39 French tip nail designs to try immediately
The French tip never really went out of style, but our devotion to all things noughties has put them firmly on top of nail trends. Alongside claw clips and baguette bags, lined tips have become the go-to mani for It-girls, A-listers and our besties.
Credited to manicurist and President of Orly International, Jeff Pink, the French manicure as we know it originated out of necessity in Hollywood in 1975. At the time it was taking too long for actresses to change their nail colour to match their costume, so Jeff created a neutral nail look that could go with everything. Its name comes from the fact that the mani became so popular, it crossed the pond and became synonymous with models on the French runways in Paris. Hence, the French manicure.
It's easy to see why its appeal endures – elegant and understated, the classic Frenchie not only flatters every nail shape but it also works with all the trends popping off on TikTok, from a nude and white vintage girl or old money manicure, to a brat French tip (just swap the white line out for black). There's so many ways to wear them, including colourful and multi-coloured, or upgraded with extra nail art, stickers, gems and decals.
The shape itself offers flexibility – we've seen it chunky and ‘90s, or micro and delicate. Likewise, we’ve seen it straight and squared, or rounded, pointed or almond.
So, whatever your aesthetic, we have some of our favourite French tip nail designs lined up below…
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Squared-off Frenchies
A classic pink and white Frenchie made modern with elongated squared-off tips.
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Bubblegum pink Frenchie
Swap nude and beige bases for cute (but still sophisticated) bubblegum pink).
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Bow Frenchies
Balletcore and coquettecore remain two major aesthetics, this blends both with silky white tips, pearl details and of course, bows to gift wrap the whole look.
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Glazed Frenchies
Glazed donut nails are still going strong, but for something a little different, experiment with glazed donut tips.
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Short lipgloss French tip
We love lipgloss nails that look like they've been coated with a slick of sheeny or glitzy gloss, add on a French tip and you've got two top trends in one.
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Chrome Frenchies
How beautiful are these iridescent golden red tips? A must-try manicure for autumn/winter, you really can't go too wrong with chrome nails.
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Classic micro Frenchie
More of a minimalist? Short nails with a dinky French tip will never not look chic.
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Lilac gingham tips
These gingham textured tips are adorable.
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Red vixen Frenchies
Red is a classic for a reason, as for a red Frenchie, this chunky, pointed almond rendition is hotttt.
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Heart Frenchies
Romantic and sweet, the addition of red hearts over a '90s chunky French is inspired.
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Mermaid Frenchies
Seriously stunning, these mermaid French tips are guaranteed to get you noticed. Match them with a mermaid beauty look for extra impact.
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Butter glazed Frenchie
Butter yellow nails established themselves as the spring/summer colour we didn't know we needed. For nails, you can go full colour block, but we also love this glazed Frenchie take on the trend.
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Orange fade Frenchies
This is giving height of summer, good weather, good mood vibes, The tropical orange fade makes us think of a tequila sunrise.
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Cherry Frenchies
Super sweet, ask your manicurist to paint cutesy cherries on top of peachy pink tips. It’s giving “spring picnic energy”, as @overglowedit says.
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Reverse Frenchies
An easy way to refresh a classic French manicure? Paint a sliver of colour along the base of the nail instead of the tip. This works especially well with a squoval nail shape.
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Lemon & lime Frenchies
Summer may be over, but we still recommend experimenting with this joyful French tip nail design that pairs sunny yellow with bright green to mimic lemons and limes. It’s essentially dopamine dressing for your nails.
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Zebra print Frenchies
Animal print nails is a whole moment and these zebra Frenchies are so fun.
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Glossy squared-off French manicure
It's classic, it's elegant, but it also feels modern and on trend, we love these elongated, ultra glossy, squared-off tips.
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Black & metallic Frenchie
Like to mix things up, this metallic and black French manicure gives an edgy twist.
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Sugar almond Frenchie
One of the most classic ways to wear a French manicure in the 2020s is long and almond. We love it for a reason.
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Pink chrome Frenchies
A chrome mani in vibrant pink is bound to make a statement.
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Micro blue Frenchie
Blue nail polish is having a major moment. Tap into the trend with ‘blueberry milk nails’ that combine a sheer blue base with baby blue tips. So chic.
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Barbie Frenchies
There’s no such thing as too much pink – just ask Barbie. To do this look DIY, you’ll need a bright pink for the base and an even brighter pink for the tips.
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Chrome silver Frenchies
If you're a silver jewellery girl, match your mani to your accessories. This would be perfect on a wedding day, too.
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Tennis green tips
Switch out a skinny white tip for something a little zingier with this tennis green shade.
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Square lime Frenchies
If you like your mani bright, lime is the way to go.
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Rainbow Frenchies
Why stop at one colour when you can experiment with five? Take your cue from these rainbow festival nails that are bringing us so much joy.
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Velvet French tips
Level up your nails with a textural element. This velvet effect is phenomenal.
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Fluro green Frenchies
For a mani that could literally stop traffic, fluro green is the answer.
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Pastel snake print Frenchies
Blooming gel has enabled manicurists to create prints they could never have executed so easily before, including this statement pastel snake print.
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Glitter disco Frenchies
Trust nail guru Harriet Westmoreland to create the prettiest French manicure that pairs a sheer, neutral base with silver glitter tips. Perfect for party season and beyond.
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Neon gradient Frenchie
Is it an optical illusion of do these neon gradient Frenchies look like actual magic.
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Glazed donut Frenchie
Upgrade a classic chunky Frenchie by adding a glazed finish on top.
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3D Frenchies
Why stop at just the nail paint when you can add appliqué, gemstones, crystals, pearls and hearts.
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Alloy Frenchies
This wet look metallic black Frenchie is mesmerising.
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Pistachio green Frenchies
How cute is this pistachio green Frenchie?
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Pink swirl Frenchies
We love a tonal moment and this pink on pink on pink French manicure has our heart.
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Ombre French chrome
The ombre Frenchie gives the trad tip a new twist by fading it down into the base colour and this chrome rendition could not be more stunning.
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Gold-plated Frenchies
For a special occasion, a wedding or just to upgrade your regular Frenchie, a gold-plated tip adds an extra luxe feel.
For more from GLAMOUR's Senior Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk
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