French at home to herself. How to do a French manicure correctly: the stages of its implementation step by step. French for short nails at home

28.03.2019

French is a versatile nail design. It is used even by executives whose companies have a strict dress code. Moreover, it goes well with any style of clothing and outfit colors. Previously, French manicure was done only by brides for a special event, and it was exclusively white, but now it is chosen as an everyday design and is performed in different options... French can be of any color, diluted with drawings, rhinestones, stickers and other manicure "chips".

The main rule of a classic jacket: a transparent base and White color the tips of the nails. If we talk about other variations of French manicure, then camouflage can be of any pink shade... It is better to make a choice based on the skin color of the girl. In winter, it is better to choose cold shades, and in summer period- warm.

Manicure masters are advised to do French gel varnishes. It takes longer, but the nails look more impressive.

Remember that this will require additional attributes:

Lamp.
Primer.
Base and top coat.
Colored varnishes.
Degreasing agent.

Additionally, in the arsenal of a woman who does a manicure at home, there may be: rhinestones, foil, stickers and paint brushes.

Classic French manicure

For a classic jacket you will need:

Base. Take matte varnish coating pastel shades.
White nail polish.
Finish coating.
French stripes.
Degreasing agent.

You can do without stripes if you are confident that you can apply the white border neatly.

Step by step algorithm:

Preparing the nails: file, shape the nails and trim the cuticles.
Before applying the base, the nail plates are degreased, then a thin layer is applied and dried.
We glue the strips to make an even jacket.
We cover the ends with white varnish. If the texture is not dense, apply a second layer.
After white varnish dry, remove the strips and cover with a finishing layer.

You need to dry it very carefully. If any layer is poorly dried, then the manicure will very soon begin to flake off.

French Manicure Ideas With Patterns

Drawings allow you to quickly make a beautiful nail design, but only if you have drawing skills. It will be difficult to make a neat drawing without special tools. Remember that the strips for creating a jacket may not be even, but corrugated. White varnish is very capricious, so if you use stencils, wait until it dries completely.

You can stick a sticker or draw a small drawing with a brush. Many girls prefer patterns over flowers. Flowers look organic only on long nails and then on 2-3 fingers, no more. To fill your hand, it is better at first to use stencils and stickers, make small curls or bitmaps.

Experts advise using acrylic paints for registration of a jacket. They can make an interesting design. If each tip of the marigold is painted in different colors, then it will look at least interesting. For beauty, you can decorate the French border with rhinestones. This is very important if the lines are uneven.

Now in fashion red and black french, as well as reverse variations of French manicure. Anchor any design better with varnishes with sparkles, they will make the manicure more durable. You can make a side jacket or a wide one. Rhinestones can be attached to the side or along the edge of the varnish. Vertical lines are ideal for short nails; they visually stretch the marigolds. An oblique jacket will produce the same effect. Abstraction is also in vogue now. Decorate 1-2 nails with this style, and it will become an interesting bright accent.

Perfect colored jacket

Nail design during French style counts simple design, but if you approach with imagination, you can find unexpected solutions. The basic rule is a competent selection of shades. Nowadays it is fashionable to combine two colors.

The most successful combinations:

Saturated Orange color with dark blue or green.
Combine soft colors: pastels and pinks.
Metallic overflows will be ideally combined with rich shades.
Malachite and coral shades look bright and appropriate.
Red with silver, and black and gold will make the jacket visually richer.

It is better for adolescents to give preference to delicate shades, it is better for young people to choose bright and provocative colors, and women old age it is recommended to give preference to classics and rich, noble and deep colors.

French manicure with shellac

Shellac is a lightweight manicure that lasts for a long time. Despite this, preliminary preparation is also needed. Be sure to keep your fingers in the bath with the solution, file them and remove the cuticles. File the nail plate to keep the surface smooth. To determine the color scheme, you can apply several shades on paper and compare the combination options. Degrease the nail and proceed to the main steps:

After treating your nails, apply the base and cure it under the lamp for 3 minutes.
Apply the selected jacket color to the edge of the marigold and dry again for 2 minutes.
Decorate to your liking and top off.

Dry the top coat a little longer. This will make the manicure look stronger. After the procedure is over, avoid contact with hot water and try to postpone household chores.

How to do a reverse French manicure

The reverse jacket is in trend now. The checkout process is not very different from the standard layout. But there are some nuances. Step by step algorithm:

The nails are pre-processed, degreased and painted over with base varnish. It can be a colorless coating or a bright hue.
After the base layer has dried, a template or stencil is attached at the base of the nail and covered with the selected color.
After the first strip is dry, remove the template and attach a new one above to create another line. The main thing is to keep the distance and dry well. At the end, we cover with a finishing layer and carry out the final drying.

This design is obtained only by those girls who have been doing manicure at home for a long time. The fact is that the reverse jacket cannot be made in stripes, and most often the lines are drawn by hand. Lines can be multi-colored, but they must definitely contrast with each other. If the shades are similar, the lines will merge.

