Having short fingernails is not always easy. We don't dare take care of them and we don't always know how to make them trendy. However, having short fingernails doesn't mean you have to give them up. Quite the contrary. Discover our tips and advice to highlight your short nails.
Not everyone is lucky enough to have beautiful long nails worthy of Rihanna or Beyoncé. But who says short nails doesn't mean lack of maintenance. On the contrary, it is important to take care of it to have clear nails. Little nails are also entitled to beautiful manicures, and polish without being ashamed. Some colors are even recommended to highlight them. Once you know his tips like the back of your hand, you'll run out of more ideas and inspiration for your manicures.
1. Find the perfect shape for your short nails
When you have short nails, the goal is to make them thinner or longer. And it already starts with the shape of the nails. If you have round fingernails it will make them even smaller than they really are. Instead, prefer a square image with slightly rounded edges to lengthen them, or oval if they are still a bit long. Be careful to choose your nail file. For small nails, it is better to use a flexible file with small grains to avoid filing too much at once.
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Sephora Collection Nail Files
2. Short nails: don't forget the manicure
Just because the nails are small doesn't mean they shouldn't be taken care of. The manicure step is essential. Start by hydrating them well to keep them healthy. Apply castor oil daily to the nail to make it stronger, but also to the skin around the nail to soften it. Second important step: the cuticles. After having softened them with a cuticle treatment, use a cuticle pusher, then a cuticle cutter to remove them. It is important to remove your cuticles if you have short nails, as this will visually lengthen them by a few millimeters.
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Melvita Castor Oil
Yves Rocher Cuticle Sticks Kit
3. Abuse clear varnishes for short nails
Are there any colors to go with for short nails? Well yes. Generally speaking, all light and pastel colors are great ideas for highlighting short nails. Indeed, by their light color, these varnishes will bring light to your nails, giving the impression that they are larger. Another advantage is that they enhance their shape without emphasizing it, unlike a red varnish that can be seen from afar and immediately catches the eye.
So which shades to choose? Instead, apply pastel pink, off-white, sky blue or even nude. You can also opt for a transparent varnish which will enhance the natural color of your nail and which has the advantage of matching all skin tones. If you have short nails, the polish may last less, so the semi-permanent option may be a good idea. There are now very complete kits for making a semi-permanent varnish at home.
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Gel Couture Varnish – Couture Creator 104 by Essie
Semi Permanent Manicure Gel Kit – Mini Macaron Milkshake
4. Use dark polishes intelligently
So should we skip dark nail polish? No. If you like burgundy, plum, red, forest green, navy blue shades, nothing forbids you to use them. After all, it's our personality that comes out on the tip of our fingers too. However, apply them in a smart way. If a dark red polish is applied improperly, it can make your nail look narrower. The best is to leave a small millimeter without varnish on the right and left of your nail. To do this, apply the varnish in the center of your nail then slightly shift the varnish to the right and left. This will make your nail appear thinner and longer. For more precision, you can remove the excess with a cotton swab.
Also, consider putting on a base and top coat to hold the polish well, but also to make its bare edges shiny and so they match the polish you are wearing more closely.
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Yves Saint Laurent La Laque Couture Nail Polish – Fuschia Over Noir 75
Plumping Volumizing Top Coat by O.P.I.
5. Consider doing nail art
Nail art isn't just for long nails. And on the contrary more and more nail art trends can be adapted to short nails. This is the case with Milky Nails, one of the latest trends. This nail art is very easy to achieve since it consists of applying a milky white varnish to the nails. This manicure plays on transparency and therefore lends itself perfectly to short nails. For design ideas, you can browse Instagram or Pinterest, which are full of Milky Nails nail art inspiration. Another trendy manicure at the moment: geometric nail art. You can thus play with lines and shapes to give an impression of grandeur. You can also use negative spaces, that is, areas of nails without varnish.
The French manicure is also a very interesting option. Indeed, the goal of the french is to recreate the free edge of the nail, this part which is very short in small nails. Thus, by applying a simple line of white varnish on the edge of your nail, they will immediately appear larger. Don't forget to finish with a transparent top coat to finish off this quick and easy nail art.
Now you know what to do to keep your nails looking good and make people with long nails almost jealous.
Manicure ideas for short nails, spotted on Instagram and Pinterest:
© Pinterest / dianemoliere
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