Nail Tips, Wraps, and Enhancements
Tip, wrap, and enhancement questions test preparation, stress-area construction, and safe removal.
Tips
Match the well to the free edge, apply a thin bead of glue, hold at a slight downward angle, and keep glue off the skin and out of the sidewalls. Blend the seam with a fine file so no ledge catches. A tip is a base for overlay, not a finished nail.
Fabric wraps
Silk, linen, fiberglass, and paper are applied with resin or wrap gel. The fabric wraps around the free edge and is saturated, not flooded. Wraps add strength with minimal thickness and are the most natural-looking overlay.
Sculpting and forms
Forms replace tips for sculpted enhancements. The form must fit the free edge without gaps and set the length and curvature before product goes on.
Stress area and apex
The apex sits above the stress area, where the nail meets the free edge. Too flat a profile cracks; too thick a profile lifts and looks bulky.
Removal and repair
Soak wraps in acetone or file them down, never pry or rip. Repair cracks with a fresh overlay after removing lifted product; rebalance every two to three weeks.
Worked example
A tip pops off because the well was glued over the cuticle and trapped air. The fix is a smaller tip, better seating at the free edge, and less glue; adding more glue only creates a thicker, weaker bond.
Traps
Filing into the natural plate while blending; oversized tips; skipping dehydration; ripping wraps off; leaving air bubbles under fabric or glue.