French Express Manicure Tips

With the help of tips, you can quickly design a French manicure and make any length to your liking. Regular tips for quick manicure will not work, but express tips are quite. They are already equipped with lines of "smile" for a jacket, a holder and do not require filing, because they already have the required length. You can limit yourself to gel polishes, which will greatly simplify the work.

Step by step algorithm:

In this process, the main thing is not to rush. If you do not wait for the tips to fully adhere, then one or more may fall off at the most crucial moment, and the correction will require additional time.

Little secrets

Have experienced craftsmen there are a lot of secrets that will help you make your manicure better and more beautiful. Most of the craftsmen are sure that main enemy everyone who does a manicure at home is in a rush.

Stencils are a tricky thing. It only seems from the outside that they can do beautiful drawing even a beginner. Better to practice on tips or on a separate nail.
The stencil can be made with your own hand. For this, scotch tape or electrical tape is suitable.
If the line of the jacket is not very neat, you can hide it with rhinestones.
If a French manicure is done by hand, then you should use a varnish with a thin brush.
Instead of simple lines, you can make feathers with a thin brush, which after the top design will look original.

You can remove uneven lines with a wooden stick and nail polish remover. If the irregularities are more serious, then you can cover the nails with the floor on top. transparent varnish, the color of which is close to the shade with which the jacket was designed, and you will get a manicure with a transitional color.

On a note! Manicure experts advise making an oblique trimming of the brush after buying a varnish. This trick will allow you to design a jacket more neatly.

She took off her gloves, and his gaze opened thin graceful fingers with long polished marigolds. What a splendor, he thought, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. Indeed, there was something to marvel at. Nail plates were flawless. Their pale pink color with a lighter tip in the form of a smile was so natural that no one would have doubted its naturalness. But the whole thing was a manicure. Do you know which one? Of course, in a jacket or, in other words, a French manicure! And now we go to an amusing trip and we will learn how to do French manicure at home with our own hands, as well as get acquainted with its history and rules.

History of French manicure

People began to paint their nails in different colors back in time immemorial. Among the ancient Egyptians, for example, this was a sign of nobility and wealth. The darker the shade, the higher the title and the tighter the wallet. In times closer to us, when cinema and Hollywood appeared, manicure became integral attribute actors. But the varnish of that time was so aggressive that it had to be washed in the evening and reapplied in the morning. It took a lot of time, and each image needed a different color. A way out was found. One of the producers turned to his friend, a young entrepreneur, Jeff Pink, who is known as the founder of ORLY. So at the end of the seventies of the twentieth century, the so-called classic French manicure appeared. The name was born from a fashion show held in France, where this method of covering nails was presented for the first time.

Basic rules of French manicure

So, how to do French manicure for the first time after its inception only with specialists, there were uniform rules for its implementation. First, the obligatory hallmark the so-called "smile" became the classic French manicure. That is, a strip along the outer edge of the nail that is lighter in comparison with the rest of the nail plate. Secondly, for this type of hand decoration, only very close to natural color nail shades. Later, they began to deviate from these rules. For example, they made the "smile" darker than the rest of the nail, painted patterns on it, added sparkles, experimented with different colors... But the basis has always remained unchanged.

Original French manicure at home

Now French manicure can be successfully done at home with your own hands. Fortunately, for this there already exist ready-made sets from varnishes and various stencils for the image of a smile. However, the best of them are invariably considered to be the sets from the company "ORLY" - the original creator of this original look manicure. And despite the variety of interpretations, the technique remains unchanged to this day. Here's how a classic French manicure is done:

Take your nail polish remover and wipe your nails with it. This is necessary to remove the remnants of the previous manicure and degrease the nail plates.
The next step is to apply base coat... It evens out the texture of the nail and serves as an additional hitch for the varnish, and also protects the nails from the appearance of yellowness that appears when using bright colorful varnishes.
We draw a "smile". For this on free edge glue a stencil on the nail and apply 2 layers of varnish to the tip. This way it will last longer. This should be done with a special thin brush included in the sets for a jacket.
Now cover the entire nail with pink or reddish varnish in 3 layers. French varnishes have a translucent texture, which creates a natural effect.

And the final touch is the top coat. It will serve as an additional fixer and give the manicure a complete look. And the "wet effect" inherent in all high-quality coatings for a jacket will give your nails a chic natural shine.

Knowing how to do a classic French manicure correctly, you can easily diversify it. For example, swap the colors of the “smile” and the rest of the nail area, or choose shades to match your evening dress, add sparkles or depict an intricate pattern. And if you change the position of gluing the stencil or take several of them, you can get an exquisite original French manicure with a corner. In short, do not be afraid to fantasize, and the result will exceed your wildest expectations.

