15 Stunning French Nail Designs to Inspire Your Next Mani

Option #1: Wipe most of the white off the tip of the brush. Place your finger on a flat surface to keep it stable. Turn your finger to one side so the side of your nail is facing up. Apply the brush to that side of the tip of your nail and brush the white from the corner of the nail just past the center. Then, turn your finger to the other side, and polish from that corner just past the center overlapping the first stroke to create your ’smile line'. Repeat on the other fingers.

Option #2: Wipe most of the white off the tip of the brush. Instead of going horizontally, from side to side, use the brush vertically (same direction as finger and nail) use just the tip of the brush starting in the center, working out toward the sides, to create your ’smile line’ Repeat on the other fingers.

Option #3: Use clear Scotch tape to mask-off the tip of your nail leaving it free to apply your white polish. Simply wipe most of the white off the tip of the brush, apply your white polish, and remove the tape. Repeat on the other fingers.

Option #4: Purchase French manicure sticker guides, and apply them to the nail like the Scotch tape method, masking-off the nail and leaving the tip free to apply your white polish. "The nice thing about the guides is they are pre-shaped into a nice curve for a perfect French shape," Bachik notes. Repeat on the other fingers.

Clean-up: Regardless of the technique you decide to use, finish your white tip by using one end of the Tweezerman Cuticle Pusher & Nail Cleaner tightly wrapped in cotton and dipped in nail polish remover to go back and clean up around your tip even deepen the smile line for a perfected French shape. Bachik says an old gel eye or lip liner brush saturated with remover will also work in a pinch.

Pro tip: "The white tip on French manicures is usually a bit thicker than a normal coat of polish, so be patient and wait for it to dry completely before you go to the next step," Bachik tells us. "If you' don't wait long enough, you'll risk smudging or smearing the white you just spent so much time perfecting!"