Tips On The Best Way To File Your Nails Into A Perfect Short Square Manicured Style

Eva Mendes with short navy nails

More and more of my friends seem to be having false nails applied lately which looks great but which does cost quite a lot of money even if you have a convenient friend who will fix them for you. In these days, when we are all looking to be stylish but maybe hold back a few pennies, it's probably worth looking at some of our favourite celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston or Gwyneth Paltrow and noting that they look super cool with natural and also quite short, neat nails.

Currently darker shades such as navy blue and black are also on trend, and these colours certainly look the job when applied to neat, short and squared off nails. Really, black or blue long talons don't really do it for me.

How To File Your Nails Into A Short Square Well Shaped Glossy Manicure

  • Firstly, if you are suffering from broken, or even worse chewed, nails - leave them until there is at least 3mm of white nail showing from the pink part of the nail. If you file them any shorter than this then they can be weakened.
  • Do not file your nails from side to side - this is the way you always see people filing their nails on TV - it is wrong! File your nail only from the corner of the nail to the centre in one direction only. Filing from side to side will cause splitting and peeling.
  • Ideally for the style we are creating start with a 3 to 4mm white nail tip. Working from the corner of your nail, file to the centre in one direction, creating an almost level tip, with only a slight curve towards the centre.
  • When you are happy with this, work on the corners of the nails, rounding them off slightly. Yes, false square cut nails generally have pretty sharp corners, but in real life with real nails a totally square cornered nail is likely to catch, split and break, so a rounded corner is preferable.

What Sort Of Nail File Is Best To Care For Your Nails?

  • Don't use the nice shiny metal nail file that you were given in that manicure set at Christmas. They are much too harsh and stiff and can cause splitting and damage, especially in inexperienced hands.
  • Choose a nice wide and soft emery board, which is much easier to handle, and gentler on your nails.

What Colour Should You Paint Your New Short and Square Manicure?

  • Here I think the world is your oyster as with short nails you can use the most vibrant colours that would look pretty tarty on long talons, but which just look funky and young on a short square manicure.
  • Alternatively, a natural look is beautiful and if you fancy applying a french polish, you should be able to apply yourself a neat, well manicured style to rival those from a nail bar. Read here on how to apply a french polish at home.
  • If you are on trend, look for black, dark purples and navy polishes which are super cool this season.