Allow me to channel Sesame Street’s Elmo when I say that this week’s at-home manicure is brought to you by Julep Crystal Nail File. 


I’ve been doing DIY manicures since I was in high school and I only wish I’d figured out this little tip then instead of decades later. The secret to a self-achieved mani is a super-stiff nail file. Filing nails sucks (it’s my least favorite part of the manicure even when I spring for a professional one. Shaping my own nails makes me want to die even more), but having resistance from a rigid file makes it easier to curve your nail around it to get a rounder shape, which is more ladylike. It helps for getting each part of the rounded tips smooth and even. It will change your DIY situation, for sure.