A French manicure is always classy. It’s hands down my favorite way to do my nails. I think it’s sleek, pretty, feminine, and elongates your nails like no other manicure can. All that being said, if I wrote a blog each week about how much I love the classic French manicure, it would get boring. And then I would run out of things to say. So I love to create new, fresh versions of the classic French. This week, I’ve made a monotone French manicure. Read on to see how I got the look!

I got OPI’s Skyfall collection for Christmas, so I’ve been wearing all of the colors as much as possible. One of my favorites from the collection is Casino Royale, a beautiful purple color – somewhere between violet and eggplant.

As much as I love this color, the best part about this manicure is that you can do it with any color you want! So start by applying a base coat – I used Seche Natural – and apply two coats of your favorite color. For the best results, make sure it’s a polish without shimmer or glitter. Matte topcoats seem to work best on flat colors. After this step, I applied Seche Vite top coat. I don’t think a top coat is absolutely necessary because technically the matte polish is a top coat, but I’m impatient, so I used Seche Vite more to get the polish to dry faster.

Let your polish dry completely before moving on. The next step involves tape, so if your polish isn’t completely dry, it’ll ruin your base coat. So wait for it to dry … and then move on.

Cut out ten small strips of tape – about the width you’d want your French tip to be. I used blue painter’s tape. I think painter’s tape works the best and doesn’t leave any residue behind. Apply each of the strips of tape to the tips of your nails, just like French tips. The tape acts as a barrier from the matte topcoat to keep the tip of your manicure glossy.

Once the tape is sealed on your tips, apply a matte topcoat. I used NYC’s Matte Me Crazy Mattifying Top Coat. It’s the first matte top coat I’ve ever tried, and I had no problems with it, so I don’t see any reason to go out and buy something more expensive. Apply one quick coat, making sure to cover your whole nail. As the polish dries, it will mattify your base color underneath. Once the top coat is dry, remove the tape and you’re done!

This manicure was so easy. The whole design is created with one strip of tape and a top coat. It makes me think there are so many possibilities to create different looks just using one color and the matte topcoat. Polka dots, stripes, maybe even swirls! What looks will you try?