Hands & Nails: The Basics

Why bother with nails?

Hands are in almost every interaction - passing a coffee, waving, typing, holding a glass. Cared-for hands and tidy nails quietly say “I look after myself”, and painted nails can be a tiny daily joy you catch sight of a hundred times a day.

The best news? Nail care is cheap, quick and very learnable. You don’t need long nails, perfect hands or a salon budget.

The weekly care routine (10 minutes)

1. Remove old polish with a cotton pad soaked in remover. Press, hold for a few seconds, then wipe.
2. Trim if needed with nail clippers, then file to shape.
3. Soften cuticles - soak fingertips in warm water for a couple of minutes, or apply cuticle oil or cream.
4. Gently push back the cuticles with a wooden orange stick or a rubber-tipped pusher. Don’t cut the cuticle itself - it protects against infection. Only snip loose hangnails.
5. Wash and dry your hands.
6. Hand cream and cuticle oil, then daily after that, especially before bed.

How to file properly

• Use a glass (crystal) file or a fine-grit emery board - coarse metal files shred the nail edge.
• File in one direction, from the side towards the centre. Sawing back and forth causes splits and peeling.
• File when nails are dry - wet nails are soft and tear more easily.

Nail shapes

Shape	What it looks like	Good to know
Square	Straight across with sharp corners	Strong and modern; corners can snag
Squoval	Square with softened corners	Super practical, suits short nails
Round	Follows the fingertip curve	Low-maintenance, great for short nails
Oval	Egg-shaped, slightly tapered	Classic and elegant; elongates fingers
Almond	Slimmer, tapered to a soft point	Very feminine and lengthening
Coffin / ballerina	Tapered with a flat tip	Popular with longer nail enhancements
Stiletto	Long and pointed	Dramatic! Usually needs extensions

Making hands look slimmer and longer (if you’d like to)

If you have larger hands, wider nail beds or shorter fingers and want to elongate them, a few tricks help:

• Oval or almond shapes visually lengthen fingers more than square ones.
• A little length past the fingertip (even 2–3 mm) makes nail beds look longer.
• Polish shades close to your skin tone (sheer pinks, nudes, milky shades) blur where nail ends and finger begins.
• Leave a hair-thin gap of unpainted nail at each side - the painted area looks slimmer.
• Moisturised hands look softer instantly; consider sunscreen on the backs of hands too.

But bold red squares on big strong hands? Also stunning. Choose what you love.

Short nails are chic

Short, rounded nails in a deep red, a glossy black or a soft pink are a whole aesthetic - practical for typing, gaming, playing guitar or working with your hands. You never need long nails to have “girly” nails.

Polish, gel, press-ons and more

• Regular polish - cheap, easy to remove, lasts about 3–7 days.
• Press-on nails - glue-on or sticky-tab false nails. Instant length and shape, affordable (from pharmacies, supermarkets, beauty retailers and online), lasting a few days to a couple of weeks.
• Gel polish - cured under a UV/LED lamp; glossy for 2–3 weeks. Done at a salon or with an at-home kit.
• BIAB (builder gel) - a thicker gel that strengthens natural nails.
• Acrylics / extensions - sculpted length and shape at a salon; lasts weeks but needs infills and careful removal.

You’ll meet all of these properly in the next seeds.