French Manicures Made Easy
By Donna Kelly 

French Manicure Step 1: Remove old polish

Using a cotton ball and nail polish remover remove all traces of existing nail polish. There are 2 main types of nail polish remover to choose from. Acetone nail polish removers take off the nail polish quickly but can dehydrate your cuticles. You might want to use Acetone nail polish removers if you are trying to remove bold, deep or bright shades of nail polish. Non-acetone nail polish removers take longer to remove nail polish but do not dry out the nail and cuticle. Remember, if you have artificial nails, you should only use non-acetone nail polish remover.

French Manicure Step 2: File your nails

Rule #1...only file in one direction. You'll weaken the nails if you saw back and forth. Starting from the back of the nail and going to the center, make long, sweeping strokes. Avoid metal files; they are brutal on your nails.

French Manicure Step 3: Soak your hands

Fill a large bowl with soapy water and dunk your hands in it for several minutes. This helps to soften your cuticles and clean the nails. Dry your hands when done, using a paper towel, not a cotton towel. Cotton towels may leave behind fuzzies that will show up in the nail polish.

 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]