As you may or may not know, The Chill Times is the sister site to Chillhouse, a modern destination in New York City for all things self care, including wellness lattes, massage, and nail art (just to name a few!). Nail art is truly the bread and butter of the entire establishment, so it’s safe to say we’ve seen a lot of it. One thing we’ve noticed amongst first time customers and potential clients on Instagram? Being afraid the nail art won’t suit them because they’re nails are “too short.” Only so much can be done about your nail size, but there are tons of designs out there that don’t require a huge canvas for small detail, so there’s no need to feel left out! Take a look at some of our favorite designs, old and new, for shorter nails, as evidenced by our clients, nail artists, and even the Chiller-in-Chief herself. Wanna see the whole book? Just click here. Itching to book an appointment? We don’t blame you – booking is here.
Matisse – Tier 2
A conceptual design inspired by Matisse and contour drawings, this design is great for adventurous and creatively-inclined clients. It’s one of those designs that just looks so effortless, no matter who’s wearing it.
Blueprint – Tier 1
Blueprint is a great go-to. Start with a regular mani, and add just a little accent to make it pop – easy!
Futura – Tier 3
Futura is perfect for those new to nail art as it acts like an accent on each nail. Rather than overpowering your smaller nail beds with loads of design, add a small pop of color! It’s fun and almost impossible to overdo.
EIC – Tier 1
Inspired by the chic editors that establish trends, this design is timeless yet cutting edge, and great for all nail shapes and sizes.
Cleo – Tier 1
As evidenced by our very own Chiller-in-Chief, Cleo is an amazing option for those with shorter nails. It quickly became one of our most popular designs (particularly amongst shorter nails), so come try it for yourself!
Side Eye – Tier 1
Great for all nail lengths (and even more ideal for oval nail shapes!), the Side Eye is a simple, but fun design that we argue looks best in monochrome.
Cyndi Lou Who – Tier 2
A holiday design inspired by a pun on our founder’s name, Cyndi Lou Who looks so intricate, but doesn’t have as many design components as meets the eye. In turn, it’s easy to achieve on shorter nails, and clearly, looks great on them, too.
Tan Lines – Tier 1
Tan lines references classic nail art with a slight design twist, which is great for first-time nail art clients. In the rendition above, you might notice what we call negative space. Negative space is an aspect of the nail design done in a clear polish, so as to leave bare nail exposed. This often helps the design to appear to last longer as your nails grow, and even helped me grow my nails out for good. Try integrating negative space into any design you wish to see what we’re talking about.
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Feature Image via Vanessa Granda
