Having thin and very soft nails makes wearing them long an extreme hassle, so I’m always trying to come up with manicures that work well on short nails. I never would’ve thought a French mani could be worn on short nails, but I finally decided to give it a try and…well, I think that turned out alright! The really fun thing is that the white tips give the illusion of long nails, so for me it’s really the best of both worlds: my polish stays put longer, but it gives me a break from stubby-looking short nails. To get the look I used Julep in “Jennifer”, a very sheer nude (applied several times for a solid consistency), Essie Luxeffects in “As Gold as it Gets” for a bit of extra sparkle, and OPI in “Alpine Snow”. This is my favorite white because it has just enough of a grey tint to give it some depth. I did the DIY take on the Frenchie here, using a piece of Scotch tape as a guide. Two important things to keep in mind if you do this is to leave at least a day between applying your base color and tip (otherwise the tape will pull your polish right off) and file your nails in as much of a square shape as possible, rather than rounded. It gives your mani a more accurate, realistic look. Et voila! C’est tres belle.
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I think they result is pretty good! I will definitely keep that tip in mind. I think if I tried this I would have someone help me, especially with the tape. I don’t know how I would do it with my left hand! Did you do this alone or with someone?
Thanks, Jen! I did it by myself, and it’s really easy. Letting your base color dry for a day is key, and then you just lay a piece of tape over each nail, paint the tips just like you would paint your nails regularly, let it dry and pull the tape off. It didn’t turn out perfectly for me, you can see the slight wiggle of the line in the second photo, but at a distance (which nails usually are anyway) I felt like I’d had a profresh mani. I’ve tried to do it freehand in the past and it didn’t turn out so well (understatement!), but this way was much simpler. You could also do a crescent shape instead of a straight line by using hole reinforcements (like this). Lots of different possibilities! (:
I love your french manis-so classic and chic!!! ??(I would never have known your nails are short-they look gorgeous in these pics!)
Elle xoxo
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So lovely!
And have you ever tried Sally Hansen Maximum growth? My nails are always so much better when I applied it–and I can never seem to apply it every day, as instructed . . .
I think it came out well, I have always had to have short nails growing up with playing the violin and sport so I like the shorter length. French manicures are classic and goes with anything you wear. Hope you’re enjoying autumn days! Have a lovely week Casee. xo/Madison
I am a BIG little nails fan. I like you like the dexterity you get w/ shorter nails. LOVE how the french mani on you, it’s totally you-classic and elegant.