Simplicity and style are ideally combined in French manicure. This nail design is at the peak of popularity, regardless of age category women. It is chosen for themselves by athletes, business women and ordinary saleswomen. French is not vulgar, so it is perfect for teenage girls. Thanks to its technology, hands look well-groomed and neat. There is no need to change it in accordance with the type of clothing, hair color, makeup or accessories. Its base is universal, suitable for any style, which saves money and time for updating manicure.

Content:

French manicure you can do it yourself, applying the recommendations. French is practiced on any length of the nail. How to do a French manicure at home, because there are many secrets regarding its design and application?

Selection of varnish for French manicure

A quality tool is the key to success in any job. And before you start, you should choose the appropriate varnishes. Good set to create a jacket will provide an excellent visual picture.

When applied to the nail, high-quality material will perfectly fit and look.

Buying a low-quality product from shops or stalls unknown to you is not suitable even for experimenting in a jacket, so you need to purchase a good branded product. It may not be cheap, but you can use it for longer.
For French manicure, there is a special line of varnishes, it is with it that ordinary colored varnishes will have to work in this case. It is recommended to buy a special kit containing various shades varnishes, stripes and base.
In the standard for a jacket you will need colorless base, white nail polish for creating a smile and tint material. It can have a cold, warm or pale pink shade.
When buying a set for French manicure or varnishes separately for the first time, it is better to pay attention to the usual sets and colors. Buying bright and expensive materials professional level unacceptable for gaining experience.
After mastering the simplest French skills, you can work with other scales.

Instructions

Before starting to do a French manicure, a tool is prepared.

You will need:

file for processing the nail plate;
basic coverage;
tint varnish;
white nail tip coating;
drying-fixer;
mechanical trimmer;
brush;
strips to form a "smile".

If there are no special strips at hand, you can use scotch tape, but during training, working with it will be problematic.

Step 1:

Any manicure includes high-quality nail treatment. It is recommended to steam your hands in a bath.

To strengthen nails, you can add a little sea salt... It is not recommended to smear nails and skin with cream before applying varnish.

Step 2

After the procedure, the overgrown cuticle is moved to the base of the nail and carefully removed with a trimmer. If the growths on the sides are strong, I use special tweezers.

Step 3

The required shape is given to the nail with a file. The tool leads from the edges of the nail to the central part. This will prevent cracks and small chips from forming on your nails.

Step 4

The nails are covered with a base varnish, it has no color. It is necessary to distribute the base with an exact layer on top of the nail and the edges under it.

This will give protection against exposure household chemicals and hot water... The base should dry well before applying the next coat.

Step 5

The entire surface of the nail is covered with a tint varnish and left to dry completely. If there are no blemishes on the nails, then you can take a light transparent-flesh shade.

Step 6

The strips to create a "smile" are glued so that the desired length of the tip of the nail stands out. It should depend on its length.

On short nails, the length of the "smile" is not made more than two millimeters. The strips must be firmly pressed against the nail to prevent the varnish from spreading under them. They are glued very evenly so that the manicure does not seem skewed.

Step 7

Apply one layer of white varnish to each tip. After drying, it is applied a second time to enhance the contrast. After 10-15 minutes, the strips are removed. By this time, the white varnish should be completely dry.

Step 8

A drying-fixer is applied on top for a protective layer. It will give a pleasant shine to the nail and make the French manicure more resistant to external influences.

Advice

The French manicure is recommended to be renewed as the nails grow. This will allow you to gain experience and refresh the picture on your nails. After honing your skills, you can master the fashionable French techniques, the cost of which in the salon can be impressive.

At any stage of applying varnish, you must wait for each layer to dry. If you ignore this, the manicure will not work. You can not do a manicure if the skin near the nails has lesions, and the nail plates are affected by a fungus.

If you sweat excessively, dry your hands thoroughly. It is not recommended to treat hands with cream or oil before cutting the cuticle.

The base for the jacket must be fortified so that under upper layers the nail plate did not suffer from a lack of oxygen.

Types of French manicure

Over time, this type of nail design has acquired many modifications.

The basis of the jacket is tone and "smile", but various designs can be added to this. This includes the shape or width of the nail plate, the use of various colors, various colors, additional decorations in the form of sequins or rhinestones.

The classic jacket combines delicate pastel shades. "Smile" on the tip is done with matte white varnish. In this manicure, the base color is in perfect harmony with the skin tone. Usually the classic gives the feeling that there is no polish on the nails, but they look very well-groomed.

A millennium french or glitter manicure includes a brightly decorated smile shimmering in the sun. The shiny material can overlap the entire tip or gently follow the smile line underneath. For the millennium, silver or gold dust, glitter, shimmering varnish are used.

Colored French manicure includes a variety of bold colors and shades for a “smile”. In this case, the finish of the nail tip is selected in accordance with taste preferences. There are no definite rules in nail processing. For edging, bright and acid colors can be used. Teenage girls can experiment by making the “smile” on each nail a different color.

