12 Unexpected French Nail Tips that Recreate the Classic Look

They are timeless, and they can be loved or loathed. Gina Edwards, a nail artist, tells us that they were not popular for long because of their lack creativity. She explains that most people considered the French to be a classic and stayed true to their white tips. It became boring and mundane.

The French manicure is still popular in 2022. However, many other designs have been created with the same timeless DNA, arcs of color at the tips of the nails. Miss Pop, a New York City-based nail artist, predicted that this time would be in December 2019. Genius nail artists shared their creative takes on Instagram with half-moons made in neon, tie dye, and eggs.

Betina R.Goldstein, nail artist, says that a French manicure is like a blazer. It will never go out-of-fashion, it can be worn with anything, but you can make it more modern, fresh and contemporary. It can also be paired with a blazer (or any other type of garment), depending on the color, shape, width, and pattern. This can give it a new and unique look.

French manicures can be done on either long or short nails. This is due to the fact that people are looking for the longest nails possible. The tips can be applied to nude or bare nails so that your nails can grow naturally without looking awkward.

This list will help you find at least one French manicure that suits your style. You can either show your favorite nail artist at your next appointment, or try painting them yourself.

Lolly Koon, a New York City-based nail technician, recommends that you start by placing the polish brush in the middle of your nails and doing a little bit of stroking. Make arcs along the nail’s edges that connect with it. Koon tells Allure that if you move from one side of the nail to the next, the one on the opposite side will be thicker. This is because you are going to offload all your polish onto the one side. You’ll be able to master your half-moon tips.

Neon

Choose your favorite florescent color and substitute it for white tips using inspiration from Nyah, a San Diego-based nail artist, or Michelle Humphrey, a British manicurist’s Day-Glo lime.

You don’t have to pick one. Instead, take cues from Riley Miranda (aka La Lady Nails) and opt for a neon Skittles look. Or, you can paint your bright tips onto a base like Amy Le. Kourtney Kardashian recently approved the multi-toned French manicure.

Red Fruits

A tiny selection of strawberries or cherries can be added to your French Manicure, just like Kimberly Thu, a Miami-based nail artist, did on a few of her clients. You’ll find fruits in other colors, such as grapes and watermelons, just as tasty.

Negative Space

Instead of using a straight line of color, create a thin frame around your typical half-moon. Hang Nguyen, a nail artist based in Los Angeles, outlined Le’s French manicure using classic rainbow colors. Nyah used neons. Nyah tried the trend with blue and orange gradients.

Tie-Dye

Although tie-dye has been a staple in your wardrobe for a while, have you thought about adding this nostalgic look to your nails? Rosie Lynall (aka Nails Bab) and Le, a British nail artist, painted arcs of ROYGBIV, before swirling them together to create their psychedelic rainbow tips.

V-Shaped Tips

You can achieve a French manicure no matter your nail shape — square, almond, coffin or round — by varying the amount of slivers you place around the tips and sharp Vs that emphasize the same area. Riley Miranda’s handiwork looked brighter thanks to a beige base. London-based nail artist Pria B aka BhamBNails complemented Riley Miranda’s rainbow points with her eyes. Anouska Anastasia (cofounder of London’s Nuka Nails) demonstrated how this look works with square nails in the lower left corner. Violetta, aka @yeswhatnails, a Barcelona-based nail artist showed how it looks with a matte topcoat.

Butterflies

Butterfly manicures are making a comeback, thanks to the influence of ’90s fashion on nail trends. Honey, a New York City-based nail technician, believes that butterfly manicures have a deeper meaning. She explains that butterflies are a symbol of rebirth. To really experience any kind of newness, we must first go through the struggle. All of this is new to our eyes.

Riley Miranda applied butterfly-shaped glitter to her French manicure. Stickers were applied to Pria B’s V-shaped manicure. Humphrey used a similar approach to Dua Lipa’s look, while Nyah hand-painted the interlocking wings and half-moon tips.

Mix and match

We’ve shown you that your French manicure doesn’t need to be limited to one shade. You don’t need to settle for one style. You have Miss Pop’s consent. Each finger should have a unique look. Miya Adams, aka @thenailritual, added some ’90s elements while Amber Hancock, a British nail artist, painted a pale pink base with cute crescents and eggs, clouds and sparkles. Lynall used a cow print and cherries to create the bottom row. She also added a smiley face, flowers, and cherries. Thu’s version, however, featured flames and strawberries.

French x 5

Jessica Washick, a nail artist, calls this look «hot boy color,» or the nail art companion for hot girl summer. This look adds striped accents to the classic French look. You can get this medium-length nail with five colors. But, you could go longer (or with thinner stripes) to increase those numbers. These bright colors can be used to create a summery look or you could switch them up for pastels, Christmas girl, Pride girl, and other colors.

Holographic French

Le’ana of lecame.shesaw.shepainted took this sparkly French — courtesy of Cirque Colors in Subculture — on vacation, but there’s really never a wrong time for a holographic manicure. This is the essence «new French» look. It’s easy to recognize, and it’s still fashionable, but it has been given a modern twist.

Sixties Pop

Carla M Negron painted the happy manicure after Tyler McGillivary’s latest collection. Negron says, «We were inspired from the colors and fabric one of her designs.» The bright combination of French and flowers here will make anyone smile, regardless of whether they wear the matching dress.

Pointilist

Modern French takes are deceptively simple and require only one additional tool: a dotting instrument (or a pin or toothpick). Jessica Beard, a nail artist, started with a standard French manicure (albeit one with hot pink tips from Gel Bottle Inc. in Madonna). Then she overlayed it with royal Blue Bolt and pastel Yellow Queen Bee dots. This gives the French a 3D effect that brings it straight into 21st-century.

Cheetah Girls

Hope Jung, a nail artist, says that she has encouraged her classic French clients to try something different. This meant that a hand-painted Cheetah print was created for this client. It is far more sophisticated than the Essie Ballet Slippers-style French. She suggests that a new tip or contrasting color could be used to give nails some color. Her favorite ways to reinvent the classic are to use neon colors and add a matte topcoat.