The story goes that in 1954 a Philadelphia dentist named Fred Slack broke his thumbnail at work and made a replacement out of dental acrylic shaped over aluminium foil. Wikipedia credits him with it, and a few brand blogs repeat the same account. Another version says he first did it to stop his wife biting her nails. Those details come from weaker sources, so take them lightly, but the 1954 date and the dental acrylic are consistent everywhere I looked.

The same sources say Slack and his brother Tom patented the technique and started Patti Nails, described as the first commercial nail product. It later became Nail Systems International. By the 1970s, according to Nails Magazine, it was the age of the artificial nail, and square shapes had become fashionable.

I like that history because it explains what we still want from the best fake nails: length and strength that a natural nail cannot manage, with a shape you choose. The difference now is that you do not need a salon or a sculpting form. You need a kit and ten minutes.

The collage below shows ten shapes and finishes, from a plain nude to a red, a chrome and a matte sage. The first grid is glue-on sets, mostly French tips and soft ombres. The second is press-on sets in pinks, whites and a few reds.

Here is a test I like: press a set onto your thumb before you commit. If it sits flat at the cuticle and does not lift at the edges, the size is right. If it rocks, go up or down a size.

KISS has four sets here, and they are the most straightforward. Classy Simple Enough is a short beige squoval with delicate French detail, and the kit includes 28 nails, pink gel nail glue, a mini file and a manicure stick. The brand says it lasts up to 14 days. Core Design New Chapter is a 32-count medium almond with multi-chrome white French tips. Glam Jeweled Crystal Bloom takes the white French tip and adds daisies and pearl accents, which is the pick if you want a little 3D. Salon Acrylic Sleek is a short red almond French, and the brand says its Dual Injection Technology keeps it from chipping.

Dashing Diva's four are gel. Queen Of Neutrals is a glossy nude ombre in medium almond. Rosewater Glaze is a barely-there rosy ombre with a chrome finish. Petal Perfect has translucent ivory bases with white rhinestone-centered blooms in a medium round, and Graceful Girl is semi-sheer nude pink with airbrushed white tips, also medium round. The brand designed these as LED nail extensions and says they are best with its GelXtend Glue and an LED lamp, so check what the set needs before you order.

If you have never done this before, start with the KISS kits. They come with glue and everything else in the box. If you like a quieter look, the Dashing Diva neutrals sit closest to a natural nail.

What I would skip: the jeweled set for a week of typing. Anything with 3D pieces will catch on sleeves and keyboards, and it is happiest at a dinner.

These lean on shape and finish. Nail Reformation has four of the same style of kit here: rosy pink chrome, milky white, red-orange French tips and pearly lilac. The brand describes each as a salon-quality kit that comes with what you need, and says the nails can be reused. To apply, buff, wipe with an alcohol pad, choose sizes, glue and press each nail for 10 to 15 seconds. Use cuticle oil after.

ohora keeps it clean. NP Blush Pink is a soft, diffused pink the brand calls a clean girl design, and NP Pure White is its clear, luminous white. Chillhouse's Call me Baby is a nude set with red heart tips. The kit has 30 nails, a dual-sided buffer and file, a cuticle stick and a gentle glue, according to the brand. Olive & June's Signature Chrome French is a thick classic French finished in shimmering chrome, in a medium oval.

Here is a pairing I like: keep your clothes simple when you wear the red-orange French or the heart tips. They are enough of a statement on their own. The pink, lilac and milky sets go with everything.

Nail Reformation says to remove its sets with its own acetone-free remover, so keep that near.

What I would skip: skipping the prep. The instructions start with a buff and an alcohol pad for a reason, and the glue holds better on a clean nail.

I think the best fake nails are the ones you can put on without help and take off without damage. Slack got the idea from a broken thumbnail, and honestly most of us have a reason like that.

My rule is to pick the shape you already wear. Short almond if you type all day, medium oval if you want a little length, and only then choose color. Prep your nails properly, press for the full count the kit tells you, and keep the remover close so you never have to pick. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Best Press On Nails, From a Dentist's 1954 Fix to Salon-Shaped Sets and Drip Nails Went From Kylie's Lip Kit to Everyone's Tips.