Your ultimate career goal may be the perfect sculptured nail, but while you’re perfecting your skill set, nail tips are a great stopgap! When properly sized and applied, nail tips can deliver the perfect platform for a strengthening overlay of acrylic, gel or silk/fiberglass in record time. “Tips can be ideal for clients who have difficulty growing their natural nails,” says Elsa Barbi, OPI ambassador. They can also help prevent nail biting, protect nail splits and (bonus!) provide a larger canvas for nail art, especially for almond or other untraditional nail shapes. Here, everything you need to know to successfully choose, fit and apply nail tips.

Tip Types

Most nail tips are manufactured out of plastic, aka acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), a durable but flexible material that can be shaped into a smooth surface that resists yellowing. Look for pure or “virgin” plastic as it contains no recycled material, which can sometimes cause quality issues when the plastic is re-melted and reused, says Vicki Ornellas, global trainer for ibd. The thinner area of the tip that makes contact with the client’s nail is called the well. Choosing the type of well is usually a matter of preference:

Full-well tips have the largest contact point and the best “grip,” according to Terry Burciaga, global educator for SuperNail. The large surface area is suitable for most clients, but is particularly good for camouflaging bitten nails and other imperfections, says Barbi. Because the well can cover up to half of the natural nail bed, full-well tips require the most blending and are best covered with colored product or opaque polish.

Half or partial-well tips offer less coverage on the nail, so they’re quicker to apply and blend. The additional strength is realized when acrylic or other product is   applied directly to the natural nail.

Well-less tips are the fastest and most versatile tip because they can be applied anywhere on the nail plate and don’t require blending. They’re perfect for creating pink-and-white nails with crisp smile lines.

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