A photograph of an all-black french manicure was posted last week on the “ChickChat: Beauty”  page of ChickAdvisor, an online platform that reviews the hottest beauty products on the market. I had the pleasure of interning as the editorial assistant at ChickAdvisor last semester– it provided me with a jump-start into the world of writing fashion and beauty articles for the web! Though I’ve recently been experimenting with bright nail polishes, I found myself obsessed with this different and dramatic take on the classic french manicure– so much that I headed to Trade Secrets and bought the shades necessary for my new manicure project.

The materials:

(1.) O.P.I. NL E47: Suzi Skies in The Pyrenees (2.) O.P.I. NT T82: Matte Nail Envy (3.) O.P.I. NL T02: Black Onyx

The process: First, I applied two coats of  the O.P.I. NL E47 shade.  Next, I applied a coat of the O.P.I. Matte polish on top, hoping it would create a matte effect. Then, with a steady hand, I painted on a thick tip in O.P.I. Black Onyx, after making sure that matte coat had dried.

The verdict: The original photograph that inspired me to try out this manicure showed a matte base coat, and I must say that the O.P.I. Matte Nail Envy doesn’t come close to achieving the same effect. My end result appeared to be a normal grey and black french manicure, with a shiny, rather than matte finish. Nonetheless, I’m happy with the look– it’s bold, edgy and unique; an atypical approach to the classic french manicure.