Q&A for How to Do a French Manicure

Yes, you can. Doing it might be a little more difficult as there is less nail to paint, but once it's done it will still look fabulous.

It can be whatever color you want it to be. Some nail designs even have neon colors with French tips; the tips themselves are often a different color too. For a classic French tip, you typically would use a light color, such as cream, pink, or even clear.

Put a little piece of tape on your nail that covers what you don't want white on. Then, paint the tip and peel back the tape while the paint is still wet.

You can use a Band-Aid if you don't have moleskin pads. Stick it to your nail so that only the white part of your nail is exposed. After the polish is completely dry, peel off the Band-Aid.

Your nails can be long, short, or mid-length. Try to keep the tips of your nails straight or slightly rounded, however, as opposed to pointed or oval; it will look better.

You can use a Bandaid or plain sticky tape or you can do a different manicure and when you get scotch tape, do the French manicure.

Maybe try to either apply the base coat, then the sticker (to the right size), then the top coat. You could also try to just paint over it.

A tiny brush is better for the tips, unless you have long nails and want to make the tip thick.

Yes, by just painting a straight line across your tips, if you can do so accurately. But be careful not to apply the base coat until the tip is dry.

Yes, a white nail art pen is good for the tips. If you have long nails, it might be best to use the pen for touch-ups, or to outline the tip. It's definitely easier, but still requires a somewhat steady hand.

With nail polish remover. Get a square of toilet paper or two, fold it a couple times, then apply the remover to it. Now all you need to do is rub your nails with the paper.

If you're using a hardener in any form, stop using it, as it can make your nails too hard and brittle. Use nail oil or cuticle cream every day to help you nail have some flex, because right now they seem too brittle.

You can still do a french mani, but you'll have to paint below the smile line (the line that starts the white part that extends past the finger tip) and paint on the nail plate (the part that's attached to the skin). This'll make your nail look even shorter than it already is because you probably don't have any length if you bite your nails.

If your nails are nubs, they'll look a little odd, but if they have a bit of length, it'll look fine.

Yes! If you want your manicure to last, you'll need to use a good base coat and top coat.

French manicures aren't only done in white polish; a French manicure is when just the white part of the nail is painted. You can do it in any color you'd like, though white is the traditional color. I personally prefer doing it in black or blue.

Ivory Is also a nice color. It looks more natural than white and so it seems to last a little longer, as it doesn't show when it wears away at the tips. Other than that, it's really up to you, but these are the only options that will look natural (which is generally the point).

No, it is a polished look and you need tools and polish to get it.

You can use any color you want! Classic French tips are white, but some find that boring.

Yes, but it may be a little more difficult.

Nail cutters aren't the best method of shaping nails; when you clip your nails, you're putting a lot of pressure on your nails, causing them to split and crack below the point where you want to cut. If you're too impatient to file them down with an emery board, get a glass/crystal file! It's a lot faster and more gentile on your nails, and some only cost a couple dollars.

If you're looking for a color close to white, try to use a nude color but overall any color will work fine.

Ivory or peach could work if you don't have white.

It really just depends on how careful you are with it. It could last weeks or only days.

French tips take time and lots of practice if you're going to do it yourself. It's the "perfect" style and if your mess up, it's pretty obvious.

You can use any color for this, but white is the classic. Have fun and play around with colors and see what you like best.

Yes. There are products on the market for doing exactly this.

Yes, you can still achieve this look. French manicures make nails of all lengths look attractive. Just keep in mind it might not look the same as on someone else who has the same manicure, but with longer nails.

Yes, you can. Sometimes nail polish colors are not as vibrant as they seem to be in the bottle, so you can add as many layers as you wish to get to the desired shade.

Follow the instructions listed in the article above.