5 best two-toned French nail ideas of 2023

The classic French manicure is timeless, however, the two-toned French manicure is an innovative variation of the traditional manicure and has been stealing the spotlight lately. A new trend in the French nail era joining double French, chrome French, and baby French, these two-toned French nails are a refreshing take on the classic manicure.

As its name suggests, this manicure entails the use of two shades wherein one can use nail polishes belonging to the same colour family or two contrasting shades depending on their mood.

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Playfully Pink to Lemony Lime: 5 must-try two-toned French nail ideas

To create the two-toned French manicure one will need a base colour and at least two colours for the tips. If the tips are to be coloured, use a clear or nude nail polish for the base, and for the tips using two colours will make the manicure more appealing.

Use one colour for the middle of the tip and the other colour for the edges or one can simply choose a light shade for the base coat and a contrasting dark shade for the tips.

1) Playfully Pink

This two-tone pink manicure is beyond eye-catching. The manicure features the use of shades from the pink family, creating a cool contrast using a glossy lacquer and matte base polish.

The OPI Natural Origin Nail Lacquer ($12.49 each) is perfect for this manicure. The base pink can be the shade ‘We Canyon Do Better’ which is a canyon pink shade. For the tips, OPI Natural Origin Lacquer in the shade ‘Big Bloom Energy’ is ideal as this range lasts for up to seven days.

2) Back to Black

An all-black mani is incredibly unique and the perfect choice for nail art enthusiasts who love goth nails and the classic mani. The key to creating this manicure is using a matte black polish as the base and a super glossy black shade on the tips.

CHANEL BOY DE CHANEL in the shade 404 Black ($32) for the base coat as it is a matte black polish infused with panthenol to improve the quality of nails and strengthen them.

For the tips, one can use Starily’s Vantablack nail polish ($13.50). It is a one-coat nail polish inspired by the world’s blackest black shade.

One can also contrast with a grey shade for the base coat, keeping black for the tips.

3) Lemony Lime

This contrast of green and yellow is a unique two-tone manicure featuring a mix of light and dark shades representing a lemon and its leaves. This vibrant French manicure is ideal for warm months but also perfect to be worn all-year around.

The shades one can use for creating this refreshing summer mani are Salley Hansen’s Xtreme Wear range in the shade ‘Subway Sufer’ for the base and ‘Big Apple’ for the tips.

This shade range is extreme-wear and long-lasting. It is also streak-free, waterproof, and chip-resistant and retails for $4.25 on Amazon.

4) Electrifying Hues

Just as the name suggests, this electrifying manicure is a mix of bright corals and tangerine colors that impart a bright and rejuvenated feel to the two-tone manicure. The best shades to create this mani are Lights Lacquer’s shade ‘Coralcabana’ and ‘Hide the Rum’ for the base and tips alternately.

Retailing for $11 each, these electric orange and pink-hued shades look amazing on all skin tones and complement most outfits as well.

5) Awesome Autumn

This is the perfect two-toned fall manicure that incorporates fall’s warm colors right from brown to orange. Alternately using shades of brown for the base and tips helps create a beautiful nail art especially if the nails are shaped square.

The shades ideal for creating the Awesome Autumn two-toned French nails are Lights Lacquer’s:

• Unagi- A cognac brown shade that is a part of Lights Lacquer X Friends Collection ($9.50)
• A Mysterious Affair- A burnt-brick red shade ($11)
• Churro- A warm-tan shade with orange undertones ($11)
• Lyla- A neutral tane shade with pink undertones ($9.50)
• Cirque Colors 'The Devil Wears Cirque Colors' ($12.50).

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The classic French mani is loved and resorted to time and again. However, these two-toned French nails are ideal for nail art lovers who love to experiment.