French
manicures are so classy and beautiful and they literally go with
anything and everything. But did you know it’s not actually French?
It wasn’t invented in France and not even by a French person. It’s
hard to pinpoint who exactly invented it because it seems to date
back to the 1800s, but in terms of who coined the phrase, there are
two options.
Max
Factor (yes, that one) claims he created it for the fashionistas in
Paris in the 1930s.
The
actual term “French manicure” was originated by Jeff Pink, the
creator of brand Orly, in 1978. When he was in Paris he painted the
model’s nails and when he came back to the states he started to
call it French manicure. They later started selling French manicure
kits. It became hugely popular after Hollywood started using it for
convenience. It takes ages to change nail polish colors on actresses
so that it complements each wardrobe change but French manicure goes
with everything. And of course since Hollywood used it – it became
hugely popular around the world and still is to this day. Honestly,
it’ll probably never go out of fashion.
1. What Is A French Manicure
A
French manicure is generally done using two colors. One nude or
pinkish nude for the whole nail and white to draw the strip at the
end of your nail. It’s basically like an exaggerated and more
polished version of your actual nail color, but you know, better.
2. French Manicure For Short Nails
Many
people think that to get a French manicure you need to have long
nails and that couldn’t be further from the truth. You can totally
rock a French manicure with short nails, you just draw the white
strip thinner and that’s it.
3. Colorful French Manicure
However,
you don’t have to stick to the rules if you don’t want to. You
can just take the idea and run with it. People have been doing
variations of French manicure but with other colors for a while now.
You can do black tips instead of white, or red for a more dramatic
look. You can do a different colored tip on each nail for a rainbow
effect.
4. Reverse French Manicure
Reverse
French manicure is a unique and clever variation on the classic.
Instead of painting a white or different colored strip along the tip
on the nail, when doing a reverse you pain that line at the root of
the nail, right under the cuticle. The result is both classy and
modern at the same time.
5. Sparkly and Glittery French Manicure
Instead
of using white or any different color for the tips you can always go
for sparkles and glitter. It’s a great way to make French manicure
more festive for a special occasion or a holiday, or just because you
feel like it that day. You can do the same with a reverse French too,
for a subtle sparkle.
6. Metallic French Manicure
To
take your French manicure to a whole new level, why not introduce a
metallic shade? You could do the entire nail in metallic and do some
black or white tips. Or you could do a matte base and metallic tips.
Either way, it’s going to look incredible and you’ll see your
friends stealing this idea as soon as you post a snap on Instagram.
7. Dotted French Manicure
This
is a great idea if you like patterns. You can either add some dots on
top of your regular French manicure or do the dots instead of the
classic white stripe. It looks incredibly cute and minimalist, while
also providing a unique and fresh angle on a tried and true classic.
8. Ombre French Manicure
For a modern twist and a seamless transition between colors go for an ombre French manicure. It’s very subtle and understated but looks very dainty and beautiful. This is possibly our favorite variation on the classic French manicure because it’s just as natural-looking and versatile but more modern looking and possibly even chicer than the original.
