While a trendy stroke of color is the ideal finishing touch for lovely nails, any manicurist will tell you that shape is crucial. Your nail shape is the cornerstone for generating stunning fingers and is considered the base of any decent manicure. The appropriate form may flatter your entire hand and make it appear more attractive, in addition to complementing your choice of color or pattern. The shape of your manicure has more power than you might imagine, from elongating short fingers to highlighting fine nails. As a result, deciding on the best nail shape for your fingers is a crucial duty that should not be overlooked.
When choosing a nail shape, it's important to familiarize oneself with the many alternatives. Despite the numerous silhouettes and variations available, there are five fundamental forms to be aware of. The fundamental shapes are square, round, oval, almond, and coffin. You'll need to evaluate your finger shape, nail bed breadth, and nail length to figure out which design is best for you.
Here's a quick guide to 9 of the most popular nail shapes which includes everything from gentle circular nails to pointed stiletto nails.
ROUND NAILS (Short Fingers)
- This form elongates your fingers, giving them a slimmer appearance, as well as making wide nail beds appear narrower. Begin by filing the fingertip and following its natural shape. Check the symmetry of the curve by flipping your hands.
OVAL NAILS (Wide Nail Beds And Long Nails)
- This runway favorite lengthens both the width and length of your nails. It has a similar shape to an almond, however it is a little more blunt. To make an egg-like shape, file each side of the nail and slightly curve your file toward the center of the nail.
ALMOND NAILS (To Lengthen & Slim Fingers)
- This is an instantly attractive form, with slender sides and a narrow base. Shape the tip by narrowing the free edge to create a peak and filing each side of the nail.
SQUARE NAILS (Low Maintenance)
- This is the shape for you if you have long, narrow nail beds and like a short length. Are you looking for a little more length? Long square nails are the ideal canvas for current hues and nail art, so acrylic aficionados rejoice. By filing a straight line over the open edge, you can achieve this form.
SQUOVAL NAILS (The Universal Shape)
- Everyone looks great in it! On both short and long fingers, this universally attractive nail shape looks great. This part-oval, part-square design is simple to maintain on short nails. Begin by filing straight across, then rounding the corners in one long stroke while connecting the free edge. Adjust as needed by flipping your hands towards you.
STILETTO NAILS (Short Fingers and Long Nails)
- This is a long-nail form (acrylics are recommended) that terminates in a sharp statement point. This shape is similar to that of an almond, although it is more pointed. Shape both sides into a little taper towards the nail tip by finding the center of the nail tip and filing onto it. Begin to shape the tip by narrowing the open edge to form a peak.
BALLERINA NAILS (For the Acrylic Enthusiasts)
- This shape necessitates salon upkeep. This matches long, thin fingers and angled cuticles because it's long, narrow, and squared off at the tip. Ballerina nails are so named because the tip resembles a pointed shoe. Looking for something a little more daring? Try a similar shape with coffin nails, which are somewhat more angled than ballerina nails and less rounded on the sides of the nail.
LIPSTICK NAILS (The Influencer)
- Be a trendsetter! This squared nail style slants diagonally, much like your favorite hue, creating a truly distinctive manicure form.
LONG SQUARE NAILS (The Diva)
- This is the shape for you if you have long, narrow nail beds and prefer long lengths or acrylics. On long square nails, trendy colors and nail art, such as an ombre, look great. Filing a straight line across the open edge and parallel to the sidewall will give you this form. When you wish to try something different, you can file it down into different forms. This is also a hallmark shape for the Kardashians, created by our favorite nail tech @chaunlegend.