Nail forms and nail tips are two of the most popular ways to make nail extensions. Nail extension just refers to making your nails longer using artificial means like acrylic or gel.
Now both tips and forms come with their own pros and cons. That’s why in this article I am gonna be comparing both of these methods, so you can decide which one is right for you.
Nail tips are premade fake nails made of plastic that are glued onto your nails. The nail extension product such as gel or acrylic is then applied on top of the nail tips.
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Nail Forms are made of either paper or foil applied and are applied under the tip of your nails. They are used to make a temporary base for nail extension product to sit on until the product hardens or cures.
Nail extensions made using Nail Forms tend to adhere better to your natural nails. This makes the extension made using nail forms more durable and allows them to last longer than those made using nail tips.
You see nail tips tend to rely on nail glue to adhere to your nail plate. And the performance of the nail glue depends on the brand and how well it is applied.
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Whilst with nail extensions that are made using nail forms the product is directly gripping to the nail plate allowing them to last longer.
Nail extensions that were made using full coverage nail tips are easier to remove. You can click here to learn how to remove acrylic nails without acetone.
Now what most nail techs do is that they start out using Nail Tips which allows you to build confidence and get better at handling either the gel, acrylic, or polygel.
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Nail forms tend to give you a more natural and thin look when compared to nail tips. This is because extensions that were built using forms won’t have the extra layer of plastic such as those made using nail tips.
Nail Forms also allow you to more easily customize the shape and the degree of curvature that you want your extensions to be.
Once you have mastered nail forms they are faster to use when compared to nail tips. You see nail tips tend to take longer to apply because they have more steps such as;
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This is because nail tips usually require nail glue which can cause an allergic reaction. You see nail glue is made of cyanoacrylate which individuals are prone to becoming sensitive to which can lead to a lot of skin issues. Citation.
Nail tips are more likely to cause an infection this is because when nail glue is used it leaves gaps it is not a solid seal. And gaps allow moisture to seep in, which promotes bacterial and fungal infections.
Nail forms are amazingly flexible since you can use them to build nail extensions to suit any shape of nail. They are also Ideal if the surface of your nail plate is uneven.
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Nail extensions made of either tips or forms will carry the same price. But nil tips tend to be more costly for nail techs. This is because the nail tech needs to use the plastic tips which cost more than forms.
Additionally, nail techs would need to keep a wide variety of shapes and sized of nail tips to prevent having to do too much filing.
Juliet Pammy Sookram is an experienced writer and a part-time Nail, Hair, and Makeup Consultant. Her goal with Easy Nail Tech is to help others have amazing manicures and healthy nails.Two weeks ago, I did a blog post about my first time trying polygel nails. For the post, I used the original method for building polygel nails: inside of dual forms. However, these dual forms led to most of the issues I encountered using polygel, and they were definitely my least favorite part of the process. I have seen dual forms work for many people, so I believe the reason they didn't work for me was simply just due to the shape of my natural nails. I did still love how easy polygel was to work with, so I figured I would try it with other methods of building nails and compare them to dual forms. I tried dual forms (again), paper forms, and half-cover nail tips.
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Dual forms were specifically made to be used with polygel. The goal is to form the perfect nail inside of the form that can be placed on top of the natural nail, providing a smooth nail that requires minimal extra filing. After curing, you pop off the form to reveal the nail. Dual forms are typically made of plastic and look like full cover nails. If you're only using these on yourself, they can be used more than once which can make it more cost-effective to use dual forms. They usually come in a box or small bags that separate all the different sizes. While there are a wide range of sizes for dual forms, the shape is almost always square, oval, or something in between and they're usually curved. This can become a problem if you have straight or longer nails.
Paper forms have been around for a very long time as they're usually used with gel or acrylic. Sometimes paper forms come in a pack or a roll of stickers. Paper forms are made of stiffened paper and sit under your nails. They normally have stickers of some form to hold them in place. The forms provide a base for you to build a nail on top of which is removed once the nail has hardened. The downside to paper forms is they can only be used once. However, they are fairly inexpensive. Because forms sit under the natural nail, it's much easier to make your extensions blend with the length and shape of your natural nail, making it a good option for straighter nails. Recently, there has been a new method for polygel using both dual forms and paper forms, but I'm going to be trying to build the nails on paper forms alone.
Nail tips, like dual forms, are also made from plastic. They also come in bags or boxes separated by size and can be used one time. There are several differences between nail tips and dual forms. Nail tips come in all shapes and sizes- long, short, coffin, square, stiletto, and more. Nail tips can also be half cover or full cover. Full covers are typically used for press-on nails and are glued to the natural nail. Half cover nails are also glued to the natural nail but only cover half of the nail. Because of this, they're mostly used with gel, acrylic, or polygel. Unlike dual forms, tips stay on your nails until you decide to remove the nails. Tips may already be in the shape you prefer, so there's no need for extra filing and shaping. Nail tips may also be curved or straight, so it's easier to get a perfect fit for your nails.
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Since dual forms are the standard way to build polygel nails, that's what I tried first. I used clear polygel for all methods, but it's a little harder to see on dual forms, so if you'd like to see a full tutorial using dual forms with colored polygel check out this post.
To start off I applied a polygel base coat to my nail in order to help the polygel adhere better and cured it under a UV/LED lamp. Next, I found the dual form that fit my nail best and put a bead of polygel in it.
Then, I used a polygel brush dipped in slip solution/ rubbing alcohol to push the polygel around inside of the form and create the shape of a nail. This part is difficult to see on camera.
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After I finished shaping, I pressed the form onto my natural nail and cured it. After curing, I popped off the form.
You can see here that the nail didn't blend well with my cuticle because the dual form didn't lay flat on my nail. There were also some areas that were way too thin, so I had to go back in with a little more polygel to build those areas. Afterwards, I cut the nail and filed it down to the length I wanted. I also tried to file the cuticle area, but no amount of filing was able to make it smooth. This would probably be easier with an electric file.
Again, I began with a polygel base coat on my natural nails. Next, I placed the form under my natural nail and made sure to stick it securely. One thing to remember about forms is if you make it super narrow, the nail will be super narrow, whereas if you make it wider, the nail will be wider.
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Next, I cured it, but once I removed the form, I also needed to cure the underside of the nail to fully harden it. Once the nail was fully hardened, I used a file to fix the shape and smooth out any ridges. It was
