Toronto Fashion Week: Which Dark-Tip French Manicure Do You Like Better?

We prefer the coloured French tip mani over the tacky white French mani. But I have a little issue with the BLACK French tip. Do you?

Author:: Janine
Updated:: Dec 9, 2014
Original:: Mar 26, 2013

Tanya Taylor Nails - Photo by Michael Ho

If you've been reading Beautygeeks for a while, you're likely familiar with our unshakeable disdain for the stark-white-tip French manicure. We're just. not. fans. The coloured French tip mani (aka contemporary French mani) however, we love.

But... there's a weird thing about the black-tip+pale-nail combo.

I don't know about Liza and Cranky, but I usually think it's a little dirt-under-the-nails. There. I said it.

Here, lets look at some Fashion Week examples of what I mean:

Tanya Taylor spring/summer 2013, New York. A matte black+nude French tip mani. What beautiful hands -- despite what I'm going to say next, this is a handsome manicure (the matte finish makes it -- get the how-to at BeautyEditor.ca). But this is also the one I think looks a bit like dirt under the nails. If the black tip were any thinner...

Mackage_World Mastercard Fashion Week Toronto_the Covateur

Mackage: Here's another version of that black French tip, this time for last Wednesday's Mackage show at World Mastercard Fashion Week. Essie Canada lead artist Rita Remark used two coats of Essie Topless & Barefoot (nude) as the base, and a thin strip of Essie Licorice (opaque black) along the nail edge. (Photo: Maybelline Backstage Canada/The Coveteur)

Tip: Rita recommends Topless & Barefoot as a universal nude. "It has a hint of pink in it that makes it flattering on every skintone," she says.

Tanya Taylor/The shOws: This mani is by the Tips Nail Bar team for the recent Tanya Taylor Fall/Winter 2013 show at The shOws in Toronto. This I actually like -- because the dark tip is more generous, and I prefer the length and oval shape. (Photo: Edward James)

TT Nails Close Up - Photo by Maddy Gross

No thoughts of digging in a flower pot. (I know we first saw this type of mani several seasons back at New York Fashion Week -- who remembers the designer?) (Photo: Maddy Gross)

Don't the little nails look like wee ballet slippers? The base is Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss in Silver Lining; the tip is Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss in Wine Stain. (Love this colour combo. Wine Stain=amazing.)