My hands-down favorite manicure has always been the classic French.  It’s simple and elegant.  It always makes my nails look longer and prettier than they really are.  I think it’s a great manicure for almost any occasion.  I like to play up a French manicure any way I can, and for Manicure Monday this week, I’ve decided to change up the colors! Read on to see my modernized French manicure.

I began my manicure with one coat of Seche Natural over clean nails.  I’ve been using Seche Natural as a base coat for a few months now, and it’s my absolute favorite.  It keeps my nails healthy and strong, but without coating a ton of polish on them.  The base coat actually seems to melt into my nails and feels very natural.  Maybe that’s where they got the name from!

I used Love & Beauty by Forever 21‘s Mint Nail Polish as my base color.  It’s a beautiful teal color with a slight golden shimmer to it.  Two coats will be sufficient, but a third might make this color pop even more.  Keep the coats thin because the more you put on, the longer it will take to dry.

The golden shimmer in the base color inspired me to use Disco Nap, part of Color Club’s Foil Collection.  I got the color as a sample from Birchbox, and I can’t stop using it.  It’s the ultimate gold glitter polish – all glitter!  The glitter is very fine and totally opaque.  Honestly, it’s the gold glitter polish I’ve always been looking for.

Normally when I do a French manicure, I try to use a polish with a skinny brush to make it easier and cleaner.  I decided to take a risk this time and just go for it – very carefully.  However, if you don’t think you have a steady hand, you can always pick up a tiny paint brush from a drugstore and dip it into your accent polish of choice.  I steadily traced the tips of my nails with the gold polish, and voila! A beautiful revamped French manicure.  As always, finish with your favorite top coat!

What colors would you use to change up a French manicure?