This post may contain affiliate links that support the site at no cost to you.

If you’re starting your DIY nail journey, the terms and options can all be super overwhelming. 

Some people love dip, some acrylic, some polygel, some press-ons, some builder gel….

And none of these are really right or wrong. And every influencer is out there shouting out about their preferences, which might or might not be helpful to you. It’s super hard to know where to start when there are just so many options out there. How are you supposed to decide nail tips vs full cover tips?

So, if you’re a nail lover interested in nail extensions…. Here are your options for nail systems that are DIY-friendly and ready to set you up for a nail art or styles that you’ll love. 

What is a full cover tip? 

So, your first option for fake nails are a full cover tips. These plastic or soft gel tips are sized and shaped like a full fingernail. They get glued or cured down right to the cuticle. They can be as long as you like, and they are going to have a natural curve that mimics an apex in a shaped nail. If you’re looking for nail tips vs full cover tips, the full cover tips are worth considering for beginners!

Full cover tips can come in any shape or size. I wrote about specialized nail tips for people with a naturally pronounced c-curve (like your nails are curvy not flat on your fingers). So, when you select them, you’re choosing between types of full coverage tips that vary based on if it

• fits the shape of your fingers properly (c-curve or no c-curve)
• has the length you want
• has the shape you want (almond, squoval, coffin, etc)
• is made of either plastic or soft gel — soft gel gets cured onto your nail with gel adhesive

The nice thing about full cover tips is that they give you that sculpted shape in a super consistent way, and they’re stronger and less likely to pop off than tips. Full-cover nail tips give you a smooth, consistent surface that’s scaled for the size of each nail, which can be a huge help if you’re new and haven’t practiced sculpting the nail yet. 

And these full cover nail tips go straight from the cuticle area to the edge of the natural nail, which gives it more of a large surface area to adhere to. You can get more glue on it to keep it in place, which can really help. 

Here’s a full cover nail on its own:

And here it is as it would sit on my finger:

You can see I would have some shaping to do to preserve that almond shape!

What is a nail tip?

Nail tips are a method of nail extension that gets glued to the free edge of the nail. They cover about half of the natural nail plate. These acrylic nail tips don’t add shape or structure to the nail, but they can be used to achieve length. Whether that’s extreme lengths or just one nail that might have been broken or cut, tips can help. 

Nail tips give less coverage and are overall more likely to pop off. But, they give a lot of creative freedom to the artist (you). You can shape an extremely natural-looking shape that’s suited to your nails. Whether DIY or a professional nail tech, tips can be used to achieve different shapes in the nail based on the desired shape and the personal tech preference.  Tips are also more versatile and allow for an acrylic “fill” to be done much more easily. You won’t have to soak the whole nail off. 

There are a wide variety of tips available as well. Just like with full-cover tips, you need to carefully select your extensions to correctly fit your fingers. You also need to pick a set with the length and shape that you prefer. It’s generally best to buy the tips in the longest length that you prefer. You can always just cut long enhancements back.

Generally, tips require a much higher skill level than full cover tips. More on that in a second. 

Benefits of a full cover tip for DIY

So, a full-cover tip is probably the best choice if it’s your first try ever with nail extensions. It’s much easier to get started, and you don’t need a lot of experience with it. If you want an acrylic nail enhancement and you have no idea where to start, this is an easy and affordable way. 

Easiest to use

It’s not actually that different than gluing on a press-on nail! And because they’re clear, you can stick them on with a gel nail polish base and get a much stronger attachment. The gel product will cure right through the clear tip. (This is true of both full cover and nail tips, actually!)

So, you apply the nail tip with glue or gel. Then, paint it with gel polish or whatever you want, and add any embellishments you want. I prefer hard gel, and for that you’ll need a UV light. There’s a small learning curve to figuring out how much pressure to put on the nail while you’re curing it. But if you’ve ever put on press-ons, you’ll get the feel for it quickly. 

So, the strength of a full tip is a benefit, and the easiness of putting it on compared to a nail tip is a benefit. 

Drawback: removal

The major drawback of a full tip nail is how it grows out. If you did your cuticle prep properly, your full cover tip is ON THERE and it’s not going anywhere. As the nail grows out, your rounded apex is going to grow out too, and it’s going to look a little strange. (If you’ve ever seen someone with really grown out nails, you know the look — like there’s a half inch between the cuticle and the fingernail shape.) 

