The Frazzled French Manicure Is Bringing A Trendy, Fun Twist To The Classic Nail Design

The French manicure is a classic for a reason. No matter what nail trends come and go, the clear-cut white tip will always be a sophisticated staple. But for those looking to depart from the iconic yet predictable French tip, even temporarily, the frazzled French manicure brings a creative twist to this famous style. Endless out-of-the-box variations of the French manicure exist already, but this new interpretation takes the crisp, straight edge of the tip and makes it curved, wiggly, and uneven. 

"Our classic nail arts such as the French Tip will be getting a bit of an exciting makeover, too," nail artist Kim Truong explained to Cosmopolitan. "Rather than just the classic arch, double or triple arches will become more common alongside hearts and wavy edges. These designs challenge our ideas of beauty as the reason a French tip is so loved is how feminine the shape is."

You can experiment with this craze by asking your nail artist for girly swirls, bold dabs of color on top of the traditional white tip, abstract feature nails, and French tips that wave to the side or on the diagonal rather than in a straight, smooth line. The true beauty of the frazzled French trend is that it's inherently untidy and imperfect, so you don't need to seek out a nail artist. If you've got an unsteady hand, this could be the DIY French tip manicure of your dreams! 

With the frazzled French manicure, the exact shape of your tips can be whatever you want them to be. Wavy wiggles are a particularly fun way to jump on this trend, and don't be afraid to experiment with multiple colors. After the enduring popularity of chic minimalist and muted manicures in the 2020s, bold hues like Bottega green and fire-engine red will help this abstract look stand out even more. And together, they might even give your nails a Gucci feel. 

Just because the frazzled French manicure isn't traditional doesn't mean it's not still feminine. You can keep this creative style coquette by combining soft shades with fine-line nail art, like squiggles that run right across your nail. If you're doing this yourself, grab a thin nail brush and doodle away to your heart's content. 

The nostalgic Barbiecore trend may be on the way out, but you can send it off with a bang by incorporating hot pink into your frazzled French manicure. Start with a classic French style, and then layer over a "messy" dab of saturated hot pink. You can give the wavy top layer of color the same silhouette on every nail or mix it up to add even more interest to this unexpected style. 

While some French nail styles follow a color theme, like the muted and pastel shades of the soft Skittles manicure, there are no rules when it comes to the frazzled French. Go with whatever shades you like, and combine them into your tips, keeping up those curvy, messy edges to maintain the artistic feel. 

To be clear, frazzled French manicures don't have to be colorful. Keep the look more refined by balancing black and white in true yin and yang style, drawing the edge of the tip so far down that each nail is nearly half-black and half-white in perfect harmony. Don't feel pressured to make that defining line between the two shades smooth or straight, either. It can swirl, wiggle, or curve diagonally across your nail. 

Not sure if the frazzled French manicure is for you? The perfect way to dip your toe into the pool is with one frazzled feature nail. Opt for a traditional crisp edge on most of your tips, but choose one nail from each hand to mix it up with wiggles and squiggles. Tie the whole look together with a theme, like a bright color palette that brings about the feel of sunshine or floral nail art that adds a playful and feminine element to your already unpredictable manicure.