Traditionally, French manicures feature a natural-colored nail with a white tip, and can be done with regular nail polish, gel nail polish, or acrylic. They look clean and classic, but can feature fun twists.

The polish itself is where things get different: you'll start with a base coat layer that primes your nails for the gel, which is a special kind of polish that, instead of air-drying, sets under a UV light. After each coat is painted on, you place your hand under a UV light for 30 seconds.