Browsing through Tumblr one day, we chanced upon a photo of a monochromatic black french tips combining two textures—matte and gloss. Labeled "The Perfect Manicure," our mouths were literally agape at the simple genius—black on black spells chic all over. So between a handful of polishes, a bottle of polish remover, a couple of failed attempts, and many hours of watching DVDs later, we present you with our four-step tutorial on how to perfect these gorgeous tips.

The perfect manicure? We think so!

Click on the next page to see our tutorial.