Starting from Scratch

***HOLD IT!***

                          Don’t paint your nails just yet!!

     It’s easy to pick a pretty nail polish and put it on, but that doesn’t guarantee a perfect-looking manicure. In fact, that doesn’t even guarantee good-looking nails. Why? Because you must dedicate the same attention to the minor details of the manicure (also applies for pedis) or your hands/nails won’t have a salon-looking finish. Before you paint your nails make sure that they all have the same size and SHAPE!

Yes! That’s one of the most important parts, if you skip this step IT TRULY SHOWS and ruins the look.

Now... About NAIL SHAPES…

     Some nail shapes will work “better” for you than others depending on your natural nail’s shape/ structure and condition because they can help you obtain specific goals either by creating optical illusions or by helping strengthen your nail. Nevertheless at the end choosing the “perfect shape” for your nails is a matter of personal preferences, lifestyle and overall taste.

Here some of the basic nail shapes and their characteristics:

(a) Straight sided with a slightly oval tip - Allow the sides to grow straight and slightly round the tip, this shape provides the maximum support for the nail (as this is provided by the sides of the nails), also if either side of the nail is damaged it can be filed into a slightly oval shape to maintain the length. This shape is perfect who prefer a “classic” look or have fragile nails.

(b) Oval - File to tip of the nail into an egg shape, and file away some of the side of the nails, this does slightly weakens the nails, but is ideally suited to nails that are thick or wide as it gives them a more delicate appearance

(c) Square oval - As above, but followed by squaring off the tip, this gives the nail tip strength over the oval shape. . *In my opinion, the best option for a “bold” woman*

(d) Almond - Thought of as the classical nail shape, the nail is filed away at the sides and softly pointed at the tip. This shape isn’t very strong and if the nail is damaged you will have to take away some length to rectify. Although attractive, this shape does not allow nails to grow to their maximum length naturally but looks very flattering on long nail extensions. *This is my favorite shape! IT"S SO VINTAGE*

(e) Round - Ideal for shorter nails, the nail is allowed to grow out straight at the sides and then the tip is filed into a rounded shape. This is a strong shape, perfect for those who keep their nails short. Just be careful if you have “bold hands” or wide nails because it might make them look wider.

(f) Square - Created by allowing the nail to grow out straight and then filing the tip straight across at right angles with the rest of the nail plate. This is again quite a strong nail shape. Short square shaped nails will give you a classic and polished look. The downside here is that if you long nails this might be drawing too much attention to your nails, making them look fake and cheap. *This my favorite for SHORT nails*

(g) Square with rounded corners - As above, but followed by rounding off the corners of the nails. A softer look than square shaped nails and less likely to catch on clothing. Looks “ok” on long nails but I don’t prefer it. I think is perfect for medium-length natural nails.  

(h) Pointed - Nails are filed away at the sides to a point at the tip; this shape is very weak as the sides of the nail (which provide the strength) are totally lost. I don't suggest you to shape your natural nails like this but sure is a fun shape to try with your acrylic or gel. Just know that if you get this done they will be a little higher than others to compensate and solve the lack-of-strength issue.

Now that you know some of the pros and cons of each BASIC nail shape you can choose the one that better fits your needs.