Choosing French Nails – What to Consider

When ever anyone mentions long, strong, elegant fingernails, French nails tend to be the first image that comes to mind. Frenc hnails are characterized by those clean, white tips and pretty pink nail beds that are smooth, round, and absolutely impeccable.


french nails art

Visit any salon or beauty store these days, however, and you’ll soon realize just how varied French nails now are. You can easily find numerous different tip colors, airbrushed designs, and an amazing array of different lengths all available for you to choose for your French nails – or you can apply and create your very own French nails.

Freestyle French nails

For the brave and those with a steady hand, you can always try doing French nails yourself. Do be warned, however, that one slight movement outside of your nail tip can ruin your hard work. If you don’t have incredibly steady hands and are determined to try doing a French manicure on your own, try buying a “paint it yourself” guide.

Paint-It-Yourself Guides

If you are fortunate enough to already have long, beautiful nails then you may want to consider picking up a “paint it yourself” French nails manicure kit. These guides come with a set of stickers that you can apply to your nail and help “guide” your nail polish wand so that you achieve the best application possible.

Fake Do-It-Yourself Glue-ons

Of all of the “do it at home” French manicure options, glue on acrylic nails are certainly the most popular choice. These acrylics lend themselves to be painted any color you would like, to apply your own designs and appliqués (there are several “sticker” design kits out there for your nail that you can buy) or to be left in their basic white-tip French manicure state.

NOTE: Though less expensive and relatively easy to apply, most French manicure acrylic “nail beds” do tend to become discolored rather easily. Don’t be surprised if you have to replace these nails far sooner than you would a salon-quality nail.

Salon Acrylic French Nails

Salon French nails often render the best results as a professional is applying them for you, and the materials used are of higher quality than a do-it-yourself manicure kit. The manicurist will apply long, curved white tips to your finger nails and then cut them to the length that you choose. She will also be happy to apply a polish or a design that you choose.

Sculpted Gel Tips

Gel tips are perhaps the most durable amongst the fake nails, though they can also be difficult to apply. These are generally also done in a salon, and come with “nail guides” that ease the application process. Gel nails curve and conform to your natural nail shape by use of a UV light (this process can take up to 3 minutes).

TIP: Many gel nails come in variations of “thickness”. Be sure to get gels that are of the “thickness” you would like; otherwise you may end up with gaudy, obviously fake nails.

Before you apply French nails – whether it is with a home kit or in a salon – be sure that your nails are strong and healthy so that they are able to withstand the chemical treatments and glues that come with applying fake nails.

You may also like...

1 Response

  1. Linda says:

    I adore French Nails, constantly choosing them for almost 2 years – it’s never boring despite the general opinion about it. After several attempts, I got to realize that my perfect French consists of pinkish gel polish base and shorten fingernails. What are your tips for great manicure? Please, share your life-hucks 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.