Decorative jacket is the most difficult option manicure in this style. It is an amazing art and exquisite work. Patterns, stucco molding, beads and even lace can be applied to the tip of the plate. Decorative processing irreplaceable for holidays and grand celebrations. It requires good skill and patience.

The Hollywood or moon jacket has recently come into fashion, but has already won its audience. In this manicure, the "smile" can be located at the base of the nail and at its tip, or just at the base. Often, dark saturated colors are used for moon design. Saturated contrasting tones are suitable for the crescent moon.

Non-standard types of service jacket have an unconventional "smile" shape. It can be in the form of a zigzag or a wave. The beveled crescent is practiced. You can often find a variant of the "ombre" type of manicure. This is a special varnish application in which there is no clear transition. From the tip of the nail to the base of the plate, there is a smooth gradation.

French Manicure (French) and Lunar Manicure!

In the price list of any beauty salon, you can find such a service as a French manicure. It is relatively expensive, but what sacrifices will you not make for the beauty of the arms? Of course, it seems that it is almost unrealistic to draw a French manicure at home exactly along the contour at home. But ProstoNail will dispel this myth, revealing all the secrets of how to create a jacket on your own, while spending a minimum of nerves and efforts.

Preparation

Having appeared in the distant 1930s, French manicure still does not lose its relevance. We have already told the story of its appearance in the recent one, however, there are facts indicating that the "discoverer" of the jacket was not Jeff Pink, but Max Factor - the master of mascaras and eyeshadows. The old man did not manage to patent his invention and the enterprising Jeff began to use it on a commercial basis in 1970. By the way, the first star to dare to wear a jacket was Barbara Streisand, the then trendsetter and super popular vocalist.

At first glance, it seems that creating such a design is not an easy task. And even more so it is inaccessible to beginners. We hasten to "deceive" your expectations - anything is possible! The main thing is to pick up the right tools and materials on which the success of the whole action depends 50%. ProstoNails has collected everything you need for a do-it-yourself jacket in one table, which you can find below:

Tool or material	Functionality
Nail polish remover or remover	Dissolves the previous coating, leveling out the pigment
Metal pusher	Minimally injures the plate during removal and pushes back the cuticle
File, abrasiveness from 110 to 180 grit	Removes excess length, corrects desired shape marigold
Orange stick and oil	Needed for unedged manicure to soften the epidermis
Scissors and cuticle fluid	Softens overgrown skin, which then needs to be cut off with scissors
Polishing buff	For smoothing out irregularities in the plate for better adhesion of the coating
Base and top	To prepare and, accordingly, consolidate the result
Nude shade of varnish	Used as a base color, imitates the natural pale pink shade of the nail bed
White shade of varnish	For drawing the "smile" line. This can be done both with a gel and with a regular medium-thick varnish.
Stencils	Stripes to help paint over the free edges evenly. Use your imagination perfect line can be done with scotch tape

The required list of attributes for your perfect jacket assembled! Add to it just a drop of diligence and a little bit of zeal - then the result will definitely delight you with the perfection of performance.

How to do a French manicure at home - step by step

The people say that the work of the master is afraid. But what to do, when you are still a master before the moon, and trying on a franch on your pens is already unbearable? We have collected the most effective ways, having painted them step by step. Read carefully, memorize and feel free to start experimenting.

With stripes

French manicure with stripes is perhaps the easiest of all of the above. It will appeal to recognized lazy people or beginners who never deal with complex designs. We highlighted the subtleties of hygienic manicure in this one, but we will describe the direct process of decor with stripes below:

apply a primer that seals and protects the plate or a colorless base;
take one strip from the set and attach it to the marigold, imitating "fitting";
remove the protective film and attach the strip, retreating from the edge by no more than 5 mm;
paint over the empty part with a white or milky shade of varnish;
after waiting for it to dry completely, remove the strip and secure the result with a glossy top.

Without stripes

French manicure without stripes differs only preparatory stage, then the process moves according to the plan outlined above. Still not sure how to make a French manicure stencil? Then all the attention to our life hacks:

an alternative to strips can be ordinary or masking tape. Cut short, miniature particles in advance in the shape of a plate and glue them to the free edge;
peel-off liquid used to protect the cuticle during ombre. Can be used as a stencil to prevent white paint from spreading;
cling film, which is always in the kitchen of housewives. It also adheres well to the nails and works on the principle of stripes;
medical plaster. By cutting off a small piece of medical tape from its adhesive side, you can use it as an alternative to a stencil.

By the way, the process of how to do the jacket correctly in stages is detailed in the training video:

With stencil

With a stencil, drawing a smile line becomes a mere trifle, which even a beginner can cope with. Remember that stencils are not only ordinary paper, but also strong metal, we will tell you about the intricacies of using the latter in the master class:

after applying the base and the main beige or powdery pink color, wait until they are completely dry;
on the patterned metal plate, do not a large number of white paint;
apply a stem with a corner and gently, progressively "squeeze" along the free edge of the plate;
let the varnish dry and only then complete the manipulation with a layer of glossy or matte top.

