Congratulations! You are thinking about getting a gel french manicure!
Personally, I love gel french nails. They are incredibly clean and professional. As a beauty specialist, I either have gel french tips or I have nothing.
Next to having dirt under the fingers, the last thing that anybody in the beauty industry should have is chipped nail polish. That is why gels are so popular.
So, if you decide to go ahead with gel french tip manicure, you first need to head to a nail salon and choose your gel french tip color (yes, you pretty much can choose any color, it doesn’t have to be white). However, you cannot choose a regular nail polish color if you want to have gel nails.
Why?
Because regular nail polish requires air in order for it to dry. French gel tips and any other gel manicure, on the other hand, require a UV or LED light.
Once you have chosen your french tip color, the nail technician will take you over to their station, where they will clean and shape your nails.
Procedure of French Gel Manicure:
The process of gel french manicures takes a bit longer than regular french manicures because there are few more steps that are involved than regular nail polish.
These steps include:
- Gel base coat
- Dry under UV/LED light
- Gel french clear/color coat
- Dry under UV/LED light
- Another coat of gel french clear/color coat
- Dry under UV/LED light
- French tip color (it can be any color you want)
- Dry under UV/LED light
- Design (if desired)
- Dry under UV/LED light (if doing a design)
- Gel top coat
- Dry under UV/LED light
- Done!
An important note to take away from any gel manicure is that after each layer, you must dry the polish under UV or LED light.
Unlike regular nail polish, which can be ruined even after you leave the nail salon, gels will be completely dry before you leave. Also, the difference with gel nails is that you only need about a minute underneath the UV/LED light in order for it to dry, while regular nail polish can take anywhere from about 15 minutes to an hour. Sometimes, it can take even longer. That is the amazing thing about gel nails. Once you leave the nail salon, you do not have to worry about ruining your nails, unlike regular nail polish.
The Gel French manicure Designs:
Now onto the designs of the
Usually, with any design, one finger is chosen on each hand to have the design, such as the thumb or the ring finger, but you are not limited to one finger.
A new trend that has been emerging with french nails is the reverse french nail, which means that the french tip is added to the cuticle side of the nail as opposed to the top of the nail. Sometimes, people do both.
Nowadays, people are getting more adventurous with their designs. Some add glitter, some have the design within the french tip, some have a deep french tip (where the french tip color takes up the majority of the nail), others have a color as opposed to the clear coat and can make the french tip aspect white or black or metallic.
Here are a some.. Do try them in your next Manicure
1. Strawberry base Gel French manicure Nails with Glitter
2. Natural Color French Shimmer Gel Manicure
3. Golden curved White tip French Gel Nails with Flower detail on a Finger/s
4. Pearly pink French tip Nails with Glittered Ring finger
5. Silver Gradient French Gel Nails with Glitter
6. Coffin shaped Pink French Gel Nails with Glitter
7. White Tipped French Gel Manicure with Black Designs
8. Multi-colored French Gel Nails
If I continue to go on about each design for French nails, we will be here all day.
Technically, you have free range on the design. You can check out Pinterest or Google for inspiration. Pretty much everything has been done and you will be sure to find something that you will love.
On the other hand, if you want to simply go with classic French gel manicures, they are a lot simpler than other gel manicures, since there is no color involved, except for the white at the top of the nail.
When getting them, don’t forget the tiresome Removal process of Gel Manicure
There is something that you should know before fully committing to getting Gel nails of any kind: the removal process. Getting any type of gel manicure can weaken your nails. It is not the application process, rather the removal process that will harm them if not done properly. You can remove them at home, but you have to do it carefully.
Do not rip them off. That will completely destroy your nails, which will become brittle and short.
First, what you should do is slightly rough up the surface of the polish with a nail file in order to remove the shine, which will allow the gel to come off a lot easier.
Once that is done, soak a cotton ball in acetone, place on each nail, and wrap in foil. Leave for about 15 minutes. After that, the gel nails should come off quite easily. If not, then you should repeat the process until it does. It could take up to an hour. The gel manicure should just crumble off from the acetone or gel polish remover. If it requires any force at all, it could, ultimately, damage your nail.
As long as you are aware and vigilant to take care of your nails, there will not be a problem.
What is the cost of Gel French Manicure?
At a nail salon, french gels can cost anywhere from $35 to about $100 depending on the salon and whether you get any add-on services, such as designs or treatments or acrylics. Getting a french tip is sometimes considered an add-on, but it depends on the salon.
How Long does it Last?
Even though French gel manicure might be on the pricier side, it can be worth the price since they can last anywhere from two weeks to a month without chipping. The time frame varies, though, depending on how much you use your hands and whether you take care of your nails.
Believe me, french tip gels are worth it because they are perfect for any occasion. Ultimately, whatever gel french manicure design you decide on, you will not regret it.
Nichola Mottram is a beauty specialist and a professional Makeup artist who did her Licentiate degree, (Esthetician) at Aveda Institute, Los Angeles. Later she joined a cinema makeup school as a makeup artist where she studied all forms of styles and makeup. She is currently the owner and CEO of Nichola Jane Makeup through which she works for a number of feature films (Kalliste Zoe productions), short films, music videos, photo shoots etc. She loves writing beauty - fashion related posts and loves sharing them on her blog nicholajanemakeup.com