October 9 2009 - Q&A: Technique

What’s the best way to put on a tip?

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What’s the best way to put on a tip?

Tips aren’t too tough once you get the hang of them. Start by pushing the cuticles back, and then lightly file the natural nail with a soft-grit file. Nothing damaging, you just want to prep it for product application. Then clean the nail with a cleanser or dehydrator.

When you put your tip on, you can use different kinds of tips and do it different ways. There are full-well tips and C-well tips (with full-wells you have to file more).

To adhere it to the nail, you can use a nail glue, a gel glue, or high velocity glue; they all work well, and they usually dry in about five seconds. So put it on as straight as you can and don’t worry if you mess up and the glue dries. If I mess up I just cut the tip down close and then quickly soak it off in acetone or tip remover solution.

Once you get the tip on, cut it with a tip cutter and then blend it with a soft file to smooth it with the natural nail. The glue holds the tip on tightly so it shouldn’t budge from the filing. You can also use a tip blender, which is a liquid that helps blend the tip in with the natural nail. Once it’s blended you can prep to apply your product.   

— Rita Padilla is an educator for It’s So Easy.