If You Have Short Nails, You Need to Follow This Nail Artist

NAILED ITIf You Have Short Nails, You Need to Follow This Nail ArtistIt's time to achieve the short nails of your dreams with help from Betina Goldstein.

By Addison Aloian

March 28, 2022

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In 2010, when Betina Goldstein was fresh out of college, she began her career working for as a Post Production intern for a little show called Saturday Night Live, in addition to gigs in audience casting for shows such as the Food Network's Beat Bobby Flay and MTV's Teen Mom reunions and Hip Hop Squares. 

A year later, when working with a production company as a freelance production assistant on a photo shoot, one of her producers asked if she knew how to do nails. Goldstein never would've guessed that within the next 11 years, she'd become an ambassador for Chanel, the nail artist of an endless list of celebrity clientele, such as Zoë Kravitz, Julia Garner, Shawn Mendes, Olivia Rodrigo, and Rosalía, and amass a social following of 384,000 (and counting) Instagram followers.

"I became obsessed with teaching myself techniques to achieve greater detail and texture on this tiny canvas attached to my finger," Goldstein tells Allure. "Nail art not only is my profession, but it has become a way of therapy. Each design I create is a reflection of who I am."

Short Nail Art Inspiration 

Growing up in Texas with family from Mexico City, Goldstein has had a wide variety of influences on her nail designs, the biggest of which was museum art. She developed an appreciation of the techniques of Diego Rivera, the Mexican painter who became Frida Kahlo's husband, the color palette combinations of Josef Albers, the German artist who was the first to get solo shows at the Museum of Modern Art and the Met in New York, and the styles of her grandparents' house in Mexico City, which was designed by Architect Luis Barragán. 

"I believe Barragán's work is a study of the language of the colors of México," she says. "Being surrounded by a wide palette definitely shaped my understanding of the interplay between colors and how colors affect emotions, which has impacted my designs greatly."

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When it comes to creating designs now, Goldstein uses her own style and life as inspiration. Because she uses her hands for work — through manicures and jewelry design (did we mention she owns two brands, Doublemoss Jewelry and Doublemoss Arte?) — she found that short nails are the most functional.

How to Shape Short Nails

Goldstein explains that shaping has the biggest impact on creating the illusion of longer nails. She's a big fan of the tapered oval and square shapes but recommends avoiding flat square nails because they can make your nails look shorter. In terms of trends, every design can look good on short nails, Goldstein says, citing French tips and negative space nails as examples, but it's the way the design is styled that matters.

"If you do a thick, flat French tip, it makes your short nail look shorter," she says, opposed to a daintier, more curved tip. "Negative space nails work wonders for shorter nails. A clean sheer base helps minimize the attention on the nail and focus on the art."

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Celebrities Who Love Short Nails

When navigating designs with clients, Goldstein's biggest goal is to make sure the nails complement the entire look, especially when doing celebrity nails for red carpet events (her résumé includes several Met Galas, U.S. press for The Batman, and The Academy of Motion Pictures Museum Opening Gala, but no big deal).

"I never want the nail art to take over," she says. "Nail art is not for everyone, and I like to respect that by never pushing it on any of my clients."

Goldstein also enjoys how collaborative the nail art process can be, naming her method with Gemma Chan, whose nails she did for the Met Gala in 2019 and 2021 and The Eternals premiere in London, as an example. 

"I create a design based on what she is wearing and then consult Gemma for any tweaks or changes," she says. "I love that Gemma isn't scared to take risks with nails and respects the art."

Goldstein is making major strides in bringing short nails back, and we're obsessed with all of her designs. To sum it all up, we'd say she's nailing it. We'll be keeping an eye out for her innovations in the short nail world, but do yourself a favor and make sure you're following her on Instagram (@betina_goldstein) in the meantime.

More on nails:

• 29 Short Nail Designs That Prove Elaborate Manicures Are for Everyone
• These Are the 30 Designs for Spring Nails That You'll Want to Try in 2022
• 27 Almond Nail Designs That Show Why It's a Go-To Shape for Manicurists

Now, see how manicures have evolved within the past 100 years:

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Addison Aloian is a New York City-based lifestyle journalist. A soon-to-be graduate of New York University, she is obsessed with all things beauty, wellness, and pop culture. Her work has been published in StyleCaster, L’Officiel USA, V Magazine, VMAN, Gotham Magazine, Ocean Drive, and others. When she's not researching the... Read moreContributor

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KeywordsNewsnailsshort nailsnail ideasinterviewsnail artManicuresnail artist