Three French Manicure Designs You Need To Try

French manicures are big news. And if this staple design isn’t in your nail art arsenal, we’re here to help you step up your manicure game.

From the classic French, to neon tips, all the way to reverse designs, this tutorial will take you through the most popular styles to try out.

Take a look at our must have french manicure colours!

First things first…

Is a French Manicure still popular?

Uh, YES! French Manicures have remained a staple design in the nail world, but the emergence of new trends have allowed the style to take off! From celebs to your best friend, the French mani is something everyone is taking about.

How can I create French Manicure tips?

If you’re not comfortable with free-hand design, you can use the end of a curved plaster to create the tips!

If you do apply a little too much, neaten your design up using a cleanser wipe or a brush to tidy everything up before you cure.

Classic French Manicure Tutorial

First, you’ll want to decide on your colours. Our go-to French mani shades are Cream Puff and Clear Pink, but make sure you choose a base colour that suits your skin tone.

1. Prep your nails by pushing back and tidying up your cuticles, gently file your nails into your desired shape, buff to remove the shine and finish with a cleanser wipe.
2. Apply a thin layer of Bluesky Base Coat and cure for 60 seconds LED/2 minutes UV. Always cap the ends to ensure your mani lasts.
3. Apply your chosen base colour, caping the edges. Cure for 60 seconds LED/2 minutes UV.
4. Apply a further coat and cure.
5. Either free-hand or using a stencil as a guide, take your white gel polish and carefully apply the tips to your nails.
6. Cure for 60 seconds LED/2 minutes UV, applying a further coat and curing once more if needed.
7. Finish with a Bluesky Top Coat of your choice – if using our normal top coat, make sure you wipe your nails over with cleanser for that ultimate shiny finish!

Neon Tip French Manicure Tutorial

Step 1, choose your shades. While the tips don’t need to be neon, we absolutely love this trend. There are plenty of gel polish colours to choose from – our favourite for a neon French manicure is our bright and bold pink Cherise.

For a base colour, you can go clear (we love a layer of Hard Gel for this look) or with a nude gel polish.

1. Prep your nails as above. This look is perfect for longer nails, so we suggest using Builder Gel first to create those claws – take a look at our full tutorial for Builder Gel.
2. Apply a thin layer of Bluesky Base Coat and cure for 60 seconds LED/2 minutes UV. Always cap the ends to keep your manicure lasting longer.
3. Apply your chosen base colour, again ensuring the edges are capped, and cure for 60 seconds LED/2 minutes UV. Apply a further coat and cure again.
4. While you can do a classic French look with neon, we love the v-shape style. To get this look, use a thin nail art brush to draw two diagonal lines that meet at the tip of your nail.
5. Fill in the colour to create the full v-shape and cure for 60 seconds LED/2 minutes UV.
6. If needed, apply another layer of your neon colour coat and cure for 60 seconds LED/2 minutes UV.
7. Finish with a Bluesky Top Coat of your choice – if using our normal top coat, make sure you wipe your nails over with cleanser for long-lasting shine.

Reverse French Manicure Tutorial

For a reverse French design aka ‘cuff nails,’ you really can choose any shades! We love a glitter gel polish paired with a darker colour or classic French shades paired together.

1. Prep your nails as above. Any nail shape works with this design, and we love a natural nail for it.
2. Apply a thin layer of Bluesky Base Coat and cure for 60 seconds LED/2 minutes UV. Always cap the ends to keep your manicure lasting longer.
3. Apply your chosen base colour to your nails – again, you can use a guide to block off the bottom part of your nail or you can free-hand your design. Cure for 60 seconds LED/2 minutes UV.
4. Apply 1-2 further coats until you’re happy with the depth of colour, curing for 60 seconds LED/2 minutes UV each time.
5. Using a thin nail art brush, carefully apply the cuff of your design and cure for 60 seconds LED/2 minutes UV.
6. If needed, apply 1 further coat and cure again for 60 seconds LED/2 minutes UV.
7. TIP: If you don’t have a nail art brush, you can apply the cuffed colour first and then go over it with your second colour!
8. Once happy with your design, finish with a Bluesky Top Coat of your choice – if using our normal top coat, make sure you wipe your nails over with cleanser for that high-shine finish.

Trying out one of the nail art designs? Make sure you tag us on Instagram @bluesky_cosmetics and we’ll share our favourites!