Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Beauty

    Nail contouring is now a thing

    And it's a genius way to cheat your way to longer looking talons.

    By Nigel Tisdall
    Published 26 September 2016 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Vera Wang nail contouring
    (Image credit: Rex)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    And it's a genius way to cheat your way to longer looking talons.

    If you thought we'd reached peak contour with legs, butts and collarbones, you were wrong. Now, nail contouring is a thing.

    It may sound absurd, but it's actually the term that's been coined for a nifty way to fake longer-looking nails.

    Pro nail technician Jin Soon Choi has been using the technique since her teens and demo-d it at backstage at Vera Wang's SS17 show.

    To create the chic, elongating look, she applied a base coat, before 'contouring' with the application of nail lacquer in a sweep down the centre of the nail. Choi's chosen shades of blackberry (Risque) and nude (Doux) were applied leaving space either side of the cuticles. A top coat is then used to finish the look.

    You may like
    • How to keep long nails clean My Long, Natural Nails Never Look Clean—Here’s How 3 Nail Experts Recommend Keeping Them Salon-Fresh
    • nails Bare Nails Are Trending, But My Nails Weren't Ready Until I Tried These 'Nail Concealers'
    • nail brush benefits My £4 Secret to a Minimal Manicure—This Simple Tool Makes Bare Nails Look Immaculate

    A photo posted by on

    The streamlined sweep of colour works in the same way as highlighting below your cheekbones to exaggerate them, witha= a shade of polish darker than your nail bed serving to elongate the look of your talons.

    Any shade of polish will work for the look, but Choi uses a semi-matte base coat to keep the finished effect from looking too harsh.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Easy, right? And it's also ideal for any mani fans who struggle to get their polish right up to the edges of the nail without it bleeding onto the skin. If you're not such a steady painter you could even use stickers to ensure a crisp line.

    A photo posted by on

    Nigel Tisdall
    Social Links Navigation
    Read more
    How to keep long nails clean
    Beauty My Long, Natural Nails Never Look Clean—Here’s How 3 Nail Experts Recommend Keeping Them Salon-Fresh
    nails
    Nails Bare Nails Are Trending, But My Nails Weren't Ready Until I Tried These 'Nail Concealers'
     
     
    nail brush benefits
    Nails My £4 Secret to a Minimal Manicure—This Simple Tool Makes Bare Nails Look Immaculate
    No mascara trend, bare lashes
    Make Up I've Been a Mascara Addict for Two Decades—Apparently That's No Longer "Cool"
     
     
    Latest in Beauty
    The long hair trend and the post-bob era
    Hair I’ve Spent Two Years Growing My Bob—Turns Out, There's a Reason Long Hair Is Trending
    Best foundation balms
    Make Up If You’ve Fallen Out of Love With Foundation in Your 30s, This Hydrating, Blurring Alternative Still Gives Impressive Coverage
     
     
    Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: The Foundation Using Exosome Technology, the Treatment That Transformed My Skin Texture—Plus, the Ever-Earlier Advent Calendar Race
    nail brush benefits
    Nails My £4 Secret to a Minimal Manicure—This Simple Tool Makes Bare Nails Look Immaculate
     
     
    Latest in News
    Kinda Chic Trend
    Shopping Is "Kinda Chic" Kinda Cringe? Everyone's Favourite Fashion Word Just Went Completely Out of Fashion
    Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: The Foundation Using Exosome Technology, the Treatment That Transformed My Skin Texture—Plus, the Ever-Earlier Advent Calendar Race
     
     
    Kaia Gerber
    Shopping Everything Kaia Gerber Wears Is a Masterclass in Minimalism—These Are the Pieces and Brands She Always Goes Back to
    Copenhagen Fashion Week street style
    Shopping Kitten-Heel Sandals, Lace Dresses and the Season's New Favourite Shade of Blue— These are the Copenhagen Fashion Week Street Style Trends to Note
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.