The Velvet French Manicure Is Adding A Touch Of Sparkle To Your Nails

The world's favorite manicure is getting a textured makeover, and we should all be trying it out for ourselves. This elegant, velvety new take on the popular design of the classic French manicure incorporates all the elegance of its predecessor and more — or at least more sparkle. For all the reasons you love your white nail tips, you can also bet you'll fall in love with this soft velvet iteration of a chic French nail design.

The velvet French manicure is just like a regular French mani, except that it boasts glittery, colorful tips instead of plain white ones. Why? For that soft, texturized visual effect that gives it its glamourous name. This is easily done with different techniques, including ultra-glittery polish, holographic nail polish, or magnetic polish. Perfect for cocktail parties, nights on the town, and the occasional rooftop drink, as well as brunch dates and morning errands, these nails can take you from night sleek to day chic any day of the week. 

Who said you needed to compromise color for this trendy manicure? If you're the type who loves a multicolor manicure, you can still give your nails the French velvet look with any (and all) of the colors you desire.

To make it work, we recommend sticking to the same amount of vibrancy for each nail polish shade. All pastels, all neons, or all dark colors look best when worn together. Once your nail tips are all coated in a different shade, a sheer glitter should be placed on top. Alternatively, choose nail polish shades that already offer the glitter effect.

Red nails of all shades are constantly on rotation for the girls who keep on top of the trends, and burgundy seems to be the most versatile of the bunch. Perfect for making a statement, this nail polish shade looks even better with a little glitter thrown on top. Choose your favorite wine-red nail polish and draw your French tip over a neutral base. Then, choose a sheer shade of glitter polish to cover your burgundy nail tips, pair it with a few feature nails, and voilà!

Nothing feels better than a well-done golden manicure. While most of us save our glittery golden nail polish for special occasions, we also await those occasions impatiently, hoping for any chance we can get to sparkle like the stars in the night sky.

For golden velvet nails to be proud of, opt for a deep French manicure with a straight edge. This approach will be sure to make a statement. And for added sparkle, we suggest adding sheer glitter over the base or as a top coat.

Silver, much like gold, seems to be people's choice only on special occasions and events. With its elegant and bold sparkles, similar to a diamond's glint in the light, we think it deserves the spotlight far more often. Plus, by giving it that French tip twist, a new look is born from silvery ashes.

Create a classic French design with your chosen silver nail polish and a neutral pink base. Any nail shape will go along with your silver sparkles, from stiletto to coffin to classic square.

If you want to try the velvet French manicure but aren't into the classic look of French tips, you can always customize this trend. Countless French manicure alternatives take the same idea of lined nail tips and make them more fun — including abstract and double-corner French nails.

To spice up this velvet manicure, choose your preferred shade of glittery nail polish — you may even choose a 3D look for added spice — and draw your "line" in organic, differing shapes. Square nails work best for this look, but you can always experiment with your own nails.