This happens with any type of manicure–however, when you’re working with sculpted acrylic nails or nails done in nail forms, it’s pretty easy to just use a nail drill to remove the old shape. When you’re working with a full cover tip, it’s much more difficult to get that old apex rounded down. And, it’s possible that once you do, there might be air bubbles from the gel you used to attach the tip. 

Because the “fill” process is so much more complicated, most beginners will end up soaking off their full cover tips every time. Which is okay! It’s more work, more expensive, and kind of annoying, and not ideal for the health of your nails, but it’s doable. And then you start over again with the easy process of attaching your next set of full cover tips. 

Benefits of a nail tip for DIY

As you get more experienced as a DIYer, you might choose to switch to plastic tips. This is my preference on those rare occasions that i do my gel nail extensions. (As I am forever saying on this blog, I am a long nail girl with a short nail life!) 

Custom shape

In my mind, the benefit of selecting nail tips instead of full cover is that you get a much more versatile tip. Nail tips that start at the middle of your nail enable you to sculpt a custom shape that is going to look far more natural on your nails than any full cover tip, no matter how good it is. 

A full-cover tip can absolutely look like a professional manicure (and if you’re a total beginner, it almost certainly will look more like a professional manicure than if you tried to freehand it!). But once you know what you’re doing, nail tips + acrylic or builder gel can look like a really expensive professional manicure! The custom, individual effect you get from choosing the right nail tips and building on top is honestly amazing. 

But it takes a long time to get there! Honestly, I use builder gel because I think it’s easier than acrylic–I don’t think I have the skills yet to get a nice finish with acrylic. (Builder gel is self-leveling, and if you turn your hand upside down for 10 seconds it will level perfectly into a slight apex!) But since I have an application process that works for me and am generally pretty consistently happy with the outcome, it’s the best way for me right now. 

Longer-lasting

The other benefit of a nail tip is how it grows out! You can keep the same tip on for months, saving money and time. Because the tip and nail are growing out together, for each new set of nails, you just clip off the excess tip. Then, you file down the old polish and flatten out the old apex, then reapply and shape the nails. (If you’re totally new and trying to wrap your head around what this would look like, check out this video, which looks a lot like what I do.)

Because a fill is faster than the whole process of soaking off, reattaching an extension, and then reapplying, this can be very convenient. And you use less product and fewer tips overall. So that’s a benefit of nail tips vs full cover tips.

I gotta say it though–you must do a full soak-off regularly to avoid a greenie! (That’s when you get a fungus growing in the natural nail and you DO NOT want it.) Many people will tell you 4-6 months…I want you to live your best life so I’m going to tell you every three months. Honestly, I am never able to keep extensions on this long, but if you’re doing it yourself, it’s affordable to do a full soak off more often, and you avoid the risk of a gross infection. 

Best choice for DIY nails at home

It depends! Whether you choose nail tips vs full cover tips depends on your skill level and the look you’re trying to get.

If you’re a total beginner to nail extensions: 

start with a full cover tip. They come in all shapes and lengths. You’ll get a good looking result the first time, and you can keep working and learning. You might stick with this forever and just get more adventurous and learn to fill them… Or, you might just soak them off every three weeks indefinitely. It’s all good! 

If you want it to be quick and easy every time: 

You probably want full cover tips. Prep your cuticles, pop them on and cure them, paint them, topcoat them, and move on. 

If you want an extremely custom look, or you feel you have unusually shaped or sized nails:

 ​You’ll want to get to nail tips. The learning curve is more significant (I think tips + builder gel is the easiest way to learn!) but the potential for a custom fit is endless. 

You want the cheapest overall process:

 ​Nail tips will be cheapest in the long run, because they don’t have to be changed out with every new manicure and you can do a fill with less product overall. If you’re okay with a couple sets that look a little wonky at first, you’ll get there pretty quick. 

Your non-dominant hand is not that helpful: 

stick to full-cover tips. The hardest part of using nail tips is getting the shape right on your dominant hand (and of course that’s the hand that everybody sees!). I did find that my non-dominant hand got better as my brain learned how to shape, etc. But if your left hand isn’t so good…stick to full cover tips for a bit. 

Ready to get started? Pin this post for when your tips arrive: nail tips vs full cover tips.