Squoval (pronounced sqwoh-vuhl)
(1) In cosmetology, a description applied mostly to describe the shape of certain fingernails and faces; essentially an oblong (a rectangle with partially ovoid shorter sides).
(2) In commerce, a trademark of the bicycle company Cervélo, describing the cross sectional shape of a downtube used in frame construction.
1984: A portmanteau word, sq(uare)- + oval. Square is from the Middle English square, sqware & squyre from the Old French esquarre & esquerre, (which survives in modern French as équerre), from the Vulgar Latin exquadra, derived from the Latin quadro, from quadrus (square), from quattuor (four). Oval is from the Late Latin ovalis, from ovum (egg); it was cognate with the French and Italian ovale and the Dutch ovaal. Used both as noun and adjective, coinage is credited to Paula Gilmore, a noted manicurist.
Art of the fingernail
A pleasing creation, sqoval is misleading because it’s used to reference a shape which is actually a rectangle with the shorter sides defined by curves which tend to the semi-circular. In geometry, such a shape is called a stadium, discorectangle or an obround. It’s not to be confused with a square with rounded corners which is a quartic, the mathematically perfect expression of which is Lamé's special quartic.
Squoval is thus a commercial descriptor in the fingernail business rather than a precise geometric description. The basic rectangle metaphor is important in fingernail shaping because manicurists borrow from art and architecture the golden ratio which suggests humans find most aesthetically pleasing, shapes with an aspect ratio of about 1.6:1 which, coincidentally, is the relationship between a kilometre and a mile. Nails can be shaped beyond the nominally perfect 1.6:1 but tend either to be thought exaggerated or created purely for artistic display, often to create a large surface for designs.
Manicurists, certainly in the Instagram age, are an imaginative profession and there’s been a proliferation of terms to describe species. However, within the fingernail family, there are eight basic genera, practitioners inventing or classifying species as they emerge. To date, the lipstick is the only defined form which is asymmetric.
The classic oval is said to be a symmetrical ellipse where the curve of the tip exactly mirrors the curve of the cuticle but, in real-world conditions, the former usually only tends to the latter. The shape is natural, flattering and adaptable to both long and short nails.
A natural coffin demands long nails with the fragility that implies. The nail needs to be sufficiently long so both sides can be filed to a tapered point something like a stiletto before the tip is squared-off. Because of that, they’re often constructed with acrylics. Coffin in this context is actually a modern appropriation to describe what was historically known as the ballerina, a descriptor some European fashion houses still prefer but the Instagram generation has moved on and like coffin. Coffins are rare worn in the elongated form.
Square nails provide a shape which is less susceptible to damage than many but doesn’t suit all shapes. It’s best adopted by those with a narrow nail bed because the flat tip creates an optical illusion of additional width, making nails appear wider than they are. Rarely seen variations include the cut out (a twin-peaked effect), the lipstick (uniquely, with an asymmetric tip) and the trapeze or flare (where the metaphor is the bell-bottom trouser leg).
A statement shape, something of a triumph of style over functionally, the stiletto gains its dramatic effect from long and slender lines and can be shaped with either fully-tapered or partially square sides. They’re vulnerable to damage, breaking when subjected to even slight impacts and almost never possible with natural growth. True obsessives insist they should be worn only with stiletto heels and then only if the colors exactly match.
With straight sides and a curved top, the squoval, while not as dramatic as a coffin, is good, functional engineering because its softer edges are less prone to snagging and tearing than those of a square and break less the more more delicate almonds. Technically, the squoval is just a species of the square but its popularity meant it came to be classified as its own genus.
Usually very long, the almond has an elongated shape and a tapered tip. Even when applied to nails with a narrow bed, they’re inherently weak at the tip so most are constructed from acrylics. It’s a style which attracts many variations on the theme, often tending to a truer emulation of the nut at which point some should probably be classified as pointed.
Realistically, pointed nails, certainly in their more extreme iterations (sometimes called mountain peaks, edges, arrow-heads, claws or talons), are more for short-term effect than anything permanent. Best used with acrylics, the knife-like style can be a danger to the nail itself and any nearby skin or stockings. Those contemplating intimacy with a women packing these should first ponder the implications.
Rounds are less a style than a detailing of the natural human shape. Usually worn short and simple and rarely needing an acrylic overlay, it’s a classic look with the added benefit of durability and low maintenance.
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