What You Need To Know Before Embracing An Arrow Nail Shape

As nail technicians get more creative, the manicure world expands before our eyes. While our mothers and grandmothers were mostly limited to choosing between long and short, round or square (although pointy nails had a moment in the 1920s), we now have a vast array of choices at our fingertips — pun intended. Between the almondetto nail shape that was trendy in 2023 and newer shapes on the block including mountain peak, edge, flare, and lipstick, picking your next nail shape just got complicated. One of the more recent additions gaining steam on social media is the arrow, which looks exactly as you're imagining it.

"Main thing is having the pointy tip but not the length," explains Nail Career Education expert Suzie. "This shape is all about the client who likes stiletto but cannot have length, so they chopped it right down." As Suzie puts it, this shape is essentially a "stiletto in denial." 

In our exclusive conversation, Suzie reveals that the arrow nail works best with long, narrow nail beds due to the fact that it's naturally delicate and pointy. But really, anybody can go for this style, including those with shorter or wider nail beds. If you've ever had pointy nails, you'll know that it's easy to accidentally scratch yourself and others, so you may want to tread carefully until you get used to your arrow shape. "Be careful," Suzie warns. "It's basically a beautiful weapon." While they may take a bit of adjusting to, arrow nails look especially chic when worn with 2025's hottest nail colors, including Pantone Color of the Year Mocha Mousse (which young and old celebs alike have embraced), deep burgundy, and classic neutrals.

Arrow nails are sometimes said to be the gateway to long nails; while they aren't as long as officially long nails, they do require a bit of length to pull off the arrow effect. For newbies, that — plus the talon-like sharpness — can take some getting used to. "Pointy is an acquired taste," Suzie from Nail Career Education shares exclusively with Glam. "It takes a little time to get used to aesthetically and functionally." 

There are a few tips and tricks that will improve your life with long nails, even if the additional length is minimal, as is the case with arrow nails. You can try using the sides of your fingers for more tasks, like opening soda cans, and making sure you always have a trusty set of tweezers with you for tasks like grabbing your credit card out of a thin pocket in your wallet or purse. When it comes to dealing with the jaggedness, be sure to take care when coming into contact with others, especially children and pets, to avoid accidental scratches. 

Interestingly, Suzie notes that wearing longer stiletto-shaped or arrow nails can actually be easier than wearing long square nails because there's less surface area. More surface are means that nails tend to get caught on things more frequently, so if you're a long and square fan, you may be the perfect candidate to adjust to life with arrows or stilettos. Short stiletto nails do make the intimidating nail shape more functional, after all, so don't be afraid to start off slowly with an arrow silhouette.

Ready to take the next step? Check out our ultimate guide to picking your next nail shape.