Nail shapes — round, sharp, soft square, ballerina, almond, stiletto

Perhaps you have been doing manicures all your life, without thinking about which form would suit you best. Or, on the contrary, you have found your ideal one and no longer see the need to experiment. In any case, it is useful to find out what modern forms of nails are, and which ones are especially relevant now.

What are the shapes of nails?

An ideal manicure consists of many important points, but the most important of them is the choice of a suitable nail shape. Even the most fashionable and by all standards, the ideal option may categorically not suit you, or else. On the contrary, your option may turn out to be just the one that has not been in trend for several seasons in a row. In the question of how to choose the shape of nails, it is important to consider some factors:

1. Square long nails are more durable than round or almond-shaped ones. If in connection with your activity you need to work a lot at the computer, it is better to give preference to a square shape.
2. Round and oval nails will help create a more sophisticated and feminine look.
3. The popular almond-shaped shape is not recommended for those who lead an active lifestyle or play sports — such nails are very easy to break.



4. For short nails, it is better to choose a round or square shape. For longer ones, it is fashionable to give preference to an elongated or pointed one.
5. If you have wide fingers, such nail shapes as oval, almond-shaped, ballerina would be a suitable option.
6. For women with long and thin fingers, the ideal nail shape would be square.
7. One of the rules of nail art is that the shape of the tip of the nail should follow the contour of the cuticle. Based on this, you can choose the ideal option for yourself.

What shape of nails is in fashion now?

Choosing a nail shape is a matter that requires special attention, because this is the basis of a successful manicure. First of all, it is important to focus on the natural shape of the nail plate and the shape of the fingers, but the fashion trends of the season must also be taken into account. So, the most popular nail shape this season is a stylish and elegant almond-shaped, more suitable for medium and large lengths.

Almond shaped nails

Graceful and sophisticated almond-shaped nails will be the perfect continuation of long thin fingers. At the same time, it is also suitable for naturally plump fingers — with its help, it is able to visually lengthen them. The name fully corresponds to the appearance of the nail — it is a round elongated nail with a pointed soft tip. The almond shape, unfortunately, is completely unsuitable for short nails, but for long ones it is an ideal solution.

The almond shape of long nails allows you to implement a wide variety of design ideas — both a monochromatic idea and various creative options. The jacket looks interesting and sophisticated on almond-shaped nails. It is easy to make such a shape of nails even on your own at home:

• the top of the nail is cut off so that a square shape with sharp edges is obtained;
• then, with a nail file with high abrasiveness, the corners are cut off so that the nail turns out to be slightly pointed and completely symmetrical;
• with a nail file with low abrasiveness, the shape of the nail is polished and the upper corner is smoothed.

Almond shape nail design

Graceful and fashionable almond-shaped nails will allow you to realize a wide variety of design ideas. In fact, there are no restrictions — any option you like can be safely implemented. But, according to stylists. The most successful manicure for almond nails is:

Oval nail shape

If you have long, thin fingers, then an oval nail shape is what you need. For short plump fingers, this solution will also be suitable, but only if the nails are long. The oval shape is very similar to the round one with one difference — the tips of the nails taper slightly at the edges, the outline of the nail resembles the outline of an egg. It looks very gentle, elegant and aristocratic both on long nails and on short ones.

Oval nail design

The main advantage of this solution is that a manicure for short oval nails looks no less elegant and sophisticated than for long ones. Popular nail art options are:

Square shaped nails

Considering a variety of ideas for yourself, it is important to take into account that the shape of the square nails visually shortens the fingers, so it is categorically not suitable for plump hands. But this is an ideal option for sophisticated graceful “musical” fingers. It was originally conceived as an idea for a delicate French manicure, but now it is widely used for all sorts of stylish nail art options.

The main advantage of the square shape of the nails is its strength — it is much more difficult to break such a plate than a round or almond-shaped one, but many are faced with another problem — the fragility of sharp corners. Therefore, the soft square shape of the nails, which is distinguished by smoothed corners, is more preferable — it looks less aggressive and is more practical. Suitable square shape for any length, even the smallest.

square shape nail design

The square shape of the nails, according to many stylists, looks very tough and aggressive, therefore, when choosing design options, you should give preference to more delicate and sophisticated ideas. At the same time, a long square nail plate is a huge space for the implementation of the most sophisticated and diverse ideas of nail art.

