Almond-shaped nails are the little black dress of nail shapes: they work for pretty much everyone. Almond nails can be worn long or short, and the slightly rounded tip is popular since it works well with most nail designs and elongates the fingers.
"I've always loved almond-shaped nails, as they suit most nail beds," says manicurist, Chloe Corbishley-Bull. "It's one of the most natural-looking shapes, and always adds a touch of elegance."
The shape also lends to more room for fun designs and art. Below, find 10 almond-shape nail ideas from bright colors and twists on the classic to fun designs and beautiful artwork, inspiring you to rock the popular manicure shape at your next appointment.
How to Pick the Best Nail Shape for You
Abstract Nail Art
Abstract nail designs are a great way to experiment with your artistic side because, quite frankly, anything goes. Think swirly lines, bold dots, and triangular shapes. The designs are unique to you, and the almond shape provides a soft finish.
"Abstract nail art on an almond-shaped nails is one of my favorite things to do at the moment, there's literally inspiration everywhere," says Bull.
The manicurist painted over a nude base color using her favorite Brillbird Brush & Go Color Gel in color GO1 to create abstract sections and lines. And the great thing about this design is that you can have fun mixing different colors to create your pattern.
The Pink French Manicure
An almond-shaped nail couldn't be more perfect for this elegant French manicure.
"I'm obsessed with a cute French manicure, so this is a little twist on the traditional design," says Bull. "I was inspired by beautiful le mini macaron nail stickers."
To create the look, Bull starts by painting the nails with The GelBottle polish in 19 Biab then uses The GelBottle polish in Marilyn to paint on the tip.
"Start from the free edge of the nail and drag your brush round from one end to the other, then go back in and tidy up your lines," she explains. Finish off by applying le mini macaron butterfly nail sticker and a high gloss topcoat.
Strawberry Fields
These short, almond, strawberry field nails are a fun, fruity design. The shape of the individual strawberries complements the almond shape, while the bold red color adds a subtle contrast to the nude base polish.
"To create this design, use OPI Beyond Pale Pink for the base and for the strawberries you can use OPI Red-y For The Holidays, OPI Two Timing Zones The Zones, and OPI Olive For Green for the leaves," explains Bull.
After painting your nude base color, use Brillbird's Nail art line brush to create upside-down egg shapes.
"Once the egg shapes are dry, add little white seeds using the very tip of your art brush and let that dry," says Bull. "Finally add a little green top to the strawberries by painting one green line in the middle and two on either side. Finish off with a topcoat."
Pretty Pastels
These pastel tips add a twist to the traditional French manicure, and the gold and white dotted border enhances the almond-shaped nail. For this pattern, Bull uses OPI nail polishes in That's Hula-rious, Mexico City Move Mint, Do You Lilac It, Don't Tell a Sol, and To Infinity and Blue-yond.
"Start by applying a nude base. Next, paint the French tips using the Brillbird 0 Brush," says Bull. "Dip the brush in the polish you wish to start with and drag it from one corner of the nail to the next, using acetone to neaten the lines."
The manicurist lets the tips dry and uses a dotting tool to add white dots, making sure to leave a space between each dot.
"Once the white dots have dried, I add gold dots in the spaces and finish with a topcoat," she says.
Happy Faces
Who doesn't love a happy face? For this look, Bull starts off with a nude base and uses a dotting tool to create circular shapes with Barry M Gelly Hi Shine polish in Lavender, Berry Sorbet, Acai Smoothie, and OPI To Infinity and Blue-yond.
"I neaten up the lines of the circles with the Brillbird 0 Brush," she says. "Allow the circles to dry before drawing the details with Brillbird 0 Brush and Barry M Hi Shine polish in Black Forest. Next, create two oval eyes by pressing your brush down gently on the nail."
For the smile, the manicurist uses the tip of the brush to draw a fine line. Finish off by applying a high-gloss topcoat.
Sheer Sparkle
Many people have been embracing the design of "your nails, but better" for times when they want a little something more than a clear or neutral polish. A little sheer sparkle polish goes a long way to create a beautiful look that's perfect year round.
Ombré
We love a good ombré manicure. The benefit of an almond shape is that it allows for more design, like this tri-color ombré that fades from light pink to hot pink and then red at the tip.
Stripes
Stripes can help elongate a short almond nail bed, and this combination of bright colors has us dreaming of warmer weather.
Floral Tips
Who said nail tips couldn't be art? Here, the surface area of the nail remains nude and allows the surrounding nail to be the star with a beautiful purple painted floral design.
Galaxy Nails
Excuse our pun, but these nails are out of this world. A bigger nail shape allows for a design such as this galaxy-inspired one to really shine.
