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A few years ago when press-on nails became popular, I couldn’t get them to stay on my nails. 

A girl at work said, “You must have really oily nail beds”. That sounded gross but it made as much sense as anything else, so I went with it.

A while back, I learned that it turns out I don’t have really oily nail beds (thank god)! My problem was that I have c-curve nails and was trying to put on flat press-ons. 

These days I’m doing my nails at home and doing builder gel or tips more than press-ons. But I’m still really diligent about ordering c-curve nail tips that are going to fit the shape of my natural nails. 

If you’re a beginner to the DIY nail world looking for the nails that are perfect for you, you’re in the right place. 

What are c-curve nail tips?

The best c-curve nail tips are going to have that “extra smile shape” where the nails are shaped like, well, the letter C. The most ideal structure for someone with curved nails is going to be a nail tip that follows their natural shape. If you’re using nails that are too flat for you,  they’re going to pull against the glue or builder gel you’re using to hold them on, and they’re eventually going to pop off a lot sooner than if it was something that followed the shape of your natural nail. 

Obviously in a perfect world we would all have perfectly custom nail tips made to perfectly follow our natural nails, but we’re not all nail techs and we can’t make it to the salon every time. And for more advanced techniques like nail forms, it’s really hard for a DIY girl to get those right. 

For me — I learned to do my nails during the pandemic and now that I can do it myself, I don’t want to pay for it anymore! So if you’re doing your own nails, even if you’re just learning, starting with a tip in your desired shape and length can remove the learning curve of shaping the nail. I have so much trouble getting a consistent shape on my dominant hand! So it’s tips for me. 

Tips come in two types: full-cover tips and half-cover tips. 

A full-cover tip is going to get glued on just above your cuticle and gives much more of a “salon” shape. When it grows out, the bumpy shape will be more apparent, so you’ll need to change the tip more. 

A half-cover tip is going to give you the most natural appearance because it gets attached to just the end of your nail, extending it. You then use acrylics, builder gel, or dip to create the shape of the nail and any design you want.  

Best short C curve coffin nail tips

Kiara Sky’s C curve tips come in a short length that is easy to work with and great for beginners. They’re short, but long enough that it’s a distinct, perfect coffin shape and won’t be confused for square. They’re a good deal at regular price, but there’s usually a sale price on Amazon if you’re using a coupon. 

The brand calls them “gelly tips” because they’re clear color and can be easily attached with builder gel using an LED light, so they’ll last until they grow out. I have never gotten as good results with a nail glue-based nail system as I do with a cured gel. (If you don’t already have a gel set, I’ve linked the nail tools and other stuff you’ll need down at the bottom! 

There’s a whole nail tip box in their store, but what I linked above is the refill kit because it’s a lot cheaper, and I think it’s best to try this item before you get a pack with like a zillion. Nail technicians and other people who go through a ton of tips might want to grab the box set. 

What I love about the full-cover Kiara Sky c curve tips I linked here is that for absolute beginners, you know that you’re going to have a consistent length from full-cover. Each of the different sizes that comes with the kit will have a proportional length, so you’ll be set with what comes with it.

 If you’re new to doing your nails, you won’t have to worry about shortening long tips consistently and adjusting the coffin shape. Kiara Sky’s website is also very beginner-friendly. They have a “Learn” section on their website with articles like “What are gel nail extensions?”. That will make sure you get a great result every single time from the very beginning. 

Then, polish them with glitter, acrylic, powders, builder gel, whatever you want. Learn how to avoid a tacky topcoat layer here.

Best long coffin c-curve nail tips – wear them long or cut them to size

If you prefer a long, dramatic nail, these are the tips for you. Using an XXXL c-curve coffin half-cover means that you can apply the nail and then cut it to your exact preference.

(Note that this listing has two shape options — make sure you selected coffin!) 

This shape still has the deep c-curve design and shape. But you have more flexibility in length, shape, and application because of the half coverage tips. You’ll match the correct size nails to each finger, attach them with glue or builder gel, and build up the nail shape. How you build up the shape depends on the new products you’re using. I prefer a nail gel system and will create my nail with builder gel like in this video.

I am not a long nail girl. (Or, I am a long nail girl with a short nail girl life!) But you can make this system work with a medium length, go longer, achieve XL perfection, or go bold with a double XL length!  Then add embellishments or an accent nail!

 When you use half-cover tips, you’ll need acrylic, builder gel, or dip powder. These products go on top to smooth over where the nail meets the tip and to build a strong apex and get a perfect nail shape. 

The annoying thing about ordering online

Okay, there is one thing I hate about ordering c-curve nails online. If you google “c-curve nails squoval”, half the results are actually “non c-curve nails squoval”. Like, non-c-curve nails don’t have their own name. So if you’re not super careful while you’re shopping, you could end up with a whole set of non c curve xxl nails when you’re trying to buy c-curve. 

The worst culprit on this is Etsy — if you search ‘c-curve’, 80% of the listings actually say ‘non-c-curve’.

I don’t have any other advice on this other than, if you go searching for other options for c-curve nails, be SUPER attentive to what the listing actually says. 

What else do I need to do nail tips at home?

If you want long-lasting coffin nails,  I truly think a builder gel method is the way to go. Builder gel will hold nail and nail bed in contact longer and stronger than regular nail glue. Also, you can then use the same product to build up the nail shape. It’s an efficient method that doesn’t require 1000 different bottles of polish and product. 

So, you’ll need: 

• an LED lamp (quality does not matter much here — this is a cheap one)
• a builder gel  (I prefer this modelones gel. It’s thick, manageable, and self-levels beautifully. There are cheaper options, but they are not as good quality.)
• any gel polish of your choosing – I like modelones for this too
• any gel topcoat of your choosing – I also like modelones here! 
• optional: an acrylic nail clipper. This isn’t mandatory but it will help get nice straight even ends.

For a beginner-friendly overview of how to do nail tips with builder gel, check out this video from KatesNails. She is trimming and shaping half tips, which is more advanced than just buying the full tips the first time. 

Welcome to the DIY nail club! Let me know what your first look will be below!