How Do I Choose the Best French Pedicure?

In a traditional French pedicure, the toes are painted using pink and white nail polish. The base of the nail is painted a light shade of pink or peach, while the tip of the nail is painted a bright white in order to imitate a French manicure on the fingernails. Some people choose to change it up a bit and will instead paint the nail tip an actual color, or even just a strip of a shiny silver or gold toenail polish. Most pedicures are pretty similar, so to choose the best French pedicure, you will want to consider the price as well as any other benefits that come with it, such as a foot scrub or massage.

The price of a French pedicure may be a bit more pricey than a traditional pedicure, simply because it takes a little more effort to apply the two colors of nail polish. Since you will likely be paying more anyway, you may want to choose a French pedicure that comes with other treatments for the feet. For instance, a complete pedicure will begin with a foot soak, followed by scrubbing with a pumice stone to remove dead skin, and eventually moisturizing with a rich lotion. Many include a foot massage as well.

If you are getting a standard French pedicure, your nail polish colors are already chosen for you. A traditional French pedicure uses a pink base with a bright white tip. To make it a bit more natural looking, you might choose a lighter pink shade, or swap it out for a nude or peach color. This type of basic pedicure is good for most occasions, and is appropriate for the workplace as well if you will be wearing open toed shoes. If you have more options or a less conservative work environment, you might choose a slightly more fun French pedicure.

The basic principles are the same — a base color with the tip of the nail painted a different color — but you may choose any color for each. For instance, you might choose to leave the base of the nail a nude color, but paint the tips a bright or sparkly shade. Or, you might paint the base of the nail a fun, bright color and the tip a different, complementary color. While not technically a traditional French manicure, it is still a good way to emulate the style with a little bit of creativity.