How to make short nails look longer: With these tips and tricks, your fingernails will look much slimmer!
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Our hands are our business card and we all dream of beautiful and long fingernails. But Mother Nature has only blessed very few of us with such. While there are many reasons for short and brittle nails, that doesn’t mean we have to put up with it. Of course, we can always opt for artificial acrylic or gel nails, but unfortunately these can damage the nail structure over time. And let’s just be honest – long manicure looks quite chic, but is rather impractical for everyday chores. The good news is that there are tons of great tips and tricks we can use to make our short nails look longer. How do you do that, you ask? Let’s find out! Just keep reading!
How to make nails look longer: nail contouring as a nail trend in autumn 2022
Contouring has been an integral part of our makeup routine for years. We can emphasize our facial features and conceal any blemishes by using darker and lighter shades. So what works on our faces should work on our fingernails, right? Nail contouring is the new nail trend for fall 2022 that has already conquered the fashion world. In order to make our nails look longer, they are not painted all the way to the edge – instead we leave one to two millimeters free on the sides. So, nail contouring is the easiest way to give us a chic manicure while creating the illusion of long fingernails.
And the best thing? You don’t need an appointment at the nail salon to get the nail design. Nail contouring as a nail trend is super easy and is therefore even ideal for beginners. And here is a brief guide:
- First file the nails into the desired shape and apply a thin layer of base coat.
- Now take a nail polish of your choice and apply it so that a few millimeters remain visible on the sides.
- Finally, seal with a top coat and you’re done – nail contouring is that easy to make your nails look longer.
Choosing the right nail polish colors
In order to make short nails look longer, we also have to pay attention to the choice of nail polish color. There are some shades that create the illusion of length better than others. The choice of nail trends is really huge this fall and it is certain that there is something for every taste and style. The following rule applies: the darker the nail polish, the shorter our fingernails look. You should therefore avoid nuances such as black, grey, dark brown and the like. And if you’re more into dark nail polish colors, then it’s best to combine them with the nail trend Nail Contouring – the strong contrast actually guarantees that the fingernails look slimmer and longer.
Light nuances, such as pink and nude, are trendy and a great way to make short nails look longer. Rich colors such as very peri, light red or emerald green are real eye-catchers and set our hands in the limelight.
Push back cuticles to make short nails look longer
Regular care of the cuticles is simply a part of a beautiful manicure. This not only ensures a well-groomed appearance, but can also help to make short nails look longer. Because the shorter the cuticle, the narrower our fingernails look. To avoid possible injury, you should handle it very carefully and not apply too much pressure. Also make sure you use a wooden tool as metal tools can damage the nail bed. And here’s a quick guide on how to push back your cuticles.
- First, soak your hands in lukewarm water or a cuticle remover solution for a few minutes.
- Next, carefully push back the cuticles with a wooden stick and remove the protruding cuticles with special cuticle nippers.
- Then massage with some nail oil and voilà – your nails will look longer!
Experiment with nail designs
Striking and playful nail designs are only for long nails? Not even close! In fact, different patterns are one of the easiest ways to make short nails look longer. A beautiful nail design in the right colors turns our hands into a great eye-catcher and rounds off our look perfectly. For example, vertical lines or vertical stripes are very trendy and create the illusion of more length in no time at all. Also deconstructed French nails as a nail trend or a few rhinestones on the front part of the nail look great and have a stretching effect. Which nail polish colors you choose is purely a matter of taste – anything you like is allowed. The selection of great designs is really huge and you get really creative even with short nails!
These nail shapes make short nails look longer
In order to make our nails look longer, the nail shape also plays a decisive role in addition to the choice of nail polish and design. If you file your fingernails more squarely, then you should reconsider, because it makes them look even wider. Oval nail shapes, on the other hand, such as stiletto nails and almond nails, are very elegant and lengthen our fingernails.
