Be it long, medium, or short, every type of nail deserves love and care. And to maintain the beauty of your nails, you need to trim them occasionally to maintain a great shape. Your manicurist at the salon knows this best, but it doesn't hurt to know the basics of different nail shapes. When you're acquainted with the different nail shapes and understand which style is suitable for whom, you can implement this learning into your daily grooming regime.
In this article, we are going to delve into the two most popular nail shapes: almond shape vs. square shape. You will also find out about other common shapes that you have probably seen on your best friend's hands, pages of fashion magazines, or at nail salons.
What are the most popular nail shapes?
Nail shapes are pretty easy to identify. The most popular ones are almond, square, round, ballerina, squoval, and stiletto– their shapes are evident in their names. Now let's find out how you can get these nail shapes at home.
Almond
Almond nails are defined by a slightly oval shape, with pointy tips. Keep your nail pointed in the middle, and shape the edges– similar to what you find in an almond.
Once you're happy with the shape, file the edges to smooth out any rough ends. When done, finish off with your favourite nail paint. Almond-shaped nails look good with almost all shades.
This shape suits well for short fingers, as it makes them look long and narrow.
Square
Square-shaped nails look absolutely stunning, especially if you have long fingers and short nails. It gives a neat look to your manicure, and guess what, creating this shape at home is pretty easy!
Trim or file your nails straight from the top, so that it resembles a square. The top two corners of your nail should make 90° angles. After filing the top, make sure the edges aren't too sharp and file them slightly.
You might want to paint your square nails with nude or pastel colours, but nail experts always associate this particular shape with experimental styling. So dark colour, creative designs, and geometric nail art would make your nails look more eye-catching.
Round
Round shape is the easiest to achieve because it's very close to your natural nail shape. All you have to do is maintain your original nail shape, and file the top part in a way that the edges are not sharp, rather circular.
If you don't have time to maintain your nails but you still want a somewhat groomed look, this is your go-to nail shape. It doesn't matter whether your fingers are wide, slender, long, or short, everyone can carry this style effortlessly. It makes your nails appear naturally longer.
If you want to put on nail paint, go ahead with any shade of your preference.
Ballerina
This shape will inevitably remind you of the square-toed shoes ballerinas wear. File along the edges of the nail until you come to the middle point, then give the top a square shape. As opposed to square nails, this shape is more suited for long nails.
This style makes your nails look longer, and creates a chic and modern look. The shape can be a little tricky to achieve, so if you're keen to get this kind of nail shape, your ideal option would be a professional manicure.
Solid nail paints look the best with ballerina-shaped nails, be it nudes, pastels, or dark shades.
Squoval
This is yet another easy style to achieve. For this look, first you have to shape your nails in a square form, and then you have to smoothen the edges to create a round shape on the sides.
This hybrid shape complements all types of nails, whether long or short. And it's quite easy to maintain as well. It's a blend of classic and modern style and looks amazing for all occasions.
Choose dark nail paint to complement this look.
Stiletto
If you're following the latest nail trends celebrities are swearing by, we're sure you must have come across this style.
Stiletto style is all about the drama. It's super long, pointy, and creates a bold look. They might be impractical, but look fashionable nonetheless. This style is difficult to achieve at home, so if you want to carry this nail shape, going with professional manicure would be the best option.
When it comes to choosing nail paint, you can go all out and show off your love for prints, designs, stones, and glitters.
Almond shape vs square shape: Which one should you choose?
Not all nail shapes look good in everyone's hands. The reason behind this is quite simple– people have different finger shapes, finger dimensions and sizes, and varied length and width of the nail beds. So quite naturally, there are specific nail shapes that complement your hands.
Now to get back to the almond shape vs square shape dilemma, we have a quick guide for you to find out which is the right shape for you.
|
Almond Shape |
Square Shape |
|
✓ Your preferred nail size is medium/long ✓ Your fingers are short and wide |
✓ Your preferred nail size is short ✓ Your fingers are long and lean |
If you like to keep your nails medium or long, or your natural finger shape is on the shorter and wider side, almond nail shape would be the best option for you. Almond shape will make your nails look longer, creating an elegant manicured look.
On the other hand, if your natural finger shape is long and slim, or you prefer to have short, trimmed nails, go for the square shape.
Protect and heal your nails with our Magic Pen
No matter which nail shape you choose, the first step is always taking good care of your nails.
No, we are not talking about salon treatment here. You can devote just one minute every day and develop a nail-care routine for long, strong, and healthy nails.
With Magic Pen Repair & Growth Nail Cream, getting beautiful and damage-free nails is now easier than ever. Its ultra-hydrating ingredients go deep into layers of your nail bed, healing dry and brittle nails. It also promotes nail growth and prevents keratin loss to offer overall protection for your nails.
So, have you started a nail-care regime yet?