Ballerina Nail Tips: Application Tutorial with Nail Tip Gel Adhesive

Want long, elegant nails without a salon visit? In this Not A Nail Tech video, we apply beautiful ballerina nail tips to natural nails using Nail Tip Gel Adhesive. It covers everything from choosing the right size and attaching the tip to cleaning up the excess and thinning out the join so it grows out neatly.

Ballerina, or coffin, tips give you a long, tapered shape with a flat free edge, which makes them the perfect canvas for gel polish and nail art. With the right prep and a careful clean-up, you can get a secure, natural-looking result at home.

Ballerina nail tips are one of the quickest ways to add length and shape. Instead of sculpting extensions from scratch, you simply size, attach and file, which saves a huge amount of time and gives you consistent results on every finger.

Using Nail Tip Gel Adhesive means the tips are cured in place rather than relying on glue alone. Tack curing the top section holds the tip steady while you tidy up, and the final 60-second cure leaves you with a fully attached nail that's ready for buffing and gel polish.

Make sure the ballerina nail tips you've picked out are the right size for each nail.

Cut the nails down, tidy the cuticles and buff the top of the nail. Apply Primer and let it dry.

Put a small amount of Nail Tip Gel Adhesive on the back of the tip – how much you need is a bit of trial and error. Wear gloves and don't touch it with your fingers. If it's too sticky to move, a little Gel Residue Remover helps.

Slide the tip up to the cuticle point and press it down so it's all smooth. Use a small torch or UV lamp to cure the top section so the tip stays in place.

With Gel Residue Wipe Off Solution and a brush, go under the nail and remove any excess adhesive so there's no bulk underneath. Then cure in the lamp for 60 seconds for a fully attached nail.

File the tips down to the length you want, taking care to file only the tips and not your own sidewalls.

Go around the cuticle area with a soft drill bit to thin out the top of the tip, so there's no bulky line as the nails grow out. Then work a little acetone into the top with a small brush for a short while to melt down the join further.

Finish by buffing the surface with a buffing block so gel polish will stick to it nice and tight. Your ballerina nail tips are now ready for colour.

• Wear gloves. Keep the adhesive off your fingers while you apply the tips.
• Remove the excess underneath. Cleaning under the tip before the full cure stops annoying bulk under the nail.
• Protect your sidewalls. When shortening the tips, file only the tip and not your natural nail.
• Blend the join. Thinning the top of the tip and melting it with acetone gives a neater grow-out.
• Tack cure first. Curing just the top section with a small torch or lamp holds the tip in place while you clean up.

This guide to ballerina nail tips is ideal for beginners and DIY nail lovers who want to try extensions at home. As part of the Not A Nail Tech series, it's designed to be approachable, and it explains each stage clearly, from prep through to the final buff.

It's also useful for anyone who already wears tips but struggles with bulk under the nail or a visible line as their nails grow. The clean-up and blending steps make a real difference to how natural and comfortable the finished nails feel.

Once your ballerina nail tips are applied, you can tailor the result using the same products and steps:

• File the tips to a shorter or longer length to suit your lifestyle.
• Use the buffed tips as a base for any gel polish colour or nail art design.
• Experiment with how much Nail Tip Gel Adhesive you use until you find the amount that suits your nails.

Good aftercare helps extensions last and protects your natural nails. Apply cuticle oil regularly to keep the skin around the nails hydrated, and wear gloves when cleaning or washing up. Avoid using your nails as tools, especially with added length, as this can put pressure on the tip and the natural nail beneath it.

Don't pick at any lifting or try to pull the tips off, as this can damage the natural nail. When it's time to remove them, have them removed properly and give your nails some extra cuticle oil afterwards.

Put a small amount on the back of the tip. How much you need is a bit of trial and error, so start small.

Wear gloves and don't touch it with your fingers. If it's too sticky to move, a little Gel Residue Remover helps.

After tack curing the top section, go under the nail with Gel Residue Wipe Off Solution and a brush to remove any excess adhesive, then cure for 60 seconds.

Thin out the top of the tip around the cuticle area with a soft drill bit, then work a little acetone into the top with a small brush to melt down the join further.

With careful prep, a clean application and a well-blended join, ballerina nail tips give you long, elegant nails ready for any design. Watch the full Not A Nail Tech video tutorial above, gather the products listed, and give tip application a try.