DIY Manicure/Pedicure

If you’re constantly working with your hands, as I do, and don’t have time or simply can’t justify the expense of a weekly nail appointment at a salon, you’re gonna love this:  A quick and easy DIY project for a French manicure/pedicure.

To me, there’s nothing better than a French manicure to achieve a chic and polished look, and it’s absolutely do-able at home.  Simply choose either a pale pink or clear base coat and apply white nail polish to the tips in a crescent moon shape and finish with a clear top coat.

Step 1 – Remove old polish, soak and shape up cuticles (I keep a wooden cuticle stick near my shower and clean my cuticles routinely after bathing…it saves this step completely), wash and fully dry nails, and trim all to your desired length.  (French manicures are more striking on longer nails, but you’ll notice from the pictures that I generally trim my nails very short, so you can do this even if you have nails as short as mine.).

Step 2 – Apply a base coat of the pale pink or clear polish (I used Rimmel 60 seconds clear polish) and allow to dry fully.  Next, paint a crescent shaped half moon on the tips of each nail, with the white polish (I used Sinful Colors white polish) .  Since I’m not that good at painting a straight line without the use of some type of guide, I use Orly French Manicure white tip guides.

Apply two coats of the white paint, allowing each coat to dry fully between applications.

Apply the same process exactly when painting your toe nails.

Step 3 – Once the white paint has fully dried, carefully remove the painting guides and discard.  Clean up any smudges or sloppy painting using a Qtip dipped in nail polish remover.

Step 4 – Lastly, when you’re satisfied with your lines, apply one or more coats of a clear topcoat.  (I used the same clear polish as both a base and top coat for simplicity.)  It’s just that simple!

Note: For special occasions, I’d recommend having a professional manicure and pedicure, but for everyday beauty, it’s kinda of hard to beat this DIY project.

Enjoy!