Fancy & Fabulous French Fingertips in Scratch Magazine April, 2013

1 Traditional Almond

 

The traditional almond shape is very natural looking and perfectly suited to housewives and mothers with young children. The narrowing free edge gives the hands and Nails the illusion of looking thinner therefore affording a very slimming effect. It looks good in different lengths – both long and short.

For a shorter length I advise a circle shape as it looks better on the hands, even on wilder nails. If your client would like to have longer nails, I advise the more emphasized slimmer shapes of the almond – as it delivers instant success.

 

 

2 Gothic Almond

 

This is one of the most graceful, popular and feminine of shapes. It can be classified as a pointed nail, but can also be worn comfortably. It is again a narrowing free-edged shape, so it optically lengthens the fingers. I do not recommend creating this as a short length nail because it will not deliver the graceful shape desired. The gothic almond is a more comfortable and shortened version of the stiletto shape.

 

 

3 Russian Almond

 

The Russian is a very graceful, yet extreme shape. If someone wants to have long and wearable nails at the same time, then this is the perfect choice. The Russian almond shaped nail cannot be made in a short length, because it will totally lose its shape.

From the top view, it mostly looks like a round-ended stiletto. due to its narrowing shape, it is extremely feminine and trendy in many of the world right now. From the side view, the sideline of the nail runs straight out of the lateral folds, which is parallel with the surface of the nail.

There is a balance-point on the nail bed, which is about one-third of the nail bed. This is the highest point of the nail, which is connected with the top of the nail by a straight line (the surface of the nail). From the front, the nail is strongly bent and has two straight sidewall and a rounded top.

 

 

4 Edge nails

 

The edge is classified as an extreme shape. It can be made in different sizes, both in shorter and longer lengths.

From the side view, the sideline of the nail runs straight out of the lateral folds, which is parallel with the surface of the nail. There is a balance-point on the nail bed, which is about one-third of the nail bed. This is the highest point of the nail, which is connected with the top of the nail by a straight line (the surface of the nail). The smile line of the nail is not ‘smiley’, but instead a strong chevron V-shape.

From the top view, the nail is also V-shaped, which is identical to the V-shape of the smile line. Its sides are directly parallel with each other.

The edge part of the nail (the raised element of this, which almost looks like a fold) runs along the surface of the nail from the lowest point of the smile line, which is the top of the V, until the V and the very end of the free edge. From the front view, the edge of the nail looks like a rooftop.

 

 

5 Stiletto

 

This is classified as an extreme shape, but only its length determines that we classify it as such- as it loses all its power if we produced as a short nail, indeed then it becomes more of a nib nail. The longer it is, the flashier and more graceful it is, because you can create the smile line deeply and dramatically on this nail.

Its name was given after the high-heeled shoes, because the shape is identical.

 

 

6 Pipe

 

I would not put the pipe in the category of extreme shapes, because it is comfortable to wear and can easily be made in a short version as well as a long variation.

The Hungarian names for this shape are ‘pipe’ and ‘tunnel’ as it is characterized by parallel sides so even short salon nails may be prepared with this shape. Looking at the nails from the sides you can see the sides are running straight and parallel with the surface of the nail. There is a balance-point on the nail bed, which is closer to the back third of the nail bed. This point is the highest point of the nail, which is connected to the top point (apex) of the nail with a straight line along the nail surface. The free edge is created in a 45-degree angle at the back. The arch of the smile line and the free edge look the same from the sides and from an upper view.

This shape is for clients who are bored with their more usual styles, would like to try something different, however they still like to have nails that are comfortable to wear.

 

 

7 Classic Square

 

The forever classic nail shape, the square nail, is still one of the most popular shapes in the world. I recommend this for thinner nails as it’s much prettier on them. This can be sculpted in any length.

 

 

8 Marilyn

 

The Marilyn shape is a refined, more graceful and feminine version of the classic square. The creation of its rather special smile line is down to the unique structure of the arch, therefore this is where it differs. The arch starts straight from the sidewall, then points towards the low point of the smile line, and connects the lines- running on the sides- with a soft line, in the middle of the arch.

The unique aspect of this shape, is the Marilyn sidewall. Due to the powerful bending, you get a special horseshoe shaped Marilyn edge.