Black French Manicure, How to do, White, Pink Tip Nails & Designs

Black french manicure, as it names suggests is a french manicure with black tips instead of white, covering approx. ¼ of the nails length. So if you are fed up with your ordinary white french manicure, why don’t you try black instead. It will also makes your nails looks more vogue and elegant as opposed to any other color and will suit any skin tone–from the lightest to the darkest.

Read on the rest of the article on how you can make it, the best black french manicure polishes for different finishes, Black and white, black and red, black and pink as well as some black french manicure designs with a twist.

How to do Black French Manicure DIY at Home

The process of doing black french manicure is the same as doing a usual white french manicure. However, since black is the darkest shade in the color spectrum, you want to pay attention to the detail and be extra precise when applying the color to your tips as any mistake will show through.

black french manicure with white pink, red, tips and designs — Black french manicure

Here is how to do a DIY black french manicure at home:

To complete this, you will need a clear or semi transparent nude polish or base coat, a cuticle pusher, a black nail polish, french manicure sticker lines, a nail buffer and a clear top coat.

First of all, make sure your nails are cut and shaped similarly and there are no irregularities in length. Use your buffer from one direction to another until you get the size and shape you want. For black french tip to show through, your nails should ideally be at least half an inch long.
Remove excess moisture and oils from your nails with acetone remover dabbed in cotton pad (this step is optional but helps prep your nail surface better)
Apply a thin layer of base coat. Let dry completely
Apply the stickers onto each nail, just below the natural line that separates the base of the nail with its natural beige/white tip.
Apply one stroke of black nail polish. Let dry and if it doesn’t look opaque enough, apply another layer and let dry completely.
Finish with a nice even layer of top coat. Let dry.

Black French Tip Acrylic Nails

Below is a tutorial on how do black french tip acrylic nails.

Black and White French Manicure

In the following video tutorial, learn how to do black and white french manicure

Pink and Black French Manicure Ideas with Pictures

Below are ideas with pictures on pink and black french manicure.

black and pink french tips nails — Picture #2

Pick and black manicure ideas — Picture #3

black and pink french manicure ideas — Picture #4

Black and red French manicure

The best Black French Manicure Nail Polishes

When you are looking for the best black nail polish for french tips, you ideally want to look for a nice opaque formula that doesn’t need more than 1-2 strokes to show through or you will waste time and effort applying multiple layers. The best black nail polishes for this purpose, based on their finish are:

Best all-purpose black nail polish:

Chanel black satin. This is a true black shade with a velvety smooth and semi-matte finish. Formula applies very easily according to most online reviews and goes opaque in just a single coat. Sells for $21-23 per bottle.
OPI Lady in Black. If you don’t have the money to splurge on Chanel but still want a nice black shade and reliable formula go for OPI in Lady In Black. This has a smooth semi-matte and natural finish that is perfect for black french tips.

Best glossy black nail polish:

Orly Liquid Vinyl. Just like its names says, this the perfect black for a liquid, glossy and vinyl like finish. Formula goes opaque in 1-2 strokes.
Butter London in shade Union Black Jack. Another true black with a glossy vinyl finish that looks similar to Orly.

Best black matte nail polish:

Jessica Cosmetics, black matte nail polish. This a velvet matte shade that doesn’t look too harsh in natural sunlight and goes opaque with 1-2 strokes.
NYX matte black. Another good black matte shade that’s opaque although you have to be extra precise not to make any mistake in your lines as it will show.
Orly Vinyl Matte. A true matte carbon black shade with almost no shine at all. Two layers are enough to get a nice opaque effect.

Best glitter black nail polish:

Orly in shade goth. If you are looking for a sparkling black that doesn’t contain many big chunks of glitter this is the shade to go. It will make your nails look like they have the touch of midnight starry night.
OPI nail polish in pitch black. This is a nice glossy black with a glittery almost holographic finish.
Zoya Pixie Dust in Dahlia Black. This is one of the most unique and sparky black shades and will surely make your french manicure pop. Perfect for clubbing and a getting a touch of a disco-effect in your nails

Black French Manicure Designs and Ideas

Besides the black tip above a layer or clear or semi-clear nail polish, you can take black french manicure to the next level by trying out these design ideas.

Matte black as your base color and glossy black as your french tip.

This a widely popular combo in social media sites like Instagram and nail blogs as it combines the same shade in two contrasting finishes and looks very elegant. Plus, because both shades are black, you don’t have to worry about being extra precise with your tips. Here is a pic on how it looks:

Angular black french manicure.

This french manicure style looks edgy and modern as it takes the curvy/round edge finish of the regular french tip to something more angular. This almost looks like V-neck tuxedo jacket and you can add a few dots to make buttons if you wish.

Black french tips with silver line at the base of the tip

This is pretty easy to make. All you need is to do the basic french manicure steps and just before applying the final top coat, you can add silver lines in the base of each tip to separate the tip from the main nail.

You can also do the same thing with a gold or even a white line, as long as the main body of the nail is kept clear and neutral. And if you want to get extra creative, you can add one neon color line in the base of each tip/one different color line for each nail.