Handy French Manicure Tip

Hi Tory,

Whichever way you look at it, French manicures are a bit of a pain to get right, no matter how much practice you put in, or how steady your hand is. I've done tips and tricks on this subject before, but found this nifty little work around this week and just had to give it a go.

All you need is a thickish rubber band. That's it. It's so simple I can't believe that I've never seen it in action before. The basic principle is that the rubber band grips to your nail so it's a solid surface, the tension pulls back the skin so you don't get blobs everywhere, and it gives you a nice, crisp edge.

all you need is a thickish rubber band

So, let's go for it. Paint your base colour - one or two coats depending on the polish and make sure that it's absolutely bone dry. The rubber band will take off some of the surface gloss, but you'll be putting a top coat on to even things out. Place the rubber band just under where you want your French tip to be and pull it down securely, holding it in place. Then, just paint your contrasting tip polish on the free edge, wait for about 30 seconds and very gently remove the rubber band. Genius!

One More Thing...

• My clearly labelled "A4 Watercolour Paper" had to be cut down to fit my printer. How does that work??
• The best way to get a dewy foundation? Use a damp sponge and lightly press your warm hands over the surface so that everything melts in and adapts to your skin.
• If you're doing any kind of makeup work - theatre, shoot, wedding or whatever - always take paper cups and tissues with you in your kit. You'd be amazed at how often you'll need a tissue or somewhere to put warm water!
• Another tip for makeup kits on the go - stock up on travel sizes of products like tissues, shampoo, moisturizer and so on. So much easier than decanting or carrying around heavy bottles.

Hugs and kisses,
xxx