Cherry Red across the whole nail, then a Milk Glass tip — the classic with the white swapped out.
3 bottles: Cherry Red, Milk Glass and Oxblood. Cherry Red and Milk Glass sit a comfortable distance apart: the motif is clearly legible without shouting, which is the easiest range to freehand in. The bottles are not all the same finish (crème and sheer), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.
The squoval shape means straight sidewalls and a soft tip: anything built on a grid or a straight line sits truest here.
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Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Cherry Red French nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Cherry Red, curing each one.
- 2 Paint the Milk Glass smile line tip to tip in one pass, sidewall to sidewall.
- 3 Top coat over the free edge itself, or the line lifts within a week.
Questions about Cherry Red French
Is Cherry Red French hard to do at home?
Yes, with a steady hand. The motif is freehand, so the first nail is usually the worst one. Budget around 45 minutes for a full set, and three colours means three chances for something to bleed, so cure between each one rather than working wet on wet.
What polish do I need for Cherry Red French?
3 bottles: Cherry Red (crème), Milk Glass (sheer) and Oxblood (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Cherry Red French work on short nails?
A squoval works short: you lose canvas width rather than length, so the motif just sits closer together.
How many coats does Cherry Red French need?
More than you would expect. Milk Glass is translucent, so the colour builds over three thin coats rather than covering in two. Stop wherever you like the depth — that is the point of a sheer.