You may have passed by these little kits on your way through the cosmetics aisle, without really acknowledging that they could be a useful product. After all you get your nails done ‘professionally’ at the salon for a nice chunk of change every few weeks. But is it worth it to try these little $6.00-8.00 kits? Definitely-and here’s why.
What’s in the Kit?
Each kit comes with instructions, a color coat (comes in a variety of natural colors to opalescent purple), a white tip coat, and nail guards. If you want a more natural look to your manicure, you should try the ‘clearly buff’ or the pinker shades, which will not draw too much attention to the base color of your nail. If you are looking for something flashier, try the ‘Sheerly Opal’ set, which is pink, with a purplish gleam when the light hits it. The kit includes everything you need to make a nice French manicure, except the file and top coat, which you will have to purchase separately.
Prep work
To prepare your fingernails for this French manicure experience, you should take the time to file them. Make sure you only file in one direction, not back and forth, as this damages and weakens your nail. File them either straight or rounded, depending on the look you want and how your fingernails look more natural. Some people have a straight line of white on the tips of their fingernails and others have a rounded shape naturally, so you should try and follow this when filing them all the same length. Next you should use a cuticle softener and gently push your cuticles back so that you will have more nail surface to work with and a cleaner look. Make sure your nails are dry before you start the French manicure.
How do I do it?
The kit comes with instructions in how to make the perfect French manicure, but I’ll just elaborate on it a little to ease your mind. It’s very simple, and with the use of nail guards you can’t get a squiggly white line, unless you are very shaky. First you apply the nail guards to each finger; these are white stickers that have a straight edge, which you will line up with the edge of the “white” on your fingertip. Be very careful in this step, as the placement of the stickers will make or break your manicure’s overall appearance. If your ‘white’ area is not consistent on each finger, (that is, if it is not the same size/length on each finger) than you will have to do a little artistic altering. Place each sticker the same distance away from the tip of each fingernail, even if the white area of the tip has ended a little above the sticker. This will ensure that your finished French manicure will look more professional and consistent.
After applying the stickers, make sure they are in place flat against each fingernail before brushing one light coat of white on the tips. Paint over the nail guard a little so that you can get a straight line. If you are familiar with the concept of stenciling, this works in a similar manner. If you apply too much nail polish it will run under the guard and make the white line imperfect. So try to use as little as possible and don’t use two coats on the tip or you’ll be immediately prone to chipping. Let’s say that you put a little too much paint on a few of the nail guides and it has bled over into the area you are going to coat with the other color; in this case you can simply peel off the guides when it has dried and with the tip of your fingernail just drag it over the access white, pushing it into the line. Either way, you can always nail polish it off and do it again if you aren’t satisfied with the straightness of the line.
After you have let the tip dry and have peeled off all nail manicure guides, start with the colored nail polish. The bottles are conveniently labeled 1 and 2 so you know which order to do them in. Brush one coat on for a transparent look or two coats for a more opaque look. Either way you are to coat the entire nail, even going over the top of the white coat that you did on the tip. This will dull the white a little so it will look more natural, but still sharp. After you let this coat dry, than you are ready for a top coat to seal the entire French manicure.
How long will it last?
First of all, French manicures rarely last very long due to the everyday demands on your hands. The white edges will begin to chip very soon after you put a fresh coat on if you work a lot with your hands. This is just a disadvantage to any type of polish you put on your fingernails, and should not be considered a serious disadvantage to this product. There are a few ways you can make the manicure last a full week without a touch up, and a few weeks with minor touchups. In addition to the French Manicure Kit, you should get Sally Hansen’s Mega Shine Extended Wear Top Coat. This clear top coat will dry within a minute and give a glitzy solid shine to your manicure. But the advantage of this top coat is that it will extend the life of your manicure. Just put a coat of it over the dried manicure and brush a little of it on the very edge of each nail and underneath the tip of the nail to protect from chipping that occurs on the white of the French manicure. If you touch up with this clear coat every few days, the manicure will last for a few weeks with only minimal maintenance.
Should you buy it?
If you are not obsessed with the state of your nails, but like them to look nice once in a while, than this is the kit to buy. Doing it yourself will save you money, with reasonably good results. With a little practice you’ll have people wondering where you got your nails done.
