Glossify HQ spoke to ambassador Naomi Brown to get you the best tips on how to perfect your french.

"For me, the key to creating the perfect french is down to two things… patience and the right tools. With multiple looks achievable, from a classic pink and white mani to bright and bold coloured french tips, this is a look that I think suits everyone!"

What is a French Manicure?

A french manicure is one where the tip of your nail is painted a different colour than the rest of your nail bed. Traditionally your nail bed will be painted a sheer nude or pink shade, and then the tip of your nail will be painted with a pure solid white polish. Depending on the shape and length of your nail the tip can be just a thin straight line along the top of the free edge, or a more curved line starting from the nail walls and mimicking the naturally rounded shape of the top of your finger.

What are the different types of French Manicures?

The classic french manicure enhances the look of your natural nails, where your nail bed is a nude/pinky colour and the tip of the nail is white. You could also complete this look with black tips, or any other bright and bold colour.

There’s also the reverse french manicure and instead of painting the tips of the nails a different colour, you paint little cuffs around the curve of your cuticle.

What I use to create the perfect French

For me, the Glossify Naturabuild in shade Nude is perfect for a french mani. I then always use the One Coat White which is a thick pigmented gel for the tips which enables you to create a full coverage white tip without any streaks. To apply the white I use the Glossify Liner brush, this is an absolute MUST have in my nail kit as I use this brush for so many different things throughout the mani process.

Does a French Manicure suit short and long nails?

The answer is YES! Of course they do. I think french mani’s look super cute on both short and natural nails and then long and extended nails. For me, with short nails, I like to create a thin french tip so it doesn’t take over too much of the nail bed and therefore it still looks classy and neat. Compared to long extended nails where you can create a thicker tip.

How to ensure an equal thickness

My go-to when creating a classic french tip is the Glossify Nude Naturabuild. I find this colour perfect and most classy for this particular style. Once I’m happy with the builder gel I always go in with a lint-free wipe and some acetone and wipe over the nail bed, this takes away any oils that are left. I then go in with my Glossify liner brush and Glossify one coat white. Start by placing a tiny dot on each side of the nail where you want the french to finish. This is a guide you can follow and if you do this on each nail you’ll then have more of a chance of getting them all equal. I then create a line across the tip of the nail making sure all tips are the same thickness. Now you have two dots on either side wall and a line across the tip of your nail at your chosen thickness. I then start at the middle of the line and curve down to the dots I put on both sides of the nail wall. Both sides should now be the same and you can fill in the rest of the tip making sure it’s fully covered. If you haven’t got a Glossify one coat white and only the Bright White I’d go ahead and do the same, cure for 60 seconds under the Glossify lamp and then apply a second coat just to make sure you can achieve that full coverage white tip look. Also, remember you can create a french tip using any colour you like!! I then go ahead with the Glossify Top Coat and cure again for 60 seconds.