How To Recreate Princess Diana's Favorite Manicure: A Classic French Tip

Princess Diana's iconic style continues to provide inspiration, and this includes her penchant for French manicures. The People's Princess favored a short, square-cut nail with thinner white tips and a pink, glaze color base, particularly in the '90s, when French manicures were the rage. Nail trends fluctuated in the early aughts and the 2010s, and for a period of time, the French tip was out of style, but it's back with a vengeance. There are countless variations of the French manicure; some styles sport deep tips, while others play with color combinations, glitter and texture. But what we're after here is an accurate recreation of Diana's favorite nail trend. The classic French tip dresses up nicely, and it dresses down just as easily. 

It's not just Diana's nails that are back in style; everything Diana wore is seeing a resurgence, and Dianacore is trending as people recreate her timeless looks. So everything from biker shorts to blazers are trending again, and included in this Diana-surge are her nails. The shape of Diana's French tip is very natural and workable; she wore them short, so they were easy to wear. She also opted for a natural, light pink finish, so in this way she followed royal protocol with simple, unfussy nails. The elegance of Diana's nails is that they didn't stand out garishly; instead, they were elegant and understated. It's certainly worth a try!

Prepping the nails correctly is essential for nailing the Princess Diana-inspired French manicure. "A classic French mani should look clean, so it's not only about the white painted line but also a well-prepared nail," nail educator Natalia Bychkova told Byrdie. To achieve the particular look that Diana loved, keep nails short with a natural finish that leans on the square shape. Remove any former nail polish, and soak cuticles in oil so as to be able to push them back. Using a buffer, buff the nail beds lightly and file the nails themselves into shape. Most importantly, by the end of this step, you'll want to make sure that your nails are very dry so that the polishes adhere to them better. You'll get a longer lasting manicure. "Before getting ready for the base coat, dehydrate the nail plate with alcohol or nail polish remover to remove any hand cream from the nails," Bychkova explained. This way, there's no moisture or oils on the nail beds to interfere with the polishes. 

For her French manicures, Princess Diana favored a pink-tinted polish as her base coat. This certainly aligns with the '90s nail trend that we've come to crave all over again in our nostalgia for pre-Y2K fashion. Manicurist Julia Diogo spoke to Vogue about the resurgence of interest in Diana's French manicures, and suggested a few different variations of the pink base coat can be used to achieve it, depending on a person's skin tone. Diogo said that Chanel's La Base Camélia was a great choice to achieve this look for anyone with paler and olive complexions. Dior's 108 Muguet is a great option for Asian skin tones, while Bio Sculpture's Spun Out Of Dreams is ideal for darker skin tones, Diogo said. Another favorite base nail choice for this pink-toned manicure is Rose-Colored Glasses by ORLY. 

While deep-tip French manicures are having a moment, to achieve Princess Diana's signature look, opt for a relatively thin white tip. If you're getting the manicure done professionally, be sure to come with some screenshots of Diana's nails to show how short you'd like the tip. If you're doing your nails at home, use a nail tape or guiding strips to help you get a clean edge. Make sure that your base coat is completely dry. You can opt for a totally straight white edge, or go for a slight curve, as Diana's did. For this part of the process, any white nail polish works well. ORLY's White Tips is specifically designed for French manicures, so that's always a safe bet. 

You'll want to complete your manicure by giving your nails a swipe of a top coat before calling it a day. Not only will this tone down the stark whiteness of the tips, but it'll also add a layer of protection to make the final effect last longer. As manicurist Julia Diogo told Vogue, you don't have to use a different product for this step. Simply reach back for your base coat. "I usually layer another coat of my chosen base shade over the white tip to tone the brightness of the white down slightly–it creates a more natural appearance," Diogo noted. Ensure that the white tips are nicely dry before reapplying the base coat. After this, you also have the option of adding a final top coat like Kur's Protective Top Coat to make sure everything is guarded against chipping and wear. 

If we've learned anything about Princess Diana's style, it's that she liked to work with a classic theme and then make it her own. So in recreating Diana's classic French manicure, feel free to build on the look in any way that suits your fancy. There's always space to add some nail gems, like the Starry Night Charms in Silver by Cirque Colors. Nail decals by LondonTown are another great way to enhance this classical style. Or there's always the option Diana chose, of embellishing the look with a sapphire engagement ring! Diana loved jewelry, so the classical French manicure offers a nice canvas to show off some rings and bracelets. Also, it's not a bad idea to add some cuticle oil when the polish is dry, too. Gently massage some oil into your cuticles to keep things moisturized.