Gel! Acrylics! Dip! Your One-Stop Shop for Every Type of Manicure to Know in 2026
Nail literacy for all.
Nowadays, going into the nail salon isn’t a cut-and-dry experience. While once upon a time you could simply go in, pick a color, and extend your digits for an hour of primping and priming, the manicure landscape in 2026 looks vastly different—offering an array of services so vast that it requires its own glossary. Depending on your preferred style, you could be sitting in the chair for hours. (Some people even download shows onto their phones to get through the half-day process of getting extensions, intricate nail art, 3D appliques, and more.)
While we won’t get into the nitty-gritty of the nearly innumerable (and constantly evolving) types of manicures that are available today, we do want to simplify the salon experience for anyone curious about switching things up or experimenting with a new style. From regular nail polish to buzzy BiAB (builder in a bottle) manicures, there’s a handful of names worth knowing to be manicure literate in the salon-scape today.
“I don’t think people know that there are different levels,” says celebrity manicurist and educator Julie Kandalec, listing soft gel, semi-hard gel, and longwear systems like DazzleDry. Fellow celebrity nail artist and brand founder Tom Bachik would have to agree. “People will use the term ‘acrylics’ like ‘Kleenex,’ when really they’re getting Gel-X,” he explains. “Those in-between categories are worth making sure people know about,” Kandalec adds. Below, Kandalec and Bachik demystify the 11 most popular service names in modern nail salons.
Article continues below11 Different Types of Manicures, Explained
Regular Nail Polish
Simply put, regular nail polish, or lacquer, is the type of polish that air-dries and doesn’t require any special lamps or top coats. There aren’t any fancy tools or extra steps required outside of a base coat, one to three layers of polish, and a top coat that seals everything in—though the pros recommend using pure or 90-plus percent acetone to remove all natural oils from the surface beforehand for the longest wear.
- What materials are used? Air dry polish
- How long does it last? 3-7 days
- Who should get this manicure? Anyone who wants a short-term, non-damaging manicure
Shop the Manicure
Long-Wear Nail Polish
While still air-dry polishes, these long-wear formulas are made to go the distance. Kandalec mentions specific formulas like CND Vinylux, Dazzle Dry, and Essie Gel Couture polishes as examples—all of which have technical formulas that preserve color, resist chipping, and boost longevity for up to a week of wear. Each polish usually comes with a matching topcoat that extends the shelf life of each manicure, or even a bespoke system (like Dazzle Dry’s four-step process) to grant the best results.
- What materials are used? Air dry polish
- How long does it last? One week
- Who should get this manicure? Those who want a chip-resistant, week-long manicure sans gel
Shop the Manicure
Soft Gel
Gel polish was one of the first non-acrylic, yet non-regular polish options to take the nail market by storm. Though there are different gel categories, including soft, semi-hard, and hard, most customers think of soft gel when they ask for a gel manicure. (Think: CND Shellac, Tom Bachik’s Neudes, OPI Intelli-Gel… we could go on.) “Soft or semi-soft gels are more for overlays,” says Bachik—meaning a coat of polish overlaying the nail. “As you get into the harder or semi-hard gels, that's when you can start creating length,” he adds.
These polishes are typically only available for purchase at beauty supply stores and require a UV lamp to cure (aka dry)—they do not air-dry. The formulas are made up of pigments and polymers that harden under UV or LED light, forming a glossy, durable surface that lasts far longer than regular polish.
- What materials are used? Gel polish
- How long does it last? 10-21 days
- Who should get this manicure? People who want ultra-shiny, chip-resistant, and more hard-wearing manicures than regular polish can offer
Shop the Manicure
Structured Gel
Structured gel is the umbrella term for bottled brush-on gels, like The GelBottle’s Builder in a Bottle (also known as BiAB) and CND’s PlexiGel. While manicurists used to have to dip nail brushes into a potted gel formula, some brands have combined them to make application easier. Kandalec describes structured gel polishes as “thin to medium-thick layers of hard or soft gel, sometimes with a gel polish color over it”—soft, in the case of BiAB, and hard, in the case of PlexiGel.
