Square nails: do it yourself. Video tutorial
Well-defined square nails look very modern and stylish. They are ideally combined with trendy dark and bright varnishes, glitter and other special effects. You can give your nails such a shape with your own hands, for this you need convenient nippers, a file, a pusher and, of course, a suitable varnish that will make the manicure complete.
Trimmed nails and stilettos are out of date today. If you like fancy polishes, wear them on spectacular square nail plates. A properly done manicure can correct the natural appearance of the nail by visually adjusting its length and width. If your own plates seem ugly to you, you can make extensions, and only then give the plates a fashionable shape.
To create perfect nails, you need a small manicure set:
- nail clippers
- cuticle nippers
- metal pusher or orange tree sticks
- cuticle remover
- nail files
- dark varnish
- strengthening base for nails
- polishing bar
An edge with a perfectly straight cut and sharp corners can only be made with flat-bladed nail clippers. Scissors and files will not provide the desired shape. Choose nippers with self-sharpening stainless steel blades, they last a long time and do not injure your nails. It is impossible to cut yourself with such a tool, moreover, it gives shape to the nails with just one click, which eliminates delamination and the formation of irregularities.
Fine-grained glass or ceramic files are needed to level the edges and make them smooth. They are very gentle with nails, leveling their surface in a minute. Coarser files are needed to maintain shape. They will help to sharpen nails after manicure, while maintaining their length.
An indispensable tool for home manicure is a pusher. He pushes the cuticle back, giving it the desired shape. To make the nails look harmonious, the cuticle should be aligned with the free edge, clearly highlighting the corners at the base of the plates.
The clear square shape of the nails especially suits long fingers with pronounced joints. For softer hands, a soft square with slightly rounded corners should be preferred.
Nail design: cutting out the squares
Apply a dark nail polish before trimming your nails. It is not necessary to apply it neatly – the varnish is necessary in order for the plates to have an identical shape. Most often, the nails differ in the length of the bed, and the fingers may be slightly curved. Don’t focus on the length of the free edge of each particular nail. Your task is to assess the big picture by making the plates exactly the same.
If your nails are very hard, do a warm soak with essential oils, baking soda, or maceration liquid in the water before nailing. The bath will soften the plates and make them more pliable. Then take the nippers and start processing. Start with your thumb. It is better to process the nails in pairs: first, to perfect the plates on the thumbs on both hands, then do the index, middle and gradually reach the little fingers. This will make your nails perfectly symmetrical.
Place the cutter plates parallel to the cuticle and cut off the excess in one motion. Try to determine the length of your nails in advance. Do not make them too short: the square will look less advantageous on such plates.
The ideal free edge length is 1 to 2 mm
After leveling the length, carefully file the tips of the nails, being careful not to damage the tips. Your task is to lightly sand the edges without changing their shape. Keep the file strictly parallel to the cuticle without tilting it. You need to cut only in one direction, this will protect the plates from delamination.
If you want to give your nail a trendy “soft square” shape, tilt the nail file slightly and gently round the sharp edges. Do not overdo it, otherwise the soft squares will turn into ovals. Make sure the shape of the nails and their length are completely satisfactory, and then rinse the dark nail polish off the plates.
Apply a fruit acid liquid or gel to the cuticle area. Wait a minute and then push back the skin with a pusher, forming clear corners at the base.
Instead of a metal tool, you can use wooden sticks, but they will have to be changed often: cuticle liquid softens the wood
If the cuticle is overgrown, carefully cut it with special nippers with small and beveled blades. Do not use nail clippers, they can easily injure the cuticle. Remove the burrs, and file the rough skin on the sides of the nails, being careful not to touch the tips of the plates.
Smooth the surface of your nails with a polishing bar. Do not process them for too long, or the plates will become brittle. Please note that thin and soft nails tend to break off, this is especially important for plates with a clearly defined geometric shape.
To keep brittle ends from breaking off and cracking, cover your nails with two coats of a calcium strengthening base. It is necessary even if you do not plan to paint your nails. You can use a regular manicure product or a special healing base that gives the plates extra strength.
The top – matte, shiny or containing sequins – will give the finish to the manicure. Renew it every two days to keep your polish looking bright and fresh.
Read on: how to make a manicure with varnish.