An artificial nail forming device is disclosed which is formed of stamped sheet metal and has a front section and a rear section formed by an intermediate opening between the sections. The rear section has bendable ears for attaching the device to a finger so the natural nail of the finger is exposed in the opening. The front section of the device has an outer surface that defines orthogonal curvatures that simulate the orthogonal curvatures of a natural nail. The exposed nail has its tip overlying the front section outer surface so that the artificial nail can be applied to the exposed natural nail and to the device front section outer surface. After curing, the artificial nail is separated from the forming device by pressing on two tabs extending from the front section to bend and thus displace the front section relative to the rear section and to the finger. This displacement breaks the bond between the artificial nail and the front section.