BiAB is best for uniformity (aka no natural nail ridges), protection, and natural-looking, lush thickness over the natural length of your nails. While PlexiGel can still be used for this, it’s also great for adding thickness and length. After an extension form is fitted to your finger, the product can be brushed over the natural nail and form—as far as you’d like your nails to go—before curing and hardening under an LED lamp.
- What materials are used? Hard, semi-hard, or soft gel
- How long does it last? 3-4 weeks
- Who should get this manicure? Anyone who wants a perfectly plump nail and wants to grow (or wear, in the case of extensions) their nails long without acrylic or tips
Shop the Manicure
Sculpted Nails
This is one you’ll need to book a salon visit for (unless you’re equipped with a full manicurist setup at home). Sculpted nails are achieved by applying hard gel over forms to add thickness and length (much like the aforementioned PlexiGel). Essentially, they are extensions sans acrylic or tips.
“Hard gels are super popular right now because of their consistency and their strength,” says Bachik. Hard gels are similar to acrylics in terms of maintenance, meaning that touch-ups are fill-ins versus the traditional soaking-off of regular gels. (In fact, you can’t soak these off at all—hard gels are non-porous, which require filing.) Customers may go for sculpted gel over acrylics because of the gel’s strength, yet relative flexibility, which prevents the cracking or breaking that so often happens with hard, air-dried acrylic.
- What materials are used? Hard gels
- How long does it last? 3-4 weeks
- Who should get this manicure? Anyone who wants to improve their nail health, smooth the surface of uneven nails, or get durable length without acrylic or tips
Shop the Manicure
Gel-X Soft Gel
If you’ve been a press-on lover for quite some time, you’ll swoon over the longevity and professional results of a Gel-X manicure. Popularized and trademarked by Aprés Nail, this gel system fuses a gel nail extension (usually clear overlays designed to cover the entire nail) to the natural nail with soft, bonding gel, offering longer and stronger wear than your typical press-on nail glue.
After the nail is prepped, primed, and the bond is cured, it’s time for gel polish. Since these nails are designed to be soaked off, they do not require fill-ins or touch-ups in the way that BiAB, hard gel manicures, or acrylics do. Ideal for nail art and press-on lovers who prefer to switch up their sets often (or anyone who isn’t trying to grow and enhance long, natural nails, but rather cover them), Gel-X is a durable, long-lasting upgrade.
- What materials are used? Soft bonding gel and full-coverage extensions
- How long does it last? 3-4 weeks
- Who should get this manicure? Nail art lovers who are looking for a longer-lasting version of press-ons that won’t damage the nail via file removal
Shop the Manicure
Acrygel
“It’s like if gel and acrylic had a baby,” Bachik says, explaining the difference between acrygel and—well, everything else. Also known as polygel (a trademark of gel brand Gelish), Bachik describes acrygel as a very thick, strong, yet flexible gel-acrylic hybrid. “You have the flexibility of a gel, but you don't have the odors of acrylic,” he adds.
Manicurists especially appreciate the working time this product allows, as acrylic air-dries and requires fast shaping, but its gel infusion keeps the product moldable until curing under the UV lamp, resulting in the perfect shape. But to sculpt these beautiful shapes, Bachik explains that you need to use a flat brush doused in an alcohol-based slip solution. “It’s almost like a putty; it allows you to work the product around,” he adds. This hybrid gel is also used for creating trendy 3D nail art.
- What materials are used? Hard gel
- How long does it last? 3-4 weeks
- Who should get this manicure? Anyone who favors acrylic-level strength with the flexibility and lightness of hard gel
Shop the Manicure
Russian Manicure
What separates the Russian manicure isn’t the material used, but the technique. This spotless, cuticle-free, evenly balanced manicure is a perfectionist’s dream, sparing no detail from skin prep to shape in the meticulous process. “The training for it is crazy,” says Kandalec. The manicurist explains that before any polishing is done, the first step is to properly exfoliate the skin and remove the cuticles with an E-file and scissors or snippers.
