The Italian Manicure Will Give You Longer-Looking Nails Without Acrylics

In a sea of endless nail art ideas — e.g., 3D decor and mesmerizing velvet finishes — the Italian manicure that has been going viral as of late is a much simpler trend, one that is also a great way to fake long nails without the hassle of press-on nails or acrylics. Instead, this mani technique helps create the illusion of an elongated nail just by how nail polish is applied. If you have short nail beds and like the long-nail look, are taking a break from acrylics, or just like a clean, minimalist manicure, you’ve come to the right place.

To learn what the Italian manicure is all about, we tapped two nail experts to break it all down for us. See what they had to say below. 

What Is an Italian Manicure?

According to Hang Nguyen, it is a manicure hack for creating narrow nail beds by applying polish to the center of your nail bed, leaving a little bit of space on the sides and near the cuticle for an elongated look. As such, the Italian manicure is really more of a nail polish technique to shape your nail than a nail art trend.

Sonya Meesh recommends creating an Italian manicure with darker shades of polish. According to the manicurist, it's a great approach for anyone who has or wants a shorter nail with a square shape. Nguyen adds this technique especially benefits those with a wide and short nail bed who want to create the illusion of a narrow and lengthened shape.

How to Do an Italian Manicure at Home 

An Italian manicure is pretty easy to achieve on your own. Nguyen says you’ll first want to push back your cuticles as far as possible to create the most length on your nails. Once you start applying your shade of choice, she says to avoid covering your entire nail with color. Instead, you’ll want to leave each side of the curved nail bed clear of any polish. You can also use a small brush with some nail polish remover to clean up the sides of your nail after you paint it.

“So just paint the middle part of your nail and be sure a tiny space is left between the two sides of the nail bed,” she explains. “This creates an illusion of a longer, narrower nail.” If you're not a DIY-er, she says you'll want to explain the technique to your nail artist. Tell your tech that you want the polish as close to the cuticle as possible without actually covering it, but to leave room on the sides for an elongated effect.