I know we're all familiar with the traditional french manicure, but the reverse french - also known as the half moon manicure, is something much less traditional. It was one of the most popular nail trends in 2011, and is still being seen on catwalks for Spring 2012. It's a very funky and trendy nail design that can be done easily with the help of a some stickers (or a steady hand!).
What's fun about the reverse french is that there's really no right or wrong way to do it! You can use any two colors you'd like, using contrasting colors or colors similar in tone for a more subtle effect. The "half moons" can be any size you want, there is really no standard.
For my manicure, I used two coats of Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer in #320 All the White Stuff and one coat of ULTA Salon Formula Nail Lacquer in Heirhead. For a top coat, I used Seche Vite Top Coat.
- First, pick your two nail polish colors.
- (Optional) Apply a thin layer of a base coat.
- Apply 1-2 coats of the color you want your reverse french/half moon to be. (I chose white)
- Wait for your nails to dry completely. You want to make sure they are completely dry, otherwise, you can risk messing up your nails in the next step. You may want to add a coat of a fast drying top coat to seal the two coats of polish. I used Seche Vite Top Coat for this.
- Stick paper reinforcement stickers to the base of your nail. Depending on your preference, you can stick them on higher up, or lower down. So they aren't too sticky, stick them on the back of your hand prior to applying them on your nails.
- Paint 1-2 coats of your preferred top color, remove stickers. I removed them right away, so they wouldn't get stuck to my nails.
- Apply a top coat.
(Image Credit: Teen.com)
people have asked for this at my salon but it wasnt so highly requested last yr as the minx so I did the minx instead...now no1 has either of them! lol
ReplyDeleteThis looks soo cute! Love the pink!
ReplyDeletei think this didnt work out for me because i kept the reinforcements on too long and i pressed a bit hard so i had sticky residue left :( ill try again and thanks for including the steps in writing! <3
ReplyDeleteso cute! reminds me of candy for some reason. need to get me some of those stickers
ReplyDeleteThese look brilliant, love the colour combo x
ReplyDeleteInteresting design. I see this from time to time but had no idea how it was accomplished. Good tutorial. Tape is the best.
ReplyDeletewww.thegirlieblog.com
This is sooo cute ♥
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! perfect for Valentines <3
ReplyDeleteThis looks so cute! I love the way you showed us how its done! Really easy but I would have never thought of it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great tip!
Best wishes,
Anca
http://coralista-xo.blogspot.com/
I love the mani :) Thanks for posting the tutorial as well. I have yet to try this!
ReplyDeleteThis is gorgeous :) it's not something i'd ever think about doing but i'm going to have to try it out now, it looks amazing! xx
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I've been wanting to try this.
ReplyDeleteXo
oh i LOVE this!!! x
ReplyDeleteCute! The color combination is nice!
ReplyDeletehttp://purejeanius.blogspot.com
Really cool .Thanks for the guiding through steps.
ReplyDeletehttp://wemakeupblog.blogspot.com
so cute I must do this! as in right now *runs off to repaint nails* LOL
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! So gorgeous, definitely going to try it out.
ReplyDeleteI'm moving near Chicago next year to study for a year, really can't wait. :)
JS xx
http://januarysublime.com
wow..those are super cute!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.shellzdoll.com/
Steffi - LOL, that's funny. The nail salon I go every once in a while has no idea about any of the current nail trends. It would save time though because whenever I do nail designs, it takes me forever!
ReplyDeleteDonna - Yes! They can easily ruin your manicure if you don't wait long enough for your nails to dry, or stick them too firmly. I placed them on my nails barely pressing them on and taking them off right after I painted each nail. I only used one coat, and it worked out great.
kelly - Haha! I free-handed my right hand and it looks terrible! :X
PrincessJasmine - LOL!! Let me know how it works!
januarysublime - Thank you! Definitely do! Oh yay, that's awesome to hear! You'll enjoy it. :)
Thank you everyone for commenting!
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ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial!
ReplyDeleteFound you blog via Lucky and am now following :)
fashiontruffles.blogspot.com
Whaa! Thanks so much for showing how to achieve this look! I've been wondering about it ever since I first saw them. <3
ReplyDeleteThe reverse french/half moon manicure was first popular in the 1930's and 40's and was seen as the more traditional style then. The idea behind it was to show the moons of your nails to show how healthy you were. It was also seen as somewhat scandalous for girls to paint their entire nail (imagine that?) and often no "good girl" was seen with anything other than the half moon. It's my absolute favorite style of polish and has been having a renaissance lately! Dita von Teese is famous for sporting only that style!
ReplyDeleteExcuse me but i dont like it all,i find it non natural,like a plastic barbie!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous!!! Thanks for the tips Natty!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to try it out myself :)
This looks awesome....
ReplyDeletesuperb nail arts
ReplyDeleteNice color
ReplyDeleteLove the color!
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