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Source: http://www.sallyhansen.co.uk/nail-shapes

“I have recently subscribed to your (awesome) NAILS HQ Magazine and I was wondering if there is any benefits to any of the nail shapes around.

I much prefer oval tips but when I see (usually acrylic) others the majority are square.

So is there a benefit in strength or stability (less chipping/splitting) in any particular nail shape or is it just personal preference? Thanks in advance.” ~Marlene

ANSWER

Usually the most flattering nail shape the is the one that mirrors your cuticle line.

If you have very round cuticle lines, then you are going to do better with round or squoval.

If your cuticle lines are more square than you will do well with square or squoval.

Women who have a strong c-curve tend to have more trouble with square, because the sides start to curve in too much causing the corners to break.

They’ll start filing the corners off … and at the extreme, end up at the almond or stiletto shape.

Depending on the thickness, or thinness, of the nails, almond and stiletto shapes can suffer from more side tears.

In the example above,  you can see that based on the drawn cuticle lines, the shapes that look best are Square Oval (often referred to as Squoval), Round, and Square with rounded corners, (which to me looks the same as Squoval.)

In the example to the left, you can see that  the nail shape actually follows the shape of the cuticle line.

I find it fascinating that they determine which shape is correct vs. incorrect. We obviously see all of them in the nail world.

My favorite shape is squoval even though my cuticle lines are more on the rounded side, except for my thumb nails, which are very square shaped.

If you like the squoval shape, I wrote an article about how I shape mine.

In Conclusion

Ultimately, it’s personal preference and what works with your lifestyle.

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