The Invisible French Manicure Is About to Everywhere—a Celebrity Nail Artist Shares How to Get the Chic Finish
What is the Invisible French manicure?
· CosmopolitanI’ll personally never be fatigued by the whole clean girl aesthetic movement, because truly, nothing beats a simple beauty moment. I’ll always go for the look of a glow-inducing facial, a glossy blowout, or a minimal manicure. And I’m about to put you onto the chicest version of the latter—meet the ‘Invisible French’ nail trend.
“It’s a softer, more natural take on a French manicure,” explains celebrity nail artist Jin Soon Choi, who recently created the look on Zoë Kravitz. “Instead of a defined tip, it uses a sheer milky tone to subtly brighten the ends of the nail for a clean, refined, and completely natural effect.” The look creates that coveted your-nails-but-better finish.
Ahead, I got tips from Jin on everything you need to know about the timeless invisible French manicure, how to achieve it, and, of course, some inspo to try it out yourself.
“It’s a French manicure without the line,” Jin explains, “It’s a sheer-on-sheer combination.” Instead of a traditional pink topped off with an opaque white tip, paint on a clear coat for the base and a sheer milky hue on the tips. “The result is subtle but noticeable since the nails look cleaner and more refined, and it reflects more of what I’m seeing now—people want healthy-looking, glow-driven nails rather than heavy polish,” she says.
How do you achieve the Invisible French manicure?
Arguably, the most important aspect of the invisible manicure is shaping and prepping the nail to create a fresh and clean base. Use a file to form your desired shape, then buff the nails for a smooth canvas. And a few drops of cuticle oil will keep everything nice and hydrated.
Next comes the polish. “Apply one coat of a sheer base color,” says Jin. “Then create the Invisible French tip by lightly applying a milky white (like JINsoon Dew) only on the tips, following the natural nail shape.” The key to the technique is keeping everything soft, with no sharp edges or visible lines. “Then finish it off with a top coat for natural shine,” Jin recommends.
What nail shape looks best with an Invisible French manicure?
“While it works on any shape, I prefer a soft almond or slightly tapered shape, in order to make the nails look more elongated and refined,” Jin says. You can also tailor the tip to your preference—go for a micro French for a dainty finish, a classic French for something timeless, or a deeper French for added drama and length. Find more invisible French inspo, below.
Invisible French inspiration:
Courtesy of Jin Soon Choi
@raelondonnails
@kimkimnails
@nailartbyqueenie
@overglowedit
@raelondonnails
@raelondonnails
Meet the Expert:
Jin Soon Choi is the founder of JINSoon and JINSoon Salons and is a celebrity nail artist whose clients include Zoë Kravitz, Anne Hathaway, Miley Cyrus, and more.
Jasmine Hyman is the Assistant Beauty Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she writes about the latest beauty trends and must-have products. Her most prized beauty possessions are a meticulous skincare routine and salon blowouts. You’ll also likely find her in bed reading a good book or endlessly scrolling TikTok (spoiler: it’s usually the latter) while listening to Harry Styles’ entire discography on repeat. Follow her on Insta to be inundated with pictures of her meals.