The Secret to DIY-ing a Vanilla Latte Micro-French Mani Is This $5 Michael’s Tool

French manicures have been around since the 1970s. Tired of doing new nail looks to match every outfit change on set, Jeff Pink, a beauty supplier, created the white and pink design as a neutral option that actresses could wear to go with everything. Although many iterations have been popular over the years, Camila Cabello’s recent Oscar look might just be our favorite one yet.

We asked celebrity manicurist and educator Julie Kandalec about her inspiration behind the micro mani. “For Camila’s red-carpet manicure, we wanted to do a classic, elevated look with a barely-there shade and a micro-French,” she explains. “I took inspiration from my coffee order—a vanilla latte with just a touch of foam. So we did a semi-sheer, taupe-y nude with a really, really thin French tip, because I wanted the nude to pop.”

To create the look, Kandalec used CND Shellac Bare Chemise for the base, along with the shade Cream Puff for the foam tip. But the key to nailing (get it?) the look, she says, is to keep the French tip super thin. “A trick for that is to use a tiny striping brush,” she suggests. “I think people get so stressed out when they see the big brush that comes in regular polish bottles, so I just use one of those tiny little paint brushes from Michael’s. I just dipped it in and went straight across the top, and because it’s so thin, it doesn’t have to be perfect.”

Get the Look at Home

Show your nail tech Camila’s pic as your inspo, or follow this how-to for a simple, yet chic neutral mani you can recreate at home.

Prep with a base coat

Apply a layer of clear base coat. Let dry or cure using a LED lamp.

Swipe on a nude polish

Apply two layers of a taupe-y, nude shade. Let dry or cure each layer using the lamp.

Paint on a French tip

Using a detailed nail art brush from a craft store, draw a thin beige line to create the micro-French tip. Don’t stress—it doesn’t have to be perfect. Let dry or cure using a lamp.

Seal it with a top coat

Apply a layer of top coat and let dry or cure.

Finish with cuticle oil

Moisturize with a few dabs of oil to condition nails and cuticles. Keep your mani looking fresh by repeating this once a day.