With a brush

French manicure with a brush - a task for experienced users... It makes no sense to describe in detail the instructions for drawing the cherished white lines, but here are a couple of tips that will definitely help to make your jacket neat and elegant:

choose a brush with the longest possible villi, elastic and loosely packed;
when modeling, move your finger smoothly, but not with a brush, so the smile line will be clearer;
remember that the curvature of the line must accurately reflect the curvature of the cuticle for an extremely natural appearance design;
first outline the contour of the smile line and only then paint over the drawing itself;
with the flat side of the brush, seal the end of the nail plate to avoid chips and cracks;
use only instruments with synthetic bristles.

French manicure with gel polish

Many beauties fell in love with shellac manicure for its strength and durability. Agree, the average girl does not always have an hour, or even two free time to correct the design of nails. And walking with a chipped, peeling varnish is not only sloppy, but also not aesthetically pleasing.

Before starting the painstaking work, read our tips and then the result will definitely delight you and delight your colleagues and girlfriends:

try to apply an acid-free primer and evenly thinly distribute the base without concentrating it around the edges;
we finish each stage of manicure by polymerization in a UF or LED lamp;
so that the smile line does not spread, remove sticky layer over the entire surface of the camouflage coating with a lint-free cloth;
choose only a high-quality self-leveling top, which will not only consolidate the result of your efforts, but also smooth out the "step" in front of the decorative element;
if an even coating does not work out, use a grinding buff, gently polishing the transition;
mix gel polish and gel paint in equal proportions to avoid spreading;
choose paints and varnishes of medium density and moderately thick consistency, it is much easier to work with them.

A step-by-step visual instruction will help you easily translate all your ideas into reality:

How to make a French manicure with regular varnish

A manicure made with an ordinary varnish has both a number of disadvantages in view of its fragility, and a number of advantages. For example, such a design can be easily corrected with a minimum of materials and effort. On short nails, the process is more complicated, since the limited capabilities of the plate always force the newly-made master to jewelry precision. But with our advice, everything will go smoothly:

put the marigolds in order, acting according to the established scheme: cut the length, correct the shape, remove the cuticle and grind the surface with a buff;
apply a thin layer of the base, waiting for it to dry;
apply a basic camouflage coating, opting for a pale pink or beige varnish, dry it;
if the intended design is with stickers, then just place the stencil and paint over the space with white paint;
if you chose manual way drawing with a brush, then do not take the edging too far from the edge, this visually “eats up” the length;
Finish off with a clear coat of top coat and oil to moisturize and slow down cuticle growth.

We think that we have already proved that it is more than realistic to draw a perfect smile line without stickers and without a stencil. Well, if you arm yourself at the same time good mood and our life hacks, the result will blow away even skeptics. It's time to check it out, isn't it?

in order to protect your skin from excessive dryness when removing varnish, pre-lubricate it fat cream sealing the lipid barrier;
to make the delicate nude look neat, prepare the marigolds by first bleaching them with regular toothpaste. This will reduce the intensity of the yellow pigment;
if you want to extend the durability of your manicure, then use a degreaser before applying the top and finish;
let each layer dry. Patience and only patience;
in order to create a funny pattern that complements the jacket, it is not at all necessary to buy dots. It can be easily replaced by a regular ballpoint pen;
how to draw a straight smile line without a stencil? Elementary, take a regular rubber band instead;
you can mask the irregularities of the jacket with a thin line of glitter or sparkles, visually hiding errors;
You can reduce the time gap between drying by dipping the marigolds in ice water.

We hope our tips and life hacks help you achieve perfect result with a minimum of effort. Smooth smile line and always perfect manicure!

French manicure was originally created for the runway. Its author wanted to save models, who often change their outfits during the show, from endless recoloring of their nails. The goal was achieved, and the successful idea was subsequently appreciated by women all over the world, because it fits different clothes, looks great on nails of any length, and is in harmony with all skin colors. And another advantage that has determined the popularity of the jacket is that you can do it yourself, even if you have a standard set of tools at hand.

DIY French manicure tools and materials

No exclusive or prohibitively expensive means will be required, with the exception, perhaps, of stencils - this is the only device that is intended exclusively for creating a neat jacket. Everything else is probably in your home cosmetic bag, and if not, it can be easily found in specialized store... There are even separate sets for French manicure, which already includes several shades of varnish and stencils. The range of prices for them is very different, so you can choose any one to your taste and wallet.

