What do you want to do?
At this stage, you could just fill in your recession and straighten up your hairline and have more of the look as in the 1st picture.
You can have 2 small pieces or one straight across the front.
Some people think its easier to just have the one piece.

Then you can move on to larger pieces as you need them.
Personally, I'm all for using as much of your own hair as possible, but again, other people think differently and prefer to get rid of the lot and have an entire topper.
With your hair being curly and long, you shouldn't have a problem disguising and blending the join.

You probably know this already, but do a search for 'partials' or 'front partials' to see other opinions and results.
As for the base choice, each has its pros & cons.
Lace is good if you're going to show your hairline, but can be a pain to clean & maintain.
Thin skins sound easier to maintain but the hairline is less realistic when exposed.
Once you've decided which base is best for you, you can then move on the attachment methods.

A lot of this is about choice rather than definitive answers/solutions.
To make the best choice for you, you need to get as much info as possible and ask questions about anything you specifically don't understand.
Then you can apply that info to make informed choices and include your personal preferences.