, I discovered the world of Japanese nail art through a magazine and since then, I haven't been able to stop thinking about anything related to nails! After following a more traditional educational path and earning my Bachelor's of Science in Food and Nutrition, I decided it was time to pursue my childhood passion. In 2015, I earned my diploma from Blanche Macdonald’s Nail Technology Program. After that, I got certified with YUMI Lashes and opened Sunday Beauty Boutique in 2017. These days, I'm focused on providing a 'no rush' experience to a select clientele, teaching as a nail instructor at Blanche Macdonald, as well as providing resources on beauty related topics to clients and estheticians on my blog.

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