Before work, you need to prepare the following:

for the caring bath: warm water with the addition of sea salt, lemon juice, essential oils or herbal decoction. Any manicure draws attention to the hands, so the skin on them cannot be dry and rough. The procedure will give the palms more well-groomed appearance and will also soften the cuticle. However, if your hands are in good condition, you can do without a bath, but girls for whom creating a manicure is akin to a spa ritual do not refuse the extra opportunity to take care of themselves;
to soften and remove cuticles: remover, wax or special oil, orange stick or a manicure hoof. You can use nippers, a trimmer and a pusher, but these tools require appropriate experience, and if handled ineptly can be traumatic;
for processing nails: nail scissors, nail file (preferably glass), polishing buff;
tools for more convenient staining of the nail tip: thin brush, stencil strips or a special felt-tip pen;
coloring agents: base varnish and colored. The main one is applied to the entire nail. It can be completely transparent or translucent in pastel shades. Colored varnish is usually white or milky. With a white manicure, it turns out bright and contrasting, and with a milky one - muted and more natural. If desired, a protective base for nails, as well as a topcoat, can be added to the varnishes;
auxiliary tools: cotton buds, fine short-haired brush, toothpick, nail polish remover.

Reference! In the classic version of the jacket, the nail is painted with transparent varnish, and its tip is white. This gives the manicure an elegance and naturalness, thanks to which it is considered universal. However, modern fashion has expanded the range of colors, so the base varnish can be translucent pink, beige, peach, lavender. The choice depends on the color of the hands: in winter, cold shades are preferable, and in summer, when the skin is tanned, warm ones look better.

French manicure can also be done with gel polishes. It will take a little more time, but it will allow you to enjoy all the advantages of a gel coating: durability, safety and color that does not lose intensity.

Those who prefer gel polishes will need a special lamp, primer, base agent, colored coatings for the nail and its tip, a finish gel and a liquid that removes the sticky layer. The rest of the tools are the same as in the above list.

How to do a French manicure at home: step by step instructions

First you need to remove the old manicure, if any, make your favorite hand bath or just wash them with soap. Then the nails should be processed: remove the excess length and exfoliating tips, give the intended shape, carefully cut off the burrs, move the cuticles back, grind with a soft buff. For gel polish, a more thorough sanding is required to remove the upper glossy layer. After that, wipe the nail plate with nail polish remover to degrease it and remove sawdust. Next, the creative process begins.

Apply a protective base. This step is optional, but desirable because similar funds strengthens nails, level their surface, facilitate the application of varnish. In addition, they protect against harmful substances which are even found in expensive luxury brand products.
Cover the nail with two coats of base varnish and wait until they dry.
The most difficult stage of the whole process is to draw the so-called smile line, that is, paint over the tip of the nail. He must be extremely accurate, since it is he who is assigned key role of the whole manicure. By the way, the smile line allows you to visually correct the shape of your fingertips: if you move the drawing a little higher and make it more rounded, then nail bed will acquire a refined oval shape. It is not difficult for some girls to draw a straight line using a regular brush from a bottle of varnish, but most still cannot do without additional devices, which will be described below.
Decorate the manicure with a pattern, if planned.
Apply a topcoat that will add shine, speed up drying and increase the durability of your manicure.

Important! The topcoat should be transparent or translucent, but may have pastel shade... In this case, it slightly tones the smile line, muffling the brightness of the white.

When using gel polishes, the procedure looks like this:

Treat prepared nails with a primer, let it dry.
Apply a thin layer base gel and polymerize it in a lamp. The drying time must be clarified in the instructions, since it may differ from company to company, and non-observance of these rules leads to nail breakage or gel flaking.
Paint each nail in the base color and also dry in a lamp. Add another layer of base varnish if necessary.
Paint a smile and dry again. If a stencil will be used for this purpose, then first remove the sticky dispersion film using a special tool - a cleanser. At this stage, gel polishes have an undeniable advantage over conventional ones: they retain their consistency and do not set in the air, so at any time you can correct the blemishes with a toothpick or other suitable tool.
Apply the top, trying to even out the surface and smooth out the thickening above the smile line. This may require two layers, each of which must be polymerized in turn in the lamp.
Remove the sticky dispersion, then moisturize the skin around the nails.

Various options to draw a straight smile line

There are many opportunities to simplify this work for yourself, but each of them will still require skill, patience and special tools. The safest and most popular way to do a French manicure at home is to use strips.

French using stripes

Ready-made stencils come with French manicure kits and are also sold separately. They are thin (about 5 mm) strips of self-adhesive paper. There are different shapes, but more often - arched, since it is she who allows you to get everyone's favorite original version of the famous jacket.

It is very convenient to use such stencils: they are separated from the base and pressed with the adhesive side to the nail so that the tip remains free. Then you can safely paint a smile without worrying about accuracy.

Important! Many white varnishes are capricious, so it is recommended to apply them in several thin layers. The first one will lie with bald spots, but it needs to be allowed to dry out a little and add the second one, which will hide the shortcomings of the previous one.

Once the varnish has hardened, the stencil can be removed by simply pulling on the free edge. If the lower layers of the coating are not dry and slightly shifted when removing the strip, then carefully correct the plastic mass with the tip of a toothpick.

