While we all love acrylics, nail art and manicures of any kind – it’s all too easy to neglect the foundation of every gorgeous fingertip – the perfect nail shape.
While choosing colours to match your outfit, season or mood, any look can be totally enhanced by finding a nail shape that works with your design, finger length and hand shape.
From elongating to accentuating to drawing the eye, the shape of your manicure has much more power than you might think!
So which nail shape is right for you? And what nail shapes of 2021 came out on top?
Let’s find out!
The almond nail shape
Best for – everyday elegance
The Almond Nail has taken the beauty world by storm with its universal ability to add dreamy sophistication to pretty much any hand shape or design style. King of classy nail shapes, you’ll leave the salon with slim sides that taper towards the end, with a gently rounded tip…like an almond! Adding length and definition to your hands, it’s effortlessly elegant every day. Works really well with a neutral or nude polish for that sophisticated shine. The only catch? You’ll need longer natural nails to start with, or acrylics to achieve the desired effect.
The oval nail shape
Best for – pops of colour
The oval is a great natural nail shape that can usually be achieved no matter your current length. You’ll be getting a medium to long finish, with straight-filed sides that end in a soft semicircle. The ideal canvas for something poppy, bright and fun, use this simpler design to unleash your wild side with whacky colour pairings – think Promising Young Woman!
The square nail shape
Best for – thinner hands
Straight-filed sides and a straight-filed edge, the square nail gives an athleisure finish. Strong and dependable, they’ll stand out and add definition to hands that can feel too long or thin. Because they add visible width to the appearance of your nails, you might want to steer away from these if you are wanting to add length with your looks.
The coffin nail shape
Best for – fashion-forward edge
Also referred to as ‘The Ballerina’, the coffin shape is set to take 2022 by storm. The perfect blend of edgy and feminine, this shape compliments the city street strut oh-so-well. Your artist will be filing the nail into a tapered point, finishing with a flattened tip. So, beware, you’ll need long and sturdy natural nails to pull the coffin shape off, or some serious acrylic additions.
The stiletto nail shape
Best for – a dramatic finish
Strike a pose, and show those stilettos a night on the town! This dramatic shape involves filing your nails into a sharply pointed tip, so while they aren’t the best for office hours they work wonders for creating a strong first impression. Usually achieved with acrylics, you could achieve this look with some seriously strong natural nails. However, acrylics provide a great base for some edgy art to top off this gravity-defying shape.
Still unsure? You can always review the full set of shapes before deciding, by asking your artists if they have any shaped acrylics in stock. As a general guideline, Almond-shaped nails tend to suit everyone! So they are always a good option. If you have short palms or short fingers – opt for a rounded shape over a square edge. For longer palms and fingers, you will likely find stilettos and squares suit you well.
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