THE ITALIAN MANICURE

This mani is about creating the illusion of length. Unlike the French manicure, where the tip starts closer to the sides of the nail in a crescent shape, the Italian style starts about halfway up the nail on both sides to form more of a U-shape, which creates the optical illusion of a longer nail.

HERE’S HOW

⬛ File nails into the desired shape, then push back the cuticles, clean the contours and add nail oil to keep them supple and moisturised.

⬛ Paint nails with a light base coat – beige and cream tones are best if your top coat is a darker hue. Bring the brush as close to the cuticles as possible without touching or painting over them.

⬛ Once the base coat has dried, the main colour can be applied. With the top coat, it’s important not to brush the colour down to the cuticles, but to leave a few millimetres’ distance to the edges. This negative space at each side gives the illusion of elongated nail beds, making the nail look longer than it is.

⬛ Seal with a transparent top coat.

PRODUCTS TO TRY

1 Yardley Stayfast Nail Vinyl in Flirty, R47,96 2 Catrice Iconails Gel Lacquer in Holy Chic, R76 3 The Body Shop Almond Nail & Cuticle Oil, R200