Following careful cuticle removal is BiAB polish, which is painstakingly extended to the very end of the nailbed and along the sidewalls for a perfect flush. Kandalec explains that this makes outgrowth almost undetectable, offering four weeks of wear before you have to go back in for a touch-up.
Customers concerned with their nail health will often opt for a Russian manicure over gel, as touch-ups don’t mean soak-offs, but instead gradual fills—especially ones that shave down the apex of the grown-out nail to move it back towards the cuticle, which preserves a natural, svelte shape. This keeps the manicure perfectly plump and what Kandalec calls the “line of light” straight, all while growing your natural nails into long, healthy tips.
- What materials are used? E-file and semi-hard, Builder in a Bottle gel
- How long does it last? 4 weeks (before a fill)
- Who should get this manicure? A nail perfectionist who prefers single colors, protects their nail health, and wants to grow out their natural length
Shop the Manicure
Acrylic Manicure
One of the oldest and strongest types of manicures is acrylic. This type of manicure is created when a brush dipped in acrylic powder—made from plastic polymers and pigments—is activated by liquid initiators (called polymerization). This process offers a small window of time for molded application before the formula hardens, creating ultra-strong, durable nail extensions. From there, these nails can be filed and buffed into the desired shape, smoothness, and length before being painted.
Unlike gel, this type of material air-dries and can be applied over the natural nail and a tip extension or a nail form to create extra length. These types of manicures cannot be soaked off like gels, but require fill-ins every few weeks after some outgrowth. Because acrylic powder does not require UV curing—a requirement for gel materials—this ultra-strong, non-porous product needs to be filed off for removal. It’s worth noting that fills are also relatively less expensive and time-consuming than gel soak-offs and reapplications, which is a perk for many customers.
- What materials are used? Acrylic powder and liquid initiator
- How long does it last? 6-8 weeks, with fills every 2-3
- Who should get this manicure? People who prefer strength to flexibility (and frankly, nail health)
Dip Nails
“Fundamentally, [dip] is just colored acrylic powder,” says Bachik. While acrylics are often applied clear, white, or even sometimes a shade of pink, dip powders come in a wide array of shades (and are easier to achieve at home than acrylics). The process is similar to that of acrylics, just a bit more user-friendly: Simply paint the liquid initiator onto the nail and dip your finger into the acrylic powder for an even coating. Upon contact with the glossy base, the powder quickly activates and forms a thicker surface. You may need to repeat this process one to two more times, applying an extra layer of initiator in between, before sealing everything with a final activator or UV light.
- What materials are used? Liquid initiator, acrylic powder, and an activator
- How long does it last? 3-4 weeks
- Who should get this manicure? Someone who wants the strength of acrylic while encouraging the growth of their natural shape, not adding length
Shop the Manicure
Press-Ons
If you want temporary length, high-shine color, and even 3D textures or intricate nail art without sitting in a salon for hours and forking over more than $100, your best manicure is a set of press-ons. “I love a press-on, because it really does protect the natural nail,” says Kandalec.
Typically made from plastic and available in a wide variety of shapes, lengths, and styles, these temporary nail solutions come in glue-on and adhesive tab options, offering wear time that can stretch up to 10 days when applied (and nails are prepped) properly. Press-ons are also a great option for anyone trying to improve their nail health by avoiding nail drills and files. Simply soak them off in acetone when you’re ready to remove, and you’re done.
- What materials are used? Press-ons and glue (or adhesive tabs)
- How long does it last? 1-2 weeks
- Who should get this manicure? People who want a low-cost, low-commitment manicure with a short shelf life
Shop the Manicure
