The Genius Way Lana Condor Ditched Her Nail-Biting Habit

You know Lana Condor as the breakout star from the To All The Boys series. But the actor had an unexpected pre-fame gig: doling out manicures.

“I’m pretty freaking good at doing nails,” Condor says excitedly during our Zoom call. “It was actually one of my jobs. I used to work at a nursing home, and every Wednesday I did manicures for the residents. She remembers it was a “joyous routine” for everyone involved. “The women would always look forward to it and they always knew exactly what color they wanted,” she tells Bustle. “That was such a great time.” This led her to be the go-to nail painter at her friends’ sleepovers — and makes Condor the perfect fit for her new collab with Dashing Diva as the nail brand launches its GLAZE line of semi-cured gels.

When it comes to her own nails, however, things haven’t always been smooth sailing. “I've been a nail biter my entire life,” she laments. The quarantine finally gave her the time and opportunity to cut the habit: Condor, wary of pandemic germs, stopped the biting and began a journey to repair her nail beds. “It’s very awesome to finally have nails that I’m not ashamed of,” she says, excitedly while showing off her self-applied Dashing Diva Candy Village pastel mani, one cute set within the GLAZE collection. The collection, BTW, is a first of its kind: semi-cured gel that you simply stick onto your nails, set underneath an LED lamp for 45 seconds, and voila: long-lasting nail art.

Although Condor is as ecstatic as they come about fun nail designs, she has to forgo the glitz when she’s on set and sport neutral nail polish shades. So when Condor isn’t filming, she says she likes to go full throttle. “I gravitate towards very colorful nail art,” she tells Bustle. Other than the design currently gracing her fingertips, other recent favorites are cow print and pressed flowers. “Nail art is a way that I like to express myself,” she says. “I hope my nails evoke positivity. We all need a little bit more of that.”

Condor’s nails do look pristine. Inspired by her dedication to the craft, I ask her for the most important tip she has in her arsenal for at-home manis. As she holds up a Dashing Diva GLAZE nail strip, she explains that you should cut the excess length in “one smooth, fell swoop.” It’ll make things easier and avoid leaving behind a choppy finish.

You can shop Conor’s Dashing Diva must-haves on the brand’s website for $14 to $16 with the exception of the IG exclusive Candy Village. Between the actor’s advice and Dashing Diva’s press-on nail art, you basically have everything you need for a perfect DIY manicure.

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