French manicure has not gone out of fashion for many years. It is obtained in different ways - by extensions, on natural nails or using false nails. Most often, French manicure on natural nails is done using white polish and a stencil, but there is another, less common method - a pencil for a French manicure.
[yandex1] [google1]
Why is it needed?
Natural nails may turn yellow over time. At the very beginning of regrowth, the free edge of the plate is snow-white. But over time, it begins to turn gray and stain. This can happen both through the use of colored varnishes and cleaning, for example, oranges and other everyday activities. Dust can even stick to your nails, making them darker, etc.
A whitening nail pencil helps solve this problem. However, this name is not entirely correct; it does not bleach, but simply colors the plate. To do this, you need to sharpen it sharply, remove dirt from under the free edge, and then draw a pencil under it along the smile line. This will help remove any remaining dirt and also give the tip of your nail a healthy white color.
Purpose of a whitening pencil
The phrase “French manicure” immediately brings to mind two bottles of varnish and self-adhesive strips. I also remember that sometimes the strips don’t stick well, the varnish begins to leak under them and smears the smile line. Or it happens that these strips are not removed very well, leaving behind a crooked line. These little things can ruin your mood for a long time.
Now you don’t need to carefully glue the strips and worry about the result; you can forget about all these unpleasant moments. A special whitening pencil is designed to give nails a white color. Flawlessly white. Manicure using a pencil lasts longer.
Composition and features
At its core, this product is a white pencil. Depending on the brand of the manufacturer, medical chalk or white clay may be used to create the lead. The lead is placed in a wooden case, like in ordinary drawing pencils. It is dense enough that you can sharpen it sharply and draw a line under the free edge.
There are other forms of release of this pencil, which are much more reminiscent of a manicure corrector. They are used in almost the same way and give similar results. French hair done using such a device does not look like one made with extensions or painted with varnish. The pencil rather gives a more natural effect of healthy nails without coating. Although, as the manufacturers of this device claim, it is enough to create a full-fledged French manicure and you just need to apply a clear varnish to the nail. But practice shows that this is far from the case.
First of all, the difficulty is that such a pencil follows your natural smile line, which can be uneven, blurry, wavy or asymmetrical. In addition, it does not produce a sharp enough border or a rich enough white color. And also, the result of using such a pencil disappears after the first or second hand washing. However, it does not take up much space, which means you can successfully take a white nail pencil with you in order to correct your manicure if necessary.
What is a French manicure pencil?
The longer the nails, the more they tend to become clogged with various small particles. In addition, not all girls can boast of a snow-white ingrown nail. Most often, they acquire a yellow tint, become translucent and peel off. The French pencil is, first of all, a cleansing and whitening pencil that will create the effect of strong nails and well-groomed hands. It is recommended to take it with you everywhere just in case. The pencil is very convenient to use, and you can easily correct the appearance of each nail anywhere in seconds.
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Minuses
The main disadvantage of using such a pencil is the extremely low durability of the manicure obtained with its help. Essentially, when using it, you simply apply a layer of chalk to the inner surface of the free edge of the nail. Naturally, the result of such coloring remains unchanged only until the nails first get into water. This is especially noticeable on long nails; on short and very short nails, the manicure can last a little longer - until the second or third wash. In addition, chalk may also remain directly near the smile line, since water does not always get there.
The second disadvantage of a whitening nail pencil is that it is inconvenient to use. It is especially difficult, and sometimes completely impossible, to use it on short and very short nails. The fact is that the cone-shaped shape of the stylus does not allow you to do a manicure quickly and accurately. While the sharp tip of the stylus gets close to the smile line, the rest of its width stains not only the nail, but also the finger underneath it. It is almost impossible to avoid this drawback during operation, as well as to eliminate it after application, since the chalk simply smears or is erased from the nail too. This makes using the pencil impossible, especially for those whose nail bed is located far enough from the tip of the finger, that is, a fairly large part of the free edge is above the finger.
However, even if you understand how to use a whitening nail pencil so as not to stain your finger during application and do not wash your hands during the day, this still does not guarantee you a perfect manicure. In the process of performing the simplest actions with your fingers, the skin of their tips will still come into contact with the free edge, and your hands will sweat. This together will create all the conditions for the chalk to remain on the skin of your hands.
In addition, these pencils are often very soft. Applying color this way is even more difficult, since it gets more dirty and goes on unevenly, but the main problem is different. The coating remains quite sticky all the time after application, heating up from the skin. As a result, dust and other particles of dirt accumulate under the nails many times more intensely, and the manicure loses its attractiveness within three to four hours after application. In addition, if it is done on short nails, then there is a possibility that the pencil coating will stain not only the fingers, but also the palms and everything around.
[yandex2] [google2]
Which French pencil is best to use and where to buy it?
Basically, all whitening pencils are made from two materials - white clay and medical chalk.
Each of the materials has a snow-white color that does not require the addition of additional chemical dyes. Some pencils are completely natural. Also, many pencils contain strengthening and nourishing components (I use them for myself). Often, manufacturers of such pencils offer a product containing wax. These pencils create a more lasting effect. If you wash off a regular pencil after the first wash, the wax will last five times longer. The cost of such pencils, of course, will be higher, but they are much more useful.
You can buy a pencil for French manicure in specialized stores, kiosks, order through catalogs and from consultants of various companies or on the Internet. Masters note the following brands as the most popular:
- Yves Rocher;
- Deborah;
- Miss Claire;
- Prestige of the garden;
- Mavala;
- The only one.
We recommend:
Black and white manicure – fashionable design in a traditional combination
Above are expensive brands and a completely loyal pricing policy, which, of course, every woman took advantage of. All brands have their own advantages, but in general they are all characterized by high performance and quality. Similar products for French manicure are also presented in the catalogs of some online brands (for example, Oriflame).
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Wax pencils
Relatively recently, wax French pencils appeared on the market. They eliminate some of the negative features and disadvantages of chalk and clay analogues. In particular, if you applied the coating with a wax pencil, then the likelihood that it will survive hand washing is much higher. In addition, it is these pencils that provide the densest layer and are most evenly and easily applied.
However, they also smear on the finger when applied. But during use, the coatings, even on short nails, do not get dirty, since they are resistant to sweat and the wax coating itself is not sticky. After several uses, your own nail becomes denser and whiter, and may even become less flaky. This shows the therapeutic effect of such coatings.
Creating a professional French manicure
To perform a classic French jacket we will need:
- whitening pencil;
- transparent enamel;
- stencil for French;
- White paint.
Often the last three items are sold in special sets for French manicure. Choose a whitening pencil at your discretion. The procedure for making a French jacket is quite simple:
- Apply two coats of clear polish to each nail;
- wait for it to dry;
- take a loose strip of stencil and lightly glue it under the beginning of the overgrown nail;
- Paint the resulting area above the stencil with white paint for each nail;
- wait for it to dry;
- carefully remove the stencil strips;
- cover each nail with a layer of varnish;
- We perform several times with a whitening pencil inside each nail.
It’s surprising that such pencils are not used in beauty salons; I use them alone, at home after the master’s work is completed.
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Varnishing pencil
This pencil is something similar to a traditional office manicure corrector. It is made in the form of a plastic pen with a thin spout at the end. There is a small ball in the nose, which, when pressed, releases the polish contained in the pen onto the nail. Thus, the principle of operation and method of using such a pencil are similar to a stationery proofreader.
The disadvantage of such a pencil is that it gives a thin strip about 1 - 1.5 mm wide. Thus, it can only be used on short nails. After all, if you try to shade a long free edge with it, you will notice that it lies extremely unevenly.
https://youtu.be/JJx_asF_-BA
Disadvantages of a pencil
You need to remember that a pencil for a French manicure has many disadvantages. The first of them is that the resulting French manicure cannot last long on the nails; it is quickly washed off. The pencil also leaves marks on the skin, even if they are removed with a cotton swab after application. Of course, if you carry a pencil with you, you can constantly touch up your manicure, but many will agree that this is inconvenient. It is worth warning that when you see a photo of a French manicure, you should not expect such a result from a pencil. Perfectly white nails can only be achieved with polish.
There are also pencils that are made of white wax. The effect of their application will be much more beautiful and durable. Also, many girls say that after using a wax-based pencil for a long time, you can notice how the free edge of the nail actually turns white. The wax is applied very smoothly to the nail and does not leave marks on the skin, which makes its use convenient and beautiful.