This method allows you to quickly get an even smile line and is equally suitable for both regular and gel polishes. Ready-made strips are affordable, sold in almost any cosmetic store, therefore they are considered leaders among all assistive devices for French manicure.

They have, perhaps, only one drawback: you cannot control the degree of rounding, and after all, everyone's nails are different! In addition, some people want to draw a smile that is more convex than the one that is obtained from a stencil. There is a way out - to make the strips yourself.

DIY French manicure strips

Ideal for DIY stencils is regular self-adhesive paper from a stationery store. It has a backing so the strips won't stick to fingers and scissors, making cutting difficult.

Self-adhesive is sold in the form of A4 sheets, which are suitable for a regular office printer, so the easiest way is to find a ready-made layout on the Internet and print. The products will turn out like store products, but you will have to cut them yourself.

For those who know how to work in graphic editors, you can create stencils according to individual parameters, focusing on the width of the nails and the required radius of curvature.

There is a third way to make self-adhesive French strips with your own hands. To do this, you first have to make a pattern from thick cardboard, as in the diagram below, and then attach it to a sheet of paper, circle it with a pencil and cut it out. This option is simple, although not very convenient, so to save time it is better to buy ready-made stencils.

Other tools are also suitable for home creativity:

narrow tape;
insulating tape;
masking tape;
adhesive plaster.

There are similar materials in any household, but it is inconvenient to draw patterns on them, so you will have to cut the strips by eye. It is best to make them from scotch tape: it bends at any angle, fixes well, easily peels off, besides, the thin film does not pull the varnish with it when removed.

French without stripes

A flawless French manicure can be created without stencils. If your hand is full, then a regular brush from a bottle of varnish will do, but nail designers prefer other tools, many of which are suitable for home experiments.

How to use tips

Tips are called artificial tips, which are used for gel nail extension. They are different forms, colors and sizes, but for a jacket it is advisable to choose simple unpainted ones. Manicure is done as follows:

prepare your nails for gel extension: remove the cuticle, treat with a buff, file, degrease;
choose the right size tips for each;
stick on false tips special glue, mark the desired length on them with a marker, or gel pen and carefully remove with nippers or a special tip cutter;
give each nail the desired shape, sand with a file for better adhesion to the gel. Carefully process the junction of a real nail and tips so that it becomes invisible;
once again degrease the entire structure, and additionally wipe the natural nail with a primer;
distribute a thin layer of base gel along the entire length, dry in a lamp;
fill the middle of the nail with a transparent or camouflage (flesh-colored) gel, reducing the thickness of the layer at the edges, polymerize in a lamp;
remove the adhesive dispersion and give the nail its final shape, removing all irregularities and excess thickness with a file;
apply on the free tip white gel drawing a smile line. Dry each nail in a lamp;
add a finishing coat, polymerize, wipe off the dispersion and apply a moisturizing oil to the cuticle.

Advice! The extension procedure looks simple, but it requires certain skills and knowledge. important nuances, for example, when and what files to use, how to process nails, etc. For a better understanding of the process, it is advisable to go to the salon at least once, look at the work of the master and ask questions of interest.

French Express Manicure Tips

Not so long ago, special tips appeared for a quick jacket on short and medium nails. The novelty is a construction of a plastic holder and a ready-made white or colored tip.

Express tips can significantly save time. First, there is no need to draw a smile line, as it is already ready. Secondly, you do not have to cut off the excess length and file the remaining one before giving the desired shape... In addition, since false nails are short, when creating a jacket, you can do without gel and limit yourself to gel polishes, which are easier to work with.

The technology is simple: prepare your hands in the same way as for a regular gel polish, select tips by size, apply glue on white stripe and press to the nail. Break the transparent holder so that it is completely removed, leaving only its contents in place. File the edge of the false smile that protrudes above nail plate, then degrease everything and treat the keratin area with a primer.

How to use a brush

There are quite a few brushes that can be used to paint French manicure, since it is convenient for girls to work with different tools. Most often, the following are used for a jacket:

a flat brush with short bristles and a fine, rounded tip. Suitable for both painting a smile and correcting it, just soak a brush in nail polish remover;
a flat, resilient brush with short bristles and a beveled edge;
flat brush with a semicircle notch in the middle. Very convenient for beginners, as it allows you to paint the tip of the nail with just one stroke;
hair brush. This brush has a long, thin and soft tip that allows you to paint the thinnest line of a smile on very short nails, but a certain level of skill is required to successfully use this truly jewelry tool.

Work with brushes is carried out as follows. A drop of white varnish (or gel varnish) is applied to an impromptu palette, which can be anything: a piece of cardboard, a tablet, a saucer. From here, a portion of the product is collected on the instrument and the tip of the nail is painted. When working with gel polishes, the correction can be carried out with the same brush, simply by wiping it on a napkin.

