You’ll find glue-on nails in several different lengths from the very short to the very long. Some come in eye-popping colors and patterns, while others offer more traditional looks like the French manicure. Of course, you can always opt for a more natural nail.

Some brands, like Broadway®, offer pressure-applied nails that you simply press onto your natural nail after peeling off the protective strip to reveal the adhesive backing. How easy is that?

The downside of do-it-yourself artificial nails is that they don’t last as long as salon-applied nails (usually no more than a week).

Salon Nails

If you’re headed to the salon for a perfect set of ten, you may be in for an acrylic or gel nail application. Both will yield great results, but there are some differences.{relatedarticles}

Acrylic nails are widely popular, strong and resilient, and they’re usually the least expensive salon option. But there’s a downside, too.

“A disadvantage of acrylic, opposed to gel nails, is that it ultimately requires the use of a strong chemical solvent to remove the acrylics,” says the Jolie Hair and Beauty Academy. “It also doesn’t promote healthy nail growth like gel nails do.”