If none of these options are suitable, then you can turn to varnish pencils for help. These are pencils that have a metal tip at one end and a brush at the other, which can vary in size. With its help, applying polish in the form of a French manicure is very simple. You can also apply patterns on your nails using this pencil.
The white pencil has many reviews on the Internet. Of course, they are different from each other. It must be remembered that the result of using a pencil depends both on the type of nails and on the manufacturer of the pencil. So, other than a practical experiment, there is no other option to find out whether a white pencil is right for you or not.
Useful tips
Whatever pencil you choose, clay, chalk or wax, when applying it you need to follow several rules. They will not only simplify the application process, but also extend the life of the manicure and make it better and more accurate.
- All work with a pencil should be carried out strictly on dry nails. It is important that not only the plate itself is dry, but that there is also no liquid along the smile line. If you have recently washed your hands, it will be quite difficult to remove the water from there, and therefore it is better to wait a few minutes until it dries completely;
- The pencil should be sharpened as sharply as possible. This is especially difficult to achieve when working with soft pencils, which, moreover, tend to wrinkle when they get under a nail, etc. Clay pencils are most often soft and flexible;
- Before use, it is recommended to moisten the lead in water to make the coating more dense and even. Some pencils already create such a coating, however, chalk pencils often have to be kept in water for a little while;
- In order to reduce the amount of pencil that gets on the skin, the tip of the finger under the free edge can be sealed with tape or separated with a sheet of paper. These measures will not make the application completely clean, but will reduce the amount of pencil on the skin;
- You can wipe off anything that does get on it using a cotton swab dipped in water. But this must be done very carefully, so as not to damage the coating on the nail.
To complete this manicure, it is recommended to cover your nails with clear varnish.
It is better to seal the edge very carefully, because the varnish can “wash off” the coating. However, if it remains on the brush and ends up in the bottle, it can cause the finish to fade or become cloudy. [yandex3] [google3]
Using a pencil
The tool must be sharpened for ease of application on the surface of the plates.
When performing French work, the surface of the plate is usually covered with a basic transparent base. After it has completely dried, the tip of the nail is covered with white varnish and a “smile” is formed. When using a pencil for a French manicure, white varnish is not used, which makes the French manicure procedure easier and faster.
Using the tip of a sharpened rod, you need to carefully draw the plate from the inside, that is, draw it under the bottom. This procedure can be done several times to achieve the desired rich shade. In the process of drawing a smile, pieces of the rod may get on the skin of your fingers. Residues should be immediately and carefully washed off with a damp cloth or cotton swab, while being careful not to touch the already painted nail.
After processing all the nails, you need to apply a transparent varnish to the plate. This will create a white smile on your nails, and your design idea will look like the real thing.
Application
Below we will describe the technology of how to use a pencil for a French manicure yourself. Almost all such pencils are intended exclusively for home use and are not used by craftsmen. Before you begin your manicure, sharpen your nails and carefully remove any dirt from underneath them.
- Sharpen the pencil sharply;
- Place small pieces of paper under your nails to separate the edges of your nails from the skin;
- Dip the pencil in water;
- If the instructions recommend, keep it in water for the required amount of time;
- Place the lead under the nail and draw a line, pressing one side of the lead cone against the back of the nail;
- If the nails are long and you have painted not the entire free edge in this way, but only part of it, shade the unpainted area;
- Apply a thin coat of clear varnish on top, leaving the cut edge unsealed.
After the top coat of varnish has dried, your manicure is ready for use. More information about what a white nail pencil is, what it can be and how to use it is described in the video in this material. The use of this pencil is suitable for everyday manicure in a nude style.
Ways to use white nail pencil
The white pencil is designed not only for French manicure, but also for cleansing nails. After all, many people know that nails, especially overgrown free edges, are susceptible to rapid contamination and dust getting on them. It is precisely to clean the nails that a white pencil is used. Apply it under the nail, it will immediately become white and clean.
The big advantage of the pencil is that it is very compact and can be carried with you everywhere to quickly touch up your manicure if necessary. Of course, in order to create the perfect manicure, it is necessary to apply both a pencil under the nails and white varnish directly, since a pencil will not be able to convey all the beauty of a French manicure.
