SOYOUWANNA GIVE YOURSELF A MANICURE?

2. PICK A SHAPE

First, remove any old nail polish from your nails. Do this by applying a bit of nail polish remover to a cotton pad (or using a nail polish wipe) and wiping it across the nail until all old polish is gone. Next, listen to your mother. She always told you to wash your hands, and now is the time to do it. So give your hands a good washing, using plenty of water and soap, and ridding your mitts of all grime. If you have dirty nails, gently run a nail file under the nail's free edge (the white portion of your nail that extends beyond the fingertip). Dry your hands on a clean towel. You are shaping your nails before soaking them, because the nail is weaker when it is newly wet.

Now comes your first creative decision: you have to choose a shape for your nails. You can always go for the "I don't do a lick of manual labor" look, where your nails extend ten feet beyond your fingertips, but bear in mind this look is tough to maintain. It also makes it tough to do important things . . . like eat. Most manicurists recommend only letting free edge of your nails extend but a few millimeters beyond the fingertip. This cuts down on nail breakage, and allows you to undertake those licks of manual labor.

When choosing a nail shape, you should pick one that enhances the shape of your finger. Take a moment to study your hand, analyzing the finger length and thickness, hand size, and cuticle shape. Keep in mind these suggestions:

• Petite hands and fingers look best with almond shaped nails.
  
  
• Short and stocky fingers look best with squoval shaped nails. (There's a manicurist term to impress your friends - it means "squared-off oval.")
  
  
• Heavy set hands look best with squared off ends. This is also true for fingers with wide nail beds (the main body of the nail that defines its shape).

A rule of thumb (ha ha! What a pun!) is to match the shape of the free edge to that of the cuticle (the protective layer of skin at the bottom of the nail). If the cuticle is oval, go with that shape; if square, make the nail more squoval. If you have no cuticle, check your pulse . . . you may be dead.

Now that you've chosen your shape, take your emery board in hand, and start filing. Don't start violently see-sawing your poor nails. Your nails are made up of compacted keratin fibers running lengthwise from the matrix (the base beneath the cuticle where the nail starts its growth) to the free edge. If you push them back and forth, they will start to separate and your nail will weaken. Instead of being a big spaz, delicately caress the nail with single direction strokes. Start at the outer edge of one nail, and move the emery board gently, at a 45 to 90 degree angle against the edge, along the nail towards the center. Repeat this until your nail is the desired shape. Then do the same on the other side, working out from the opposite edge to the center. Maintain the uni-direction theme until your nails are the shape you desire. One note of caution: never file too deeply into the corners . . . you might get an infection. Also, side growth makes the nail look longer.