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12 Easy "Nail Contouring" Designs That'll Make Your Hands Look Slimmer

They're the LBD of #nailart.

By Lauren Valenti

Oct 7, 2016

Design by Betsy Farrell

During NYFW, our favorite nail kween Jin Soon unveiled the hack to end all nail hacks: contouring... yes, for your digits. (We promise it's 99 percent less mystifying than sculpting your face.)

According to Soon, it consists of painting your nails a light hue or leaving them bare with a top coat, then brushing a dark color down the middle, leaving either side bare to make the nails appear longer. And the technique is open to interpretation—it's all about using negative space to trick the eyes.

Whether you've got a steady hand or are well versed in the art of the Scotch Tape trick, it's easy to do, so here are a variety of designs that will make your fingers look supermodel tall.

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1 LBD Nails

Flaunt nails @stephstonenails

A post shared by BELLA (@bellathorne) on Oct 19, 2013 at 10:32pm PDT

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2 Americana Stripe

💅🏻💕 dreaming about @gucci FW16 pink fur 💕💅🏻 @flossgloss "perf" will do for now!

A post shared by Holly Falcone (@hollyfalconenails) on Mar 19, 2016 at 11:57am PDT

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3 Blue Sky Ombré

It's always sunshine and blue skies with @madaberman! 💅 is all a preview of @chinaglazeofficial new line for Spring. 💙💛 #nailart #chinaglaze #notd #want big thanks to @tori_matt and Brooke for letting me play with the collection out this February!

A post shared by Miss Pop (@misspopnails) on Oct 20, 2015 at 6:24pm PDT

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4 Black Licorice

Black nails for #spring. I'm soooo New York right now. (Excuse the dry cuticles, I couldn't pass up my chance at this background.) @essiepolish licorice @sechenails top coat #nailart #notd #nailpolish #black #beauty #instabeauty #nyc

A post shared by Miss Pop (@misspopnails) on Apr 3, 2015 at 8:37am PDT

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5 Risque Detail

#nyfw withdrawals with #JINsoon striped details in Risque #verawang #verawangss17 #ss17 #nails #details #matte

A post shared by JINsoon (@jinsoon) on Sep 20, 2016 at 8:02am PDT

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6 Color-Blocked Stripes

5 fun shades, endless possibilities. #JINsoon Tila March collection is perfect for the season. JINsoon Tila, Charme, Doux, Enflammee and Farouche were used to create this look. Available at sephora.com #beauty #nailart #Tuesday

A post shared by JINsoon (@jinsoon) on Jun 16, 2015 at 3:23pm PDT

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7 Tribal Print

Here's a step by step #gif for our #spring #tribalnails. This look is easy to recreate using our #JINsoon @tilamarch collection. #tbt #negativespace #nailart

A post shared by JINsoon (@jinsoon) on Apr 23, 2015 at 9:12am PDT

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8 Spring Palette

We refuse to let this #rainyday in #nyc ruin our mood, so we have another #spring #nailart for you using #JINsoon Tila, Charme and Enflammee. This look is guaranteed to brighten any dreary day. #manimonday #nailpolish #beauty #Reminder: Today is the last day to submit your entries for #jinsooncontest.

A post shared by JINsoon (@jinsoon) on Apr 20, 2015 at 3:55pm PDT

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9 Modern Zig-Zag

#Nailart using #JINsoon Georgette & Chamonix with a @jillplatner bracelet #sweetsaturday #nailpolish #jillplatner

A post shared by JINsoon (@jinsoon) on Dec 6, 2014 at 10:41am PST

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10 Dark Matter

▪️👽▪️👽▪️👽▪️👽▪️👽 ▪️ 💅🏽: 'Dark Matter,' 'Powerful' & 'Mind over Matter.' #minimal #nails #negativespace #saturdaze #mani #polish #weekend #formulax #letusbeyourmaniger #PolishUp #blackonblack #ManiReady

A post shared by FORMULA X (@formulaxnail) on May 21, 2016 at 6:24pm PDT

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11 Barbie Dream

Because we're still feelin' the #love. 💗💛💙 #PatrickStarrrxFormulaX #ColorCurators

A post shared by FORMULA X (@formulaxnail) on Feb 15, 2016 at 10:35am PST

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12 Space Odyssey

Spacey nails for @gracie_taylor_ 🚀 #wildflowernails holographic pigment, #negativespace, hand-painted stripes & rectangles & studs 🌙

A post shared by Heather Vette Makeup & Nails (@heathervettemakeup) on Oct 2, 2016 at 10:46pm PDT

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