Pale-pink nails topped with arcs of stark white along the tips have long been known as a French manicure. After briefly falling out of favor, the classic look has fully had its revival, and nail artists have started to tweak it with patterns, brights, and creative color schemes. These fun twists now have a new name in the nail art world: the American manicure.
Well, I take that back. The moniker isn’t actually new, but it’s taken on a new definition. Manicurist Tom Bachik first heard of the American manicure back in the ’90s after graduating from nail school. (Now, you can catch him decorating the tips of Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez, and Olivia Rodrigo.) At the time, the American manicure was basically a French manicure with tips painted a less intense white with a more natural, skin tone-flattering base. “A great way to achieve this was to polish the white first, then, apply the neutral shade over the whole nail, including the white,” Bachik recalls. “It softened the look.”
A classic French manicure in all its glory on Kate Hudson at the 2021 Met Gala