30 Colorful French Tip Nails Pep Up the Classic Look

meet the expert

Brittney Boyce is a celebrity manicurist who works with clients like Machine Gun Kelly.
Mabelyn Alva is a manicurist and the creative director at Paintbox.

To inspire a colorful French manicure, scroll through the 30 looks below.

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Chrome French

“Chrome French is definitely one of my favorite designs,” says Boyce. “I used Aprés Nail Natural Almond Long ($30) gel-x tips to get the look.”

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Classic Red

“A vibrant red french tip is also a signature manicure for me,” says Alva.

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Multicolor Green French

“This is a fun play on a multicolor manicure. It is a little more subtle because of the sheer nude base,” says Boyce. To create this look, she used the French Manicure Gel Rio de Janeiro Ombre Set from Aprés Nail ($60).

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Multicolor

This super colorful French tip look features two-toned designs featuring various shades of blue, green, orange, pink, and yellow.

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Silver Press-On

“I love silver French tips to wear with my gold jewelry,” says Alva. “Our latest press-on launch includes Cold Spell ($28), a silver French tip design that's perfect for the winter/holiday season.”

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Blue & Orange

Blue and orange—complementary colors—were used to create this French tip look. Each nail has a traditional tip and then an abstract blob.

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Red Hearts

These heart tips are perfect for Valentine's Day or any time you're feeling romantic. Each nail has a pretty red heart for a simple design.

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Black and White

Black & White — Instagram / @nailsbymaki.nyc

This look splits each tip in half with one side black and the other side white. It's like Cruella de Vil's hair in nail form.

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Orange on Orange

Instead of keeping the base sheer, you can make your French tip design more colorful by using an opaque color for the base. This look features a light orange base with a deeper orange tip.

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Hi-Lite

Hi-Lite, a French Manicure Gel from Aprés ($15), was used to create this electric mani. The French manicure gel is super pigmented and has medium viscosity so you get full coverage in two coats or less.

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Shades of Green

For a fun yet uniform look, this design features a teal nail tip accented by a deep green swirl to the side of each nail.

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Minimal Orange

Keep your French tip design minimal by making the tip super small. This design also features a few dots on one of the nails for added interest.

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Lemon Lime

For this look, a bright yellow serves as the base for a deep-green tip, creating a fun lemon-lime effect.

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Sunset

Instead of keeping the tips one color, this design used sunset colors—pink, orange, and yellow—in a gradient.

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Deep Green

Deep green is the star of this impactful French tip design. Two nails per hand got a full coat of the green polish while the three remaining nails have the tip.

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Cherries

Crystal decals are a great way to spice up any mani. This design features a pink French tip with red crystals arranged to look like cherries.

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Baby Hot Pink

The tip on these nails is so thin you'll miss it if you look too fast. It's a great way to use a loud shade like hot pink subtly.

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Evil Eye

French tips are used to round out an evil-eye design. Blue and white anchor the look while one nail per hand got some golden flecks.

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Clear Tip

Instead of doing a sheer base with a colorful tip, this design takes advantage of the clear nature of the extensions. The tips are left clear with a baby blue base. The blue extends around the edge of the tip in a really thin line to complete the look.

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Bridgerton Hues

Celebrity manicurist Julie Kandalec created this Bridgerton-inspired manicure that features yellow, green, and blue pastels along with gold charms.

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Ombré French

Ombre French — Instagram / @klawsbysonia

This ombré tip look uses a thin line along the smile line of the nail to create the sharp look of a French tip without a fully opaque design.

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Limoncello

Alva created this sunny-yellow look using Like Electric form Paintbox ($22). It's a neon shade with a milky base, allowing you to get an opaque finish with ease.

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Brown Gradient

French tips are a really fun way to do a gradient. This look uses five shades of brown, ranging from light to dark.

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Blue Ombré

Blue Ombre — Instagram / @pinkbunnynailz

This ombré look fades from a deep blue at the tip of the nail to a light blue at the base. The tails of the tip extend down to the cuticle line, allowing a lot of space for the ombré to fade.

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Vache

Take a French tip up a notch and add cow print. This combo yields a really fun and pretty look.

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Baby Pink

If you want a French tip that's not too far off from the OG shade, reach for a baby pink. It gives a similarly delicate vibe to the usual white.

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Green & White

A rich green was used to create this French tip design. Each nail also features a thin white swirl to add movement to the look.

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Barbie Pink

If you're still loving Barbiemania, try out this look that features tips in varying shades of pink and white flowers with pink crystals.

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Earth Tones

Earth tones brown, white, and green come together in this French tip look. It's a clean and chic look.

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Green Chrome

This green chrome gives reptile vibes in the best way possible. It's vibrant and moody at the same time.

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30 Colorful Nails That Put a Spin on Classic French Tips