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.