You have seen it all over Pinterest and tumblr and said, “that looks awesome!” but how many actually go through with doing it? I saw it, loved it and finally did it! After a couple of jacked up nails, I figured out the easiest “how to do this” and now you can too!

So here is the skinny….

This is what you will need.

1. Black polish. I used the one by Butter cause it rules. $14 at Nordstrom
2. Matte About You matte-ifying polish by Essie – $10 at Bed Bath & Beyond (Target probably has it)
3. Nail polish remover, cotton and a brush for clean up/possible mistakes.

Step 1: Paint the entire nail with the black, 2 coats. Let it dry.

Step 2: Apply ONE coat of the Matte polish. Make sure you do even strokes from the bottom to the top. If you do this any other way it looks all wonky and wrong. Do it as quick as possible, making sure you get everything if not you will have random glossy corners peaking out. Let it dry.

Step 3: And this is where it gets tricky… If you have a very steady hand, paint just the tips with the black gloss polish and let it dry. You’re done! If you don’t have a steady hand I would recommend you get the french manicure tape thingies. I don’t know if they will work though cause I never use them. One hand ended up looking better for me than the other… I am steady but not ambidextrous.

Step 4: Once you are fully dry, use the brush with some remover to clean up around the cuticle areas.

You’re done. A sexy and classic take on the french manicure! You know, without all that white and pink stuff *gag*

Now, not sure how long it lasts since you cannot put a clear coat over it since all it will do is undo all your hard work. Can you do this with other colors? Absolutely.