How A-listers Are Embracing the Classic French Mani (with a Twist)
Main Image – tombachik/instagram
The classic French mani has been around since the 70s with its origins in glamorous Hollywood when manicurist Jeff Pink, President and CEO of Orly International, created a natural nail look to help screen actresses speed up the time between wardrobe changes.
The look has since taken on multiple trends and updates, from colour changes to floating Frenchies and the reverse French tip to the micro French mani, but now the A-listers are embracing the traditional nude and white shades that are synonymous with this manicure – with a twist.
Yes, the classic Frenchie is coming out of the woodwork again and having a *bit* of a moment.
A-listers mixing up the classic French mani
It’s been a few hectic weeks of fashion and awards ceremonies, not to mention Selena Gomez releasing her new song and music video ‘Love On’ on February 22.
Manicurist Tom Bachik shared BTS shots and up close images of Gomez’s nails from the video, and she’s sporting a traditional nude and white manicure with a blunt square tip that was inspired by her most recent trip to Paris.
Usually wearing almond-shaped nails, Gomez sported a medium-length square set with a nude base that verged on being the same tone as her skin, which Bachik dubbed “An exaggerated French to play into the chateau vibe of this video.”
Paired with multiple glam looks including a French girl black coquette outfit with a white collar and puffy sleeves and shots of Gomez eating croissants in Paris while wearing sunglasses, a dressing gown, and her hair wrapped in a towel, this was the *perfect* set of nails to tie the looks together.
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And Gomez isn’t the only one going back to tradition.
Euphoria Actress Sydney Sweeney was seen wearing a glazed vanilla French manicure at the People’s Choice Awards on February 19, with @nailsbyzola sharing the look she created on her Instagram page.
Sweeney paired this glamorous mani, which has also been seen on the fingertips of Hailey Bieber, with a seriously hot plunging red dress and long sweeping curtain bangs that framed her huge eyes.
Sweeney shared the same reel on her insta page, where she’s seen posing in front of a door with her long, almond-shaped mani in shot as the camera pans out.
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How to get the look
Celeb manicurist Bachik outlined the Essie nail polish shades he used on Gomez, writing “I applied a luscious coat of ‘Mademoiselle’ by @essie for a clean fresh base.
“Then, I created the French tip using #Essie ‘Blanc’ for that exaggerated 90s look. Finally, I topped it off with a rich coat of #Essie Gel Couture Top Coat for a glossy look.”
That’s right, you can literally create Gomez’s exact manicure with these shades from Essie.
But how do you do it? Luckily, French nails are pretty easy to achieve if you’ve got a steady hand. And, if not, there are stickers, guides, and stamps that can help you with the look.
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How to do French nails at home with a nail brush:
- First, file your nails into the shape and length you want.
- Apply a base coat to protect your nails and help the nail varnish adhere to your nails better.
- Once the base coat is dry, apply a nude or pink polish to your entire nail and wait for this to fully dry. It should not be tacky or sticky.
- Then, use white nail polish and apply it to the tip of your nail, following your natural shape – you can use a French tip pen or thin brush for this, or if you’re really steady with your hands, you can try using the nail varnish brush itself. Any mistakes can be cleaned up using a cotton swab dipped in nail varnish remover.
- Let the white nail varnish dry and apply a second coat if needed. Once this is dry, apply a top coat and wait for this to dry completely.
If you need some extra help, take a look at these easy-to-use manicure sticker guides from Mavala or this stamper from Nails Inc that will help you to get the perfect French tip.
The takeaway
The French manicure will never go out of style (yep, I said it), and there are loads of ways you can mix it up if you’re not keen on the traditional nude and white combo.
Whether you love long acrylics, glazed finishes like Sweeney, a short micro mani, or an exaggerated shaped nail like Gomez’s square set, there’s a Frenchie for you. Trust us.
Get Glowing!
