The French Twist, as featured in Cosmopolitan's February 2013 issue, was inspired by both the old-school French and the huge geometric nail-art trend.

"For a modern take, I used the natural nail, not neutral polish, as the base and placed the ruby tip on a diagonal," said celebrity nail tech Tracylee.

To achieve the look:

  • Remove natural oils with nail polish remover.
  • Create a stencil with tape. (Place a small piece from the top left corner to the mid-point of the opposite side.)
  • Apply base coat, followed by two shades of crimson polish to the exposed triangular edge.
  • Once dry, remove tape, and apply high-shine top coat from base to tips.

Recommended polish: Deborah Lippmann's Ruby Red Slippers or OPI's Danke-Shiny Red.

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