What's A Milky French Manicure & How Do You Get The Chic Nail Look Loved By Celebs?

When Jennifer Aniston stepped out at the Emmy FYC Event in June, you may have noticed her classy, healthy nail look. It's known as the milky French manicure, and it involves swapping the classic pink sheer base for a semi-opaque white polish. That gives a — you guessed it — milky finish that's not so far away from the milk bath nail trend of 2023. And Aniston is hardly the only celeb giving the simplified manicure look a go. Dakota Johnson sported a similar talon design during a January appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," while Jennifer Lopez has worn it several times since her 2022 wedding. And this many trendsetters can't be wrong.

Milky French manicures are easy and neutral (very demure, very mindful, you could say), which means they go with almost any outfit. Plus, they're a fun way to tap into the trendy Hailey Bieber clean girl aesthetic that's been dominating the 2020s. The look also works with any skin tone and nail length. It's easy to do yourself too. That's why we turned to nail artist Mycah Dior of Clawz by Dior for all the tips and tricks to nail this milky magic version of the manicure even the late Princess Diana loved.

Once you've prepped your nails by applying a good base coat, the initial steps to get a milky French manicure are pretty similar to a traditional French nail look. That means creating the classic white tip first. "Use nail guides or tape to ensure crisp lines, and apply a solid white polish. This step is super beginner friendly and each line should come out perfect every time," Mycah Dior told us.

Normally, with a traditional French manicure, you'd paint pink polish on the rest of the nail. But for this variation, you should instead apply a sheer white lacquer over the entire surface until the line of tip becomes more blurred, creating a cloudy, hazy effect. How blurry you want the line to be is down to personal preference. If you prefer crisp edges, one coat may be enough. If you like a more diffused look, try a couple of coats. "Finish with a shiny top coat like Kupa to seal in your design and add shine, ensuring your manicure lasts longer," Dior suggested.

For the ultimate, at-home milky French manicure, Mycah Dior told us that gel products are the way to go. Not only will gel lacquers last longer than standard polishes, they also give a slick, glossy finish that lends to the your nails but better-esque aesthetic. After all, milk isn't matte!

So, what gel products do you need? If you're doing this manicure at home, an LED/UV lamp is required for curing your polish. That's in addition to your standard mani basics, like nail scissors and a nail file to shape and cut your talons. Any sheer or semi-sheer white gel will work for the tips, but to get the milky finish, Dior recommended using 'Baby's Breath' by Aprés. "[It's] the perfect sheer white," she told us of the shade ($14.99 from Aprés). Whites with pink undertones work best here, but other gel polishes that can also work include Mylee's 'Ghosting' gel polish or Manucurist's 'Milky White' Green Flash Gel.