Square nails keep the full width of the nail, so they're strong and made for French tips. Learn to file corners that don't snag, then choose one of 15 designs, from a micro French to long extensions.
Square nails have parallel sides and a tip filed straight across, with two defined corners. Because the sides aren't tapered, the free edge keeps its full width, which makes the shape strong on natural nails and well suited to French tips.
This guide covers square vs squoval, filing a square that doesn't snag, 15 square nail designs to recreate in gel and how to stop the corners chipping.
Squoval nails, short for square-oval, have the same parallel sides and flat tip as square nails, but rounded corners. Sharp corners catch on tights and knitwear, so squoval suits anyone who uses their hands a lot. A true square needs a millimetre or two of free edge to show its corners.
The flat tip draws a horizontal line across the nail, making it look shorter and wider, which balances long, narrow nail beds and slim fingers. For short nail beds or wide fingers, a squoval with a little extra length keeps them in proportion. An almond shape lengthens the fingers even more, as our almond nail designs show.
Shape clean, dry nails before any other prep, as nails softened by water tear easily. Use a 180 to 240 grit file and light pressure on natural nails.
With builder gel, file the square after curing and removing the sticky layer, then wrap the top coat over the new edge.
A square's straight free edge gives a white French tip a crisp line to follow. Over a cured base coat, apply two thin coats of 017 Silk, a light silky nude, curing each for the time in the instructions. White gel polish streaks in one coat and can wrinkle in a thick one, so paint the tip in two thin layers, right into both corners. Our guide on how to do a French manicure covers the smile line.
A micro French is a line of colour about a millimetre wide along the free edge, so it outlines short square nails without shortening the nail bed. As the edge is straight, a long striper brush with very little gel can follow it in one flat stroke. White over Silk is discreet; black over milky white gives more contrast.
On a square, a straight coloured tip is easier to repeat on ten nails than a curved one. Set the line with the edge of a small flat brush, then fill in towards the free edge. Over Silk, 113 Sapphire, a deep, bright sapphire blue, makes a winter tip to wear with silver jewellery.
Matched to your skin tone, a nude blends the nail into the finger and offsets the shortening effect of a flat tip. Silk, a light nude, suits fair to light skin; olive and deeper skin tones usually need a warmer beige or caramel. Pale shades streak easily, so hold the brush almost flat and let each thin coat level before curing.
Milky white is semi-sheer, so it evens out the nail's colour and makes regrowth less obvious. As a builder gel, B003 Milky White also strengthens a natural square. Scrub a thin first layer into the nail and cure it, then float a second layer with a little extra gel in the centre for the apex. Milky gel turns whiter where it's thicker, so let it level before curing.
A short red square works at the office and at Christmas parties alike. Use B021 Rouge Capucine, a vibrant, coral-leaning red builder gel, for strength as well as colour; it suits warm skin tones and gold jewellery. Red shows every slip, so leave a hairline gap at the cuticle and clean the sidewalls before curing. As it grows out, an infill is gentler than filing it all off.
Black works with a polo neck at the office or sequins at a party, but shows up any uneven corner, so file all ten to match first. Paint 001 Black in two thin coats, curing each fully: dark pigment absorbs much of the lamp's light, so a thick coat can wrinkle or stay soft underneath. Seal with Diamond Top Coat for a lacquer-like shine.
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Navy passes for black indoors and shows its blue in daylight, so it's a quieter alternative to black for the office. For a brighter jewel tone, switch to Sapphire. Dark blue pigment can transfer from the sticky layer onto your top coat brush, so wipe the brush on a lint-free pad after each nail.
Held parallel to the free edge, a magnet pulls cat eye particles into a straight band of light across a square. Held at the tip, it makes a glowing French. Apply a thin coat of 005 Dark Aurora, a cat eye with a deep chocolate shimmer, and cure it. Add a second coat, hold the magnet just above it for a few seconds, then cure straight away, before the particles drift.
Chrome tips trace the flat edge of a square in mirror shine, brightest over a dark colour such as Black. Over the cured colour, apply and cure Diamond Top Coat, a no-wipe top coat. Rub chrome powder onto the tip only with a small silicone applicator and brush away the loose powder. Seal with more top coat, wrapping it over the free edge.
Also called a baby boomer, a French ombre fades from nude at the cuticle to white at the tip, so regrowth barely shows. Dab white gel polish over the top half of cured Silk with a make-up sponge, then again nearer the tip, curing between layers. Clean any gel off the skin before each cure: uncured gel on skin is the main cause of gel allergy.
Tortoiseshell on the ring finger brings pattern to a set of Dark Aurora or black nails, and a square's wide nail plate gives it room. Into a wet coat of sheer amber, dab brown patches and smaller black dots, cure, then add another amber layer for depth. The full layering order is in our tortoiseshell nails tutorial.
The simplest nail art for square nails is a single fine line. Down the centre, it makes a short square appear longer; parallel to the tip, it echoes the free edge. Use black gel polish over Silk or Milky White and a long liner brush with very little gel. Cure each nail as soon as its line is done, before the gel spreads.
Long square nails are usually extensions, as a long natural square snaps easily at the corners. They're often done in acrylic, but builder gel sculpted on a nail form reaches the same length. Keep the sidewalls parallel and place the apex over the stress area, where the natural nail leaves the nail bed. Our guide to gel nail extensions on forms explains each step.
For work, a short squoval is the most practical choice: rounded corners don't catch on coat pockets or keyboards. Start with two layers of RB01 Rubber Base Transparent, a clear rubber base, making the second slightly fuller to support thin nails. Finish with one or two thin coats of Silk, depending on how sheer you want it; pale nudes grow out discreetly.
Chips on a square usually start at the corners, which take knocks and catch on fabric.
Yes, short square and squoval nails are a long-standing choice for the office, weddings and formal events, especially in nude, milky white, red or navy. Even lengths, neat corners and a clean cuticle line keep them polished.
Yes, square is a basic salon shape, so it doesn't really go out of fashion. Short squares and squovals in milky white, nude or deep glossy shades are popular at the moment, often with a micro French.
They're called square, or squared, nails. With lightly softened corners, the shape is often called a soft square, and with rounded corners, a squoval. A square tip on tapered sides is a coffin, or ballerina, shape.
Stiletto is generally the weakest, because filing the sides to a point leaves a narrow tip with little support. Square keeps the full width of the nail, but its sharp corners can catch and chip unless they're eased slightly.
Choose square for long nail beds, French tips and graphic designs. Choose squoval for short or wide nail beds, or if you type a lot, as rounded corners snag less and grow out neatly.
Start your next square set with our rubber base, then choose a colour from our gel polish or builder gel collections.
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