Rita Ora's "Micro French" Manicure Is a Minimalist's Dream

If a traditional French manicure feels a little too Y2K for you, allow us to introduce you to its much chicer, upgraded little sister, aka the "micro" French. It's exactly what it sounds like: think French manicure but barely there. Instead of a white or colorful tip that covers half the nail, a micro French barely creeps along the edge. The result is an ultra-thin tip that toes the line between no nail art and a classic design.

Rita Ora, who's a fan of milky French manicures, showed us exactly how to rock the micro trend in a recent Instagram photo dump of her trip to London. Ora's long, square-shaped nails were painted a milky nude color, similar to milk-bath nails, and upon closer inspection, you can see a fine white line at the tip. She wore the look for the Capital Summertime Ball 2025 at Wembley Stadium on June 15.

A traditional white line is perfect for this look, or you can mix it up with bright colors to stay on trend with this summer's biggest nail shades. Now that shorter nails are popular again, the micro French is a great way to experiment with nail art when working with a smaller canvas. Any nail salon should be able to create this design, but if you're in the mood to DIY it, you have a few options.

We love press-on nails to achieve the look without having to make a trip to see a pro. Try the Glamnetic La Perle Press-On Nails ($18) for a white tip or the Kiss Impress All Day Long Nails ($10) for a fun, colorful twist.

The micro French manicure can also be re-created at home with the TikTok-viral silicone nail stamp. Just keep in mind that this hack works better if you have longer nails.

Brittany Leitner (she/her) is a New York-based contributing beauty writer at PS. She has over 10 years of experience working in beauty, health, wellness, travel, and celebrity news. Brittany holds a degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse University and previously held editorial positions at Elite Daily and "The Dr. Oz Show" before working as a freelance journalist for the past three years.