What Nail Shape Is On-Trend for 2015?
by Alina Gonzalez
Though an oft-overlooked area of one’s beauty routine, nail shape can date a person just as quickly as unblended highlights or the look of too-thin eyebrows. Case in point: Remember the days when long, oval nails (painted with a french manicure) were in style? Yeah, it was the same ancient time period when brick-brown lipstick with dark liner was en vogue. So what exactly is the on-trend nail shape these days? We put the question to two top experts in the industry: celeb-favorite indie salon Olive & June founder Sarah Gibson Tuttle and L.A.-based luxe salon chain Bellacures founder Samira Far. Keep scrolling to see what they say the coolest nail shape of the year is!
Their unanimous answer? The squoval is 2015’s hottest shape. Part oval, part square, the shape is essentially a typical square but with the edges rounded out for a softer, more natural look. With “natural” being the name of the beauty game this year, from hair to makeup, it’s perhaps no surprise that the nail shape du jour followed suit. “After more-daring trends like long pointed nails that have become popular the past few years [editor’s note: think Rihanna and Lana del Rey], we’ve been seeing a return to basics, with a much more natural, toned-down look, both in nail shape and color,” says Far. “Shorter, well-shaped nails are trending this year. A slightly squared oval shape (also known as the squoval) that goes to fingertip length is popular. And shorter, well-shaped nails always look timeless, clean, and polished-looking,” she says.
Says Tuttle, “We saw so many unexpected, bold color choices last year, and those tend to work on sportier nail shapes best. Now, it’s all about the new neutrals and a more ladylike squoval to elongate the fingers for a more feminine look.” The bottom line? Whether you have long, thin fingers or shorter, stubbier digits, the squoval can work for you. The former can go shorter, just to fingertip length, and for the latter, rounding out the edges for an even softer squoval will visually elongate thick fingers while still being on-trend.
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