10 New Ways to Wear a French Manicure

The french tip dates as far back as the 18th century. The look had a brief hiatus sometime in the mid-2000s, but the latest incarnations are a far cry from the thick, angular acrylics of decades passed. Rose petal decals, Mondrian outlines, and checkerboard accents offer new ways to wear a French manicure right now.

This look, worn by ELLE.com’s own beauty guru Julie Schott, is an subtle way to update the french manicure. After your white tips are dry, underline it was a stripe of nude and finish it off with a clear topcoat.

An easy addition to the french tip are with decals. After creating the traditional look, layer a thin coat of clear top coat. While tacky, gingerly set your design and press down. Finish with a topcoat to secure.

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This nail artist combined a mint french tip with an ombre fade. No matter what colors you choose, always start with your lightest shade first and give yourself ample time for each coat to dry.

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Apply the concept of french manicure—white tips with a nude base—to the ongoing ombre trend. For best results, apply the two polishes on a makeup sponge and continuously dab onto the nail. Finish with a topcoat.

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Bust out a thin brush to paint micro details to the base of your nail for a playful design. This back-to-school manicure by nail artist Kro Vargas features a yellow bus, a pencil, and a teeny tiny chalkboard.

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