Although I've always been a huge proponent of DIY manicures (I own dozens of different colors, and have been known to switch up the nail dressing weekly), those small botles of beauty are also a huge pain to store. And I'm sure I'm not the only one whose right hand comes out looking like a toddler took to my nail beds and didn't color between the lines.

My self-esteem was rewarded a huge boost, however, when I recently learned that it's not me, it's them–the makers of nail polish. The poor design of that tiny applicator is just not conducive to a perfect manicure. Luckily, Julep is trying to remedy their design with a little help from IDEO.

To improve the nail-polishing experience, IDEO and Julep first examined the perfect angle for polish application and looked for inspiration in everything from vegetable scrub brushes to a calligrapher’s pen. After the workbenches were covered with over 200 prototypes, the designers set up pop-up nail salons in IDEO’s offices and invited loyal Julep subscribers to test the new brush out. 

The result,Plié Wand, an incredibly cool tool that sits gracefully in the hand for an easy DIY manicure went over big during testing. The wand bends, making it easy to use in your non-dominant hand, and the long, balanced handle flexes and twists, so it's easy to find a comfortable grip that keeps your brush steady. Watch the wand, which magnetically snaps onto a cap that fits over and Julep bottle, work its magic here: