hiya louise
sculpting is definately the way to go.
not only does it work out MUCH cheaper than tip & overlay, but once you've mastered it, will will eventually cut down your application time by 1/3

(at least).
there are a few situations when a tip is more benefitial, which is why i stock each tip shape just for those occasions, but i sculpt about 90% of the time!
why spend upto £2 more per new set unnecessarily?
why spend 20-40 mins extra applying & blending tips?
why remove someones nail & apply a tip when you could've just built out the missing piece?
just a few reasons to think about why perfecting your sculpting technique is the thing to do in 2004!
liza smith xxx