The most successful ideas for the design of a square shape of short or long nails are:

Stiletto nail shape

Fans of catchy and outrageous experiments will certainly appreciate the shape of nails called stylet. The nails look long and narrow, this idea is very eccentric and not very practical — the nail can easily be broken. To avoid such a nuisance, it is better to do a manicure for the stylet nail shape with gel reinforcement, or you should use extensions.

The beautiful shape of the stylet nails looks outrageous and bright, it is suitable only for long lengths. It is often preferred by those who like to be the center of attention. A long sharp nail looks more organically on thin fingers. Those who have plump hands are not recommended to wear such a uniform — due to the contrast, the fullness of the fingers will only visually increase.

Stiletto nail design

Manicure on the shape of stiletto nails is often very catchy and outrageous ideas that attract maximum attention. The most popular design option is sharp black nails, which are often preferred by informal youth. A stiletto manicure looks bright and catchy on the shape of nails in bright red colors, with a variety of design and decor options.

Not always a catchy and outrageous nail design is appropriate — for example, black sharp nails do not fit very harmoniously into a business look. For the stiletto nail shape, you can choose lighter and more neutral design options that are suitable for a particular occasion — it can be a calm monochromatic manicure in pastel or nude colors, an elegant jacket or delicate moon nail art.

Sharp nail shape

Many girls are interested in the question of what form of nails lengthens and thins fingers. Sharp nails, which can be of different shapes, do an excellent job with this task. This category includes the almond shape, stiletto and ballerina, which have become very popular this season. Stylists do not recommend the stylet for visually increasing the length of the fingers — the effect may be the opposite.

Sharp nails look beautiful and catchy — the pointed tip gives the image a more outrageous and defiant look, while the rounded one looks sophisticated and gentle. The only significant drawback of sharp nails is impracticality. First of all, this shape is only suitable for long lengths, it can be extremely uncomfortable with them in everyday life, and they break very easily.

Manicure for sharp nails

There are several options for what an acute nail design can be:

1. Bright and shocking nail design. Pointy nails are often preferred by those who want to stand out from the crowd, and nail art can help. Design options for black, red, in acid shades with the use of various decor ideas have become trendy.



2. Neutral nail design. Not always catchy and outrageous nail art is appropriate, and sharp nails in soothing shades look no less beautiful. It can be a plain coating in white, pastel or nude colors, you can use concise design and decor ideas.



3. French on sharp nails. Such ideas in a wide variety of options can be both gentle and concise, and, on the contrary, bright and catchy.

Pointe nail shape

Another version of the shape of the nails, which refers to both sharp and square, is the so-called ballerina, or pointe shoes. It is a tapered nail with a square tip and is ideal for any nails and any fingers. Natural or extended nails in this version are worn much better than the stiletto form — the ballerina does not break so much and is more convenient, practical.

Manicure on the form of ballerina nails

The graceful and shape of the ballerina’s nails is a combination of outrageous sharp and practical square, but the design can be absolutely anything — from catchy and outrageous ideas to elegant and sophisticated, including exquisite drawings. Ideas such as:

• nail design in the style of minimalism;
• ballerina shape nail design in geometry style;
• catchy nail art using bright colors;
• brilliant nail design — rhinestones, sparkles and other ideas;
• various designs on the nails.

Squoval nail shape

There is a huge percentage of girls who prefer to wear square nails, but are faced with such a problem as brittleness. As a result, beautiful sharp corners break off, and the manicure loses its attractiveness. The ideal solution would be the shape of the squaw nail, which is the same square, but with soft, well-smoothed corners.

The beautiful shape of squaw nails has the same features as the classic favorite of many square:

• squoval nails, like a square, are stronger than a round or sharp shape, it is much more difficult to break them;
• this form of nails can visually shorten the fingers, so owners of graceful thin hands should wear it;
• Like a square, a squall nail shape can look tough and aggressive, so if you want to create a delicate and feminine look, you should use elegant and sophisticated ideas for design.

pipe nail shape

The name of this form of nails speaks for itself — in translation from English this word means «pipe». This version of the shape has very long ends, resembling thin tubes. Everyone who has seen this idea at least once will certainly come to the conclusion that in everyday life this version of nails is extremely inconvenient, but it can successfully become part of a bright and outrageous image. The pipe nail shape is applicable only for long nails, short ones will not work for this idea.