12 sets in total. By shape, 6 almond, 3 square, 1 oval, 1 round and 1 squoval. By length, 5 short, 4 medium and 3 long. Every set contains ten nails, five per hand, pre-arranged and labelled left and right, in sizes XS, S and M. Applied in about five minutes and worn 3 to 5 days with adhesive tabs, or up to 14 days with nail glue.

A French tip draws the eye to the free edge, so it makes any length look longer. If you want the effect without the commitment, a short French reads longer than a plain short nail.

A french tip works because it repeats the natural line of the nail and makes the whole finger read longer. That is why it survives every trend cycle, and why french tip press-on nails outsell every other style in this shop. The modern version is a thinner line and a warmer base than the stark white of twenty years ago, which is what these sets are cut to.

A base close to your own skin tone disappears and lets the tip do the work; a base a shade lighter reads more graphic. Neither is more correct. If you cannot decide, take the warmer base — it is more forgiving as the nail grows out underneath, and the gap at the cuticle shows less.

The advantage of a tip design is that a few days of growth reads as a slightly longer nail rather than as a visible line of regrowth, the way a solid colour does. That buys a french set two or three more wearable days than a solid set of the same age, which over a year is a real difference.