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Nail Files by Age: Fall Trend 2011 French Manicure Tutorial

October 26, 2011 / No Comments

The French Manicure will ~~toujours~~ always be haute. While the clean soft pink or nude French mani is beautiful and classic, putting a twist on your tips and base color adds instant fashion pop to your style—without much cost.

Fall 2011 Fashion Week presented a plethora of variations of the classic French mani trends on the runway. From heavy metal tips to reverse half-moons to multi-colored nails, the French mani has taken on a whole new look.

Not to be left behind on trends, we have our own take of the French Manicure from the 2011 Fall Trend looks!

Check out our step-by-step tutorial for an on-trend haute green French manicure with purple tips.

You will need :

Nail maintenance tools
Base coat/Top coat
Two nail polish colors
Q–Tips

1. File clean nails to desired shape and length

The foundation of a good manicure is well-maintained nails! So show those digits some TLC before polishing.

2. Apply one layer of base coat

Use a good base coat for the foundation of your new look!

Try: Orly Rubberized Basecoat

After base coat, dip a Q–Tip in nail polish remover and gently wipe away any stray polish around cuticles.

3. Carefully apply two coats of your nail polish of choice

Try: Sew Psyched by Essie, a pastel army green for base color.

Let the first coat dry completely, then repeat the process to clean up the second coat.

4. Now for the fun part! Draw on tips in contrasting color!

Try: Petra by Zoya, a dark, soft grayish purple for tips.

Sew Psyched by Essie and Petra by Zoya make a perfect fall manicure combination.

Here comes the hard part, which requires a steady hand. With your second color, start at one side of free edge and draw a line across your tips.

Try to be exact. Repeat this step on all nails, taking a break if hands get shaky.

5. Apply top coat to dry nails.

Let dry thoroughly and you're done! Enjoy your new fab Fall French Manicure and stay tuned for more DIY nail tutorials!

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