perfect french manicure

this is a little off-topic of what i usually discuss, but i couldn't resist sharing this little tip i learned yesterday.

i recently purchased the sally hansen french manicure set with the white tip pen. i was hoping that this would be the end-all be-all of at home french manicures. the kit came with the pen, a base polish, a sheer nail color polish, and tip guides. pretty self-explanatory. i put on the guides and went to town with the pen. when i peeled off the guides, i was disappointed that the white polish seeped underneath the stick-on guide and made a mess on the rest of my nail. i tried correcting it with nail polish remover - but i'm not coordinated enough to make it look like it never happened.

then i thought, well maybe i just need to practice. 5 full painting and removing cycles later - i was annoyed and extremely frustrated. i googled french manicure and found a forum comment saying that they tried painting underneath the nail and it was pretty goof proof.

lo and behold, it works! the white polish i got on my skin was easily removed and what's left are nice and even white tips. the white isn't as bright as in a typical french manicure - but i'll take less than blinding white tips over endless, demanding precision of normal application.

for those people who actually are coordinated, i also saw that you can use scotch tape instead of buying stick on guides. i love the internet!