The 2022 Way to Wear a French Manicure

If the French manicure was a song, it would be "Survivor" by Destiny's Child. While white tips were one of the most-requested manicure styles in the '90s and early '00s, they eventually fell out of style. But just like your favorite girl groups, the French manicure eventually made a comeback and is now considered a classic on the salon menu.

However, white tips aren't the only option. People are getting creative and giving the once-dated manicure a fresh twist by incorporating every color of the rainbow into their looks.

And after swapping out the chunky knit sweaters in your closet for breezy dresses, and opting for a lightweight gel moisturizer over a thick cream, consider colorful nail art your next move when it comes to easing into spring.

Instead of painting your tips opaque white, this manicure features colorful tips. On top of being ridiculously easy, the beauty of the rainbow French manicure is that it's completely customizable. Follow a classic ROYGBIV color scheme or create an ombré effect with five shades in the same color family — the choice is yours.

And let's be honest, it's impossible not to smile when you look down to admire your rainbow tips.

Sarah Gibson Tuttle, founder of Olive & June agrees. "Looking at a rainbow French mani instantly lifts your spirits," she shares. "French manis have been popular all year, and putting a rainbow color palette twist on a classic makes it feel fun."

Nailing this color nail design starts just like any other manicure: shape your nails with a file, buff away any ridges and dead skin, and run nail polish remover on each nail to prep them for painting.

When it comes to the design itself, you won't need any fancy tools, either. Instead, you can use the polish's built-in brush to paint the tip. "Once you've selected your shades, apply a coat of your first color to the tip of your nail using the side of the brush to sketch out the shape," says Gibson Tuttle. "You'll be able to clean it up later."

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Repeat this step on all five nails, then go in with a second coat to enhance the colors. Next, it's time for clean-up. Dip a nail clean-up brush into a bottle of nail polish remover and shape each tip by gently pushing it back before it fully dries. The last step is a high-shine top coat to protect all of your hard work from chips.

Now that you know how to do this nail art, you'll probably need a little inspiration to create your own design. Keep scrolling for some of our favorite takes on this spring's trending rainbow French manicure.