While manicures are meant to be a relaxing half hour or so, they can be fraught with decisions that are just too overwhelming to make in a massage arm chair. Now that we've mastered the art of finding the right nude tones and nail magic tricks, the next salon challenge you'll face is picking a shape.
To help us nail which one is right for you (get it?), we consulted manicure expert Elissa Schell from Paintbox in Soho for a primer on each shape—from how to distinguish between styles to how to select the right angles for your nails—so you can get back to enjoying that hand massage.
Square:
Basically, this is a perfect square with no soft edges. Sure, with a square shape you *do* run the risk of your hands looking stubby, but it's great for those with short nails who aren't into a round shape.
Squoval/Soft Square:
This shape is just like the square, but the edges are a lot softer. It's a good compromise between square and oval (obviously), and it's easy to maintain on shorter nails.
Round:
The round shape is really popular at Paintbox, and Schell recommends round nails for clients who tend to think of think of their fingers as short or chubby. Round and almond shapes elongate and makes hands look more slender.
Almond:
Almond and oval nails are a very common pick for celebrities. With almond, the nail is slender on the sides and wide on the base, coming to a peak—reminiscent of an actual almond.
Oval:
Stiletto:
A big misconception is that almond is stiletto, but the stiletto shape has a much more drastic point. Plus, the stiletto is not possible on natural nails because they don't have enough strength to hold the shape, meaning that the nail might very well break off in a couple of hours. If you want this look, opt for nail enhancements.
Coffin:
This shape is similar to stiletto, but with a squared off tip (that makes it look like a coffin, or in a slightly less macabre description—a ballerina slipper). This is a favorite of Kylie Jenner, and is a cool shape if you want to try something different. You can pull the coffin look off with a natural nail, but it will hold up a lot better with false nails.
For those of you with barely-there nails:
