French manicure-do yourself? possible or not?

[pellmell]

Mine were done last thurs evening at the cost of £26. I have applied top coat to the tips and been "precious" with them (as ordered by the beautician) but alas they are now ready for doing again!
I love them but would like achieve the same look for less!

Watching with interest, but thought I'd say don't bother with the bourjois one with a shaped brush for painting the tip, which is nigh on impossible to use IME.

O.k, will avoid. Thanks
I have just watched a short "how to" film on videojug. I don't think I could do it especially the right hand as would have to use the left one.

I've done home ones before (you can get those little stickers to help you get a straight line on the tip) but TBH, it's more hassle than it's worth. I prefer just to go for a pretty natural/pale pink colour all over.

I do mine all the time

I get a kit from Boots. 2 layers of the pink base coat. LEave to dry. Then do the white tip - you DO need a steady hand (don't bother with the stickers BTW - they always make the varnish smudge when you take them off IME). Top tip - don't worry if you get white polish on the sides of your fingers as you go along. Afterwards I dip a cotton bud in nail polish remover and rub these bits out leaving a professional looking job. Cover all with clear polish and it usually lasts a week

Goood Luck!

Oh good, I will give the Boots one a try.
I've just returned from a trip into town actually!
Didn't get anything as my overcooked brain forgot I needed money

So I got a kit from Boots
practice may improve things
right now they look like I've tipexed my finger tips

You need to make sure you don't have too much white polish on your brush when you do the tips. ALso shake the bottle like billy-o before you start - if it is too thick then t does get a bit tippexish. When you did the tips did you take the brush from the edge of your nail to the other edge across the way, or did you do it up towards the tip (did I explain that right???) I always do it edge to edge both ways so that the arc of polish meets in the middle IYSWIM, and ignoring the white stuff all over edges of fingers and even underneath the nail sometimes which is rubbed out later as above.

Hope that made sense - practice does make pperfect!!

i'm going to try it, too! now that my finger nails have grown a bit [proud grin by a nail nibbler}

I did it again last night...much better than first time.
The white tip comes in a paint pen type thingy I found it better to begin applying on the skin beside the nail and finish on the skin on the other side. That way I didn't have a build up of excess white with that tippex look. Once I had finished I used nail polish remover to tidy up any on my skin.
I'm really pleased apart from the fact that I have applied a thicker coating of base coat on the left hand ( it looks a bit whiter) They are not quite even.
What would you say is the best base colour? I wonder if a nude colour would be better than the ivory that came in the kit.

Ooh hi Willali !

You could try taking a skin hair and nail supplement, buffing regularly and using a strengthener.

Then you have perfect french polished nails (minus the polish)

I am blessed with strong very white nails. Not blessed with thunder thighs and shit teeth.

my dh bought me a good kit in an airport, not sure if they're in the shops but it's by the people who make touche eclat, and has the same gold box. It is two pens, one for the white with a really hard tip and the other with a brush tip for the pink, and it's easy to apply and fab. well, the one time I had a chance to apply it, it was...

I would suggest keeping the varnish in the fridge to keep it thin as making sure you do not have too much white on the brush is key!