French manicure

1. What is a French manicure?

A French manicure is a stylish and natural manicure that suits any style. A classic French includes a simple natural or light pink base with a white border on the end of the nails.

Whether you are looking for an office, glamorous, chic… look, this timeless manicure technique suits every occasion. A French manicure is popular with women of all ages and offers a variety of possibilities.

2. Origin

Many people think that a French manicure was invented by a Frenchman, but this is not the case. In fact, the French manicure was invented by Jeff Pink, an American who is the founder of ORLY.

Jeff Pink was commissioned to invent a universal nail look for actresses who did not have the time to repaint their nails with every costume change. He was given this assignment by a director. The result was the “Natural Nail Kit”, which he introduced to the catwalk audience in Paris. It was a great success, but Pink did not think the name was catchy enough.

While flying back to Los Angeles in 1976, he coined the name “French manicure.” Since then, it has become a popular nail trend around the world.

3. Why choose a French manicure?

A French manicure is a nail technique that never goes out of style and can easily be adapted to the latest fashion trends. Whether you are going out for a night or to work, a French is suitable for any occasion.

Moreover, you can opt for a subtle or a bold French manicure, you can create the look that suits you best. It is a versatile and timeless nail style that remains popular in the nail world.

4. What is the difference between a painted and a reverse French?

A painted French is a classic French manicure, where the white edge is drawn by hand on the nail. It is usually done with a gel polish color.

A reverse French manicure is a variation of the traditional French, where the nail bed is first extended. Then a smileline is formed (built up) using acrylic gel, acrylic or builder gel. The desired gel polish color is applied up to the smileline after which the nail top is filled (built up) with clear builder gel, acrylic gel or acrylic.

5. What do I need to perform a French manicure?

Before you start creating a French it is important to first choose which technique you are going to use. The two most common techniques are the painted French and the reverse French.

A painted French uses both gel and gel polish , while a reverse French allows you to choose between builder gel , acrylic gel or acrylic .

Both techniques require the appropriate nail products, a gel brush, fineliner and UV/LED lamp. For both techniques, a gel polish colour is used for the nail tips.

If you have never done a French manicure before, we recommend starting with the painted French. This is because a painted French is a slightly easier technique.

6. Step-by-step plan painted French

With a drawn French manicure, there are three important things to pay attention to: the base, the proportion and the smileline. Below we explain step by step how to create a perfect painted French manicure.

First of all, it is important to have an even base to be able to draw a nice French. File your nails into a nice shape and make sure that the grooves of the filing are evened out with a buffer. Otherwise, the gel polish can run into the grooves, which will make the end result much less neat.

Secondly, the proportion plays an important role in drawing the smileline. For short nails, we draw the smileline up to a maximum of ⅙ of the entire length of the nails and for long nails up to a maximum of ¼.

Once you have determined the proportions, you can start drawing the smileline. Use a long fineliner and a pigmented gel polish or paint gel of your choice. Then follow these steps:

1. Draw a horizontal line to indicate the desired thickness of the French.
2. Make a small mark on the free edge to indicate the center of the nail.
3. Also indicate the center of it on both sides.
4. Determine the depth of the smileline along the side walls and connect that point to the outer lines on the free edge.
5. Round off the smileline to make sure everything flows together nicely.
6. Finish your nails with a top coat and you're done!

7. Reverse French step-by-step plan

A reverse French manicure is more difficult to perform than a painted French. However, it takes a lot of practice to master this technique. Many people prefer a reverse French manicure because of the sleek result and because it wears off less quickly. Below you will find a step-by-step guide to creating a perfect reverse French.

1. Prepare your nails for the manicure. File them into shape, matt them and apply a nail prep, primer and a thin layer of base coat.
2. Then extend your natural nails using a template and a clear gel, acrylic gel or acrylic.
3. Create the 'smile line' using a thick cover gel, acrylic gel or acrylic. Make sure the 'smile line' has a raised edge and cure the nail product under a nail lamp.
4. Remove the sticky layer with cleaner and a cellulose swab. Then file the raised edge into shape so that you get a tight smileline.
5. Apply a desired gel polish color against the raised edge of the smileline.
6. Fill the top of your nails with a clear builder gel, acrylic gel or acrylic.
7. Remove the sticky layer and make sure that the artificial nails are filed into a nice shape and curvature and that the grooves from the filing are evened out with a buffer.
8. Finish the nail with top coat and you're done!