"Your nails are a way to speak your style without having to say a word."

- Tammy Taylor

There is nothing I love more than a fresh new mani to make me feel a little more put together. I love to experiment with different colours, patterns and nail art but my nail shape of choice - up until recently - has always been the square shape. 

I do follow a pattern however. I like to have acrylics applied on my first visit and on my second I have them removed and SNS (Signature Nail Systems) applied from then on.

I am lucky enough that my nails grow super fast however I struggle with brittle, weak nails that snap much to easy, hence why I have been loving SNS. Personally I feel my nails grow so much better with SNS and the colour lasts much longer on me that the likes of Shellac polish.

When it comes to my manis I usually sport a square tip but this time I wanted to try something different. I'm still rolling with this New Year, New You thing that I've got going on so I decided to give the almond shape a go and I love them. 

ROUND
Beautiful, classic shape.
Suits most nail types.

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The round shape is great for making larger hands look smaller as it follows the natural contour of the finger.
Round nails tend to be much more durable than the other shapes as they are much harder to chip or tear due to the shape of the nail. This shape is fantastic for those of you with weaker or shorter nails. A great shape for those who want to experiment with different colours or for those of you who think of your fingers as short or chubby.

SQUARE
Classic style and popular with many. 
Great for those with medium to long nails or those of you with narrow nail beds. 

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Square nails are great if you want to draw attention to the hands or for experimenting with bright, vibrant colours or nail art.
Square tips can make the nail look shorter, to avoid this try filling the side of the nail. This helps keep the shape looking long and elegant rather than stunted. Unfortunately this shape is very easily chipped due to the sharpness and straightness of the square shape.

Possibly avoid this shape if you have naturally wider nails as it may not flatter your natural nail as much as you would like it to.

The square tip does happen to be one of the stronger nail shapes. This is due to the nail width being the same at the top and bottom of the nail.

SQUOVAL (SQUARE/OVAL)
Simple, elegant, feminine and classic.
Universally flattering suiting most nail types. 

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If opting for this shape and you have wider nail beds go slightly more rounded. If you have thinner nail beds you can afford to go slightly more square. 

The rounding of the corners provided a little bit more femininity to the nail than the standard square shape whilst still maintaining the strength of a square tip.

STILETTO
Definitely one of the trendiest nail shapes at the moment. Edgy and provides a statement.

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Stiletto nails have been coming about since the SS13 runway trends and have slowly being gaining momentum. These bad boys are definitely a statement nail shape and girl if you can rock these, hat's off to ya!.

Stiletto nails are great for those of you with shorter nail beds as the space required to create the tip adds length to the nail.

The stiletto shape cannot be used on one's natural nails. With the drastic tip there is no strength and you would be lucky for natural nails to last a couple of hours in this shape before snapping. Definitely an acrylic job.

ALMOND
Future-classic, feminine and delicate.
Great for those with a wider nail bed or those who lack symmetry on the sides of the nail.

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Almond nails are a more diluted version of the stiletto shape. They are slightly less pointed and more rounded. Screaming femininity this shape allows the hands to look more delicate and helps to elongate the fingers.
Thought of as the classical nail shape this shape lacks in providing strength to the nail. Usually if the nail is damaged there is no option but to lose length. An almond shaped nail limit the growth of your nail as they do not allow the natural nail to grow to it's full length.
A little tip with this shape, don't have the point any longer than a centimetre last your finger tip to keep it on the more classy side.

COFFIN
Falls in between the square and the stiletto manicure this nail trend works best on and is usually only possible for those of you with longer nails.

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The coffin shape falls in between that of the classic square manicure and the stiletto nail. If you are worried about scratching yourself silly with a stiletto manicure try opting for this style, it is ever so similar just slightly less drastic whilst being still as edgy.