Not quite a buffer but not quite a file... Eh... Some shine to the nail but not great.  Regular buffing block works much better. [SEP] Not really a buffer... But not quite a file... Pretty but really didn't work as well as a traditional buffer.  Yes it provides a little shine to the nail but you can't get close to the sides easily and the part it does shine takes more effort than a regular buffer/shine block.  It's more like a fine grit file... too fine for edge filing but not quite a buffer/shiner either.