Manicure: French Manicures

French manicures are a popular trend among women in America today. And for very good reason - the French manicure is very universal, and is just as appropriate for jeans and t-shirts as it is a wedding or prom dress. The classic French manicure has a light pink or nude base coat, with the tips of the fingernails painted bright white. Nearly every nail salon in America is familiar with this manicure and provides them to clients on a daily basis. But sometimes women like to add a bit of glamour to the French manicure, and this is easily accomplished by incorporating designs to their nails.

The history of the French Manicure is thought to go back to the mid 1970's when a man named Jeff Pink, president of the popular manicure company Orly, attended a fashion show where he noticed several of the models were using a white pencil to whiten the tips of their fingernails. He immediately realized this could be major fashion trend and brainstormed a way to recreate the look. The result was a kit that contained two shades of polish; a light pink base and white polish to paint the tips of the fingernails. He also included adhesive strips to place at the baseline of the nail so that women could effortlessly create a stunning, perfect look when applying the white paint.

French manicures also last longer than traditional manicures with colored polish because you cannot see chips as easily. They are also easier to touch up without being too noticeable.

Also, I like that I don't have to think too much about the color of my nail polish when choosing my outfits. Nothing is worse than having someone point out that my hot pink polish clashes with coral dress.

While French manicures may look almost natural, they are the most difficult type of manicure to have done to your nails. Most salons charge more money for a French manicure, than a regular manicure with one solid color. Some salons use an actual paint brush, with very fine bristles to apply the thin white coat to the tips of the nails. Other salons will very quickly apply the white coat without much attention to detail. Then they will come back before the polish has dried and remove the excess color with an orange stick wrapped in cotton. This is interesting to watch. I always get nervous when the manicurist paints half of my fingernail white. I'm thinking to myself, great, I could do a better job at home blindfolded and I'm paying her my hard earned money to make a huge mess. But then, she is always redeemed when she had cleaned off the excess and my nails look great. Watching her perfect this skill with ease, I was enticed to try this process at home. I made a huge mess; I think that next time I will leave this skill to the professional.

Now if I have more time on my hands, I will give myself an at home French manicure. It's not as great as getting one in a salon, but still a treat nonetheless. First I will soak my hands and scrub them well with an exfoliating scrub. Next I will trim and shape the nails. Then I will apply a base coat of polish to my nails.

One thing that is kind of interesting about French manicures is that they really don't have any target age range. Anyone from teenagers, to grandmothers can be seen sporting a French manicure, that is something that cannot be said of most fashion trends.

With so many options available for French manicure designs, women now have the ability to customize their manicure and go beyond the classic look. Ask your manicurist for ideas on different nail designs.

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About the author: Jessica Jameson is the owner of the site about Manicure and French Manicure techniques
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