When a manicure is performed with a regular varnish, it is necessary to prepare a small bowl of liquid for removing in advance. A brush is washed in it so that it does not dry out, and it is also moistened if the smile line is uneven and needs to be corrected.

To clean the brushes, use:

from the gel - special means removing acrylic, gel and gel polish;
from gel polish - alcohol or clinser;
from regular varnish - a liquid for removing.

Reference! To correct French manicure, you can use not only brushes, but also a special tool. It looks like a felt-tip pen filled with nail polish remover. It is refillable, and some even have a set of removable tips.

How to use a whitening pencil

This cosmetic product is a pencil with a snow-white lead. They paint over the overgrown tip of the nail with back side to make it appear whiter. Of course, this effect is short-lived and lasts until the very first hand washing, although pencils with a more stable formula have now appeared. However, such a tool still cannot be considered a full-fledged tool for French manicure. It will not work to draw a smile line for them, and it is pointless to apply it under the finished jacket with varnish, since no one will see it anyway.

Some girls only do their nails with a pencil. Nails don't come out as smooth and white as with nail polish, but they love the look. Unfortunately, the paint fades during the day and can partially get on the fingers, why hands look untidy. The problem is easy to solve by having with you wet wipes and the tinting pencil itself, but is it worth it to monitor the state of the jacket all day if it is much easier to draw a smile line thin layer milky varnish?

A whitening pencil should be kept in a cosmetic bag for only one reason: it will mask the overgrown tip of the nail and help urgently "refresh" a manicure, which is already several days old.

Reference! The idea of a whitening pencil was developed. Now on sale you can find special markers that are convenient to paint over a smile from the outside. They do not differ in durability even under a top coat, but they can mask chips on an already finished manicure.

How to do a reverse French manicure

This type of nail design is also known as anti-French. It got its name from the fact that the smile is located along the cuticle, like a mirror image of the traditional version. Thanks to this feature, a manicure can be done even on very short nails without resorting to extensions.

The reverse jacket is performed both in the classic version (the nail is flesh-colored, and the drawing is white), and with any combination of shades. For work, it is better to use special stickers, since there is no natural stencil in the form of a growing nail here and without experience it will not be possible to draw an ideal line.

Arcuate anti-jacket templates can also be purchased at a cosmetic store or printed on self-adhesive. The stencil is fixed on the nail, departing 2-3 mm from the cuticle, and the sequence of actions is similar to those given earlier: preparation, application of the main varnish, drawing a smile and fixing with a top.

A popular type of anti-French is the so-called moon manicure... Smile line in in this case looks like a semicircle hiding a nail hole. To create this pattern, a special stencil in the form of a donut is used, but otherwise the technology is the same.

Design ideas

Elegant and laconic French manicure is good in itself, but thanks to lovers of variety, the idea got all-round development... On the basis of the classic version, women of fashion create new designs, experimenting with color, shape, texture, ornaments. Of course, it was not without criticism, but many girls like the idea. Even Hollywood actresses do not deny themselves the pleasure of decorating their nails with an unusual pattern.

The art jacket does not differ in the versatility of the original and does not fit all outfits, but it allows you to choose a harmonious manicure for each specific image. There are so many variations that it is impossible to list everything, however, they can be conditionally divided into several groups.

Colored French

This idea turned out to be the easiest to implement, it is enough just to draw a smile line not with white varnish, but with any other. The central part of the nail is also allowed to cover contrasting color... The result is an unusual manicure, which, depending on the chosen range, can be supplemented as a strict business image, and a bright youth.

Twist

You can paint the tip of the nail with several colored varnishes. They draw parallel stripes, waves, zigzags and swirls.

Millennium

You can decorate the smile line with sparkles: paint over the entire tip of the nail, draw a thin strip along its edge, or create a sparkling gradient. The French is very bright and festive, so it is great for parties.

Fan french

The tip of the nail can be decorated not only with colored or shiny varnishes... Granules for caviar manicure, velor villi for velvet, mica, foil, rhinestones, beads, lace and even fragments of dried plants are used. The variety of materials will allow you to fully enjoy creative process and create unique design for any event.

French with a non-standard smile line

A smile can be of any shape: oblique, triangular, wavy, V-shaped, double. Additionally, it is decorated with dots, thin lines, patterns. It is not difficult to make such a manicure, but the result of your efforts will not go unnoticed.

Wedding jacket

Traditional colors are usually used to create this variety, but the nails are additionally decorated so that the manicure is combined with the dress and hairstyle.

Video: moon manicure, colored jacket and option with rhinestones

French is simple and complex at the same time. Its perfection and naturalness is the result of hard work. To master the technique, you have to try, but the game is worth the candle, because the famous manicure will always help out, including situations when it is difficult to decide on the "outfit" for nails. Even those who prefer variety in everything will be able to find for themselves more than a dozen original ideas or come up with an individual one, taking as a basis a classic design that is unlikely to go out of fashion.