How To Pick The Best Nail Shapes For You

Aayushi Mehra

Being at the nail salon quite feels like being at the candy store. With so many options in colors, designs, texture and shapes, it’s hard to stick or even choose one. Thus, it is very obvious that when your nail stylist asks you what you want, things get a little intimidating. But no matter what you choose, the one thing that ultimately decides how good your nails look is the shape of your nail. The shape of your nails depends on the shape of your hands, so here is how you can learn how to pick a nail shape.

How To Pick A Nail Shape?

Okay, first things first. If you are an amateur, go a little slow. Instead of diving head first into a mix of different shades, designs, etc, pick out a simple manicure to figure out your nail shape. Whether you have long or short nails, prefer a basic manicure or want to experiment with an extreme look, there are more nail shapes out there than you have fingers.

Choosing different nail shapes can be a little overwhelming than choosing between red and crimson. So we broke down some of the different types of nail shapes for you to help you understand which one is the best for you.

Types Of Nail Shapes

Before you take the plunge and decide on a nail shape, take into consideration your finger shape, nail bed width, and nail length. Based on that, these are some of the options you should be looking into.

1.Round Shaped Nails:

Round nails are achieved by creating a curve or an angle to your normal square shaped nails. They are perfect for subtly elongating short and wide fingers. The shape can also be used to make wide nail beds appear thinner and longer. This simple way of shaping your nails is quite classic and always in style.

They give the appearance of longer nails and are great for anyone looking for a neat and tidy manicure. They are easy to maintain at home, and their soft, round appearance makes them ideal for any color of polish. You can even try switching between neutrals, brights, and unique tones depending on your mood and outfit.

2. Square Shaped Nails:

File the sides of your nail straight and then file a straight edge across the top after turning the file perpendicular to achieve a set of square shaped nails. These are considered to be one of the most practical shapes of nail and are for those people who spend too much time typing away at their keyboards.

These give a short, edgy and elegant look to your fingernails and are particularly flattering for those fingers that are long and slender. So, if your nail beds are long and narrow, This style will have a subtle widening effect on hands but they will break less easily than other forms, making it ideal for low-maintenance ladies. When it comes to colors, square nails appear most striking when paired with bright, bold, or high-shine polish.

3. Oval Shaped Nails:

These nails can be achieved when the sides are filed straight, but the top of the nail is softer with rounded edges towards the ends. These are ideal for both short and wide nail beds and fingers and give a more delicate feeling to them. The result is a feminine nail shape that helps to make wide fingers appear slimmer and short fingers to look longer.

However you will need a little bit of a longer length to rock these oval shaped nails like a few millimeters of free edge extending past your fingertips. Pair this nail shape with different nail designs, nail art or even some cool pastels to make the shape seem more prominent.

4. Almond Shaped Nails:

Inspired by its namesake, these nails seem to look like an almond. Keep a wide base and round of your nails towards the top to achieve this look. Although they won’t work on short nails, they do give a splendid and elegant look to slightly longer nails. The silhouette naturally suits long and thin nail beds thanks to its elongated shape.

Almond nails are also ideal for slenderizing wide fingers to create the appearance of slim hands. So ladies with short stubby digits will find this shape to be the most appealing since it will give them the effect of long, slender, digits. Try this look with neutral and nude nail shades for a rich look.

5. Stiletto Shaped Nails:

Much like the shoe that inspired its name, these nails are also called pointy nails. File the side walls of the nail straight and then file the nail up and over from the sidewall to center on both sides. While this unique shape is definitely classy and attention seeking, it is also really easy to break these nails. Like almond shaped nails, you need to have longer nails to do this and it will automatically give you the feel of longer, slender fingers.

6. Coffin Shaped Nails:

Quite simply, if you were to cut off the tops of the stiletto shaped nails into a straight line, you would get coffin shaped nails. The dramatic look is achieved by filing the edges of the nail toward the center, followed by filing off the tips. While their neatness and sophistication draws in numerous ladies, women should only endeavor only when their nails are long and tough.

Short and fragile nails will most likely be unable to deal with this shape and break too quickly. Then again, you can attempt the look with acrylic nails. Albeit these nails will require a lot of upkeep, its appearance when combined with pastel tints, nude tones, and matte shines is definitely worth the work.

7. Squoval Shaped Nails:

Just think of square shaped nails but with rounded edges especially towards the ends of your tips. This is an easy, functional nail shape. It's common for hands and toe nails, not to mention it's used on ingrown toenails.

8. Lipstick Shaped Nails:

In this new trendy shape of a nail, your nail is filed in a way to look like a lipstick bullet. File your nails in a sharp asymmetric angle at the tip and you can have a lipstick shaped nail. These will definitely elongate your nails but are not the most practical shape for work or other daily chores. So try these nails for a separate function like a wedding and pair it with some really awesome nail art.

All in all, nails can be fun and look really sophisticated if you know the kind of nails that would suit you and the look you are going for. So try out these different nail shapes and tell us which works best for you.

#Nail Care