Today we’re talking about press-on nails! If you’re anything like me when I first heard about these, than you’re probably pretty skeptical. I mean, I remember the fake nails I used to use as a preteen…and they popped off about every hour! But these imPress Press-On Manicure nails are a whole different story, trust me!
I love painting my nails — it is very rare for you to find me with naked nails. I just find it very relaxing to clean, maintain, and paint my nails on a weekly basis. But! When I became pregnant and that wonderful season called ‘morning sickness’ (but is so NOT only in the mornings!) came, I couldn’t stand any type of smell. So for several weeks they were just bare, breaking all the time, and all around driving me nuts.
Which is when I picked up a set of imPRESS Press-On Manicure nails at my local drugstore on a whim. I figured since I was staying home all the time anyways, it wouldn’t be a bit deal if they were popping off all the time. Let me just say…they blew me away! I was so imPRESSed (haha, get it! :-P) with the results!
But I’m getting ahead of myself! Let’s see how these babies apply!
Step-By-Step Tutorial
In each little imPRESS kit they include a prep pad (to cleanse your nail before beginning) and a file. I didn’t use the file, and wouldn’t say I’d recommend it if own a nice, glass file, but it’s nice that they include it in case you’re ever in a pinch. 🙂
Before you start your manicure, you need to pick the sizes. Each kit comes with a lot of different options and sizes so you shouldn’t have a problem finding the perfect size for you. Make sure you pick a nail that appears to be just a hair too small for your own nail. That way, when you apply it and press it onto your nail, it has room to flatten out an adhere to your nail. It’ll be a perfect fit. If you get one that fits your nail perfectly, when it’s pressed to your nail, it’s more likely to run into the edge of your nail and make the fact that they’re fake nails obvious.
Now that you’ve figured out which nails fit, make sure your nails are ready. Make sure your cuticles are pushed back, all nail polish residue has been removed, your nails are filed and smooth, and you use the prep pad just before starting the processes.
Now is where the fun begins! Each nail has a little flap on one edge and all you have to do is grab that and peel that clear tap off. Make sure you don’t touch the adhesive once you’ve removed the sticker! Line the nail up with your cuticle and press down (starting the pressure near your cuticles) and hold for about 10 seconds.
Repeat this to all your nails. It literally took me less than 5 minutes to apply them all. Once you’ve done this, the hard part is over! You’re pretty much done! It’s that easy! As you can see from the picture above, each of the nails have a little ‘tab’ that protrudes from the nails, but imPress Press-On Manicure recommends that you wait at least an hour before filing, washing dishes, or anything harsh. This gives the adhesive time to fully bond with your nail before they have to undergo any pressure.
Once the hour has passed, file your nails and you are officially ready to go! Now, it’s not like you can’t do anything for an hour (unlike when you paint your nails and have to wait for the polish to fully dry!). You can still do stuff without worrying that your nails will come off. I did stuff on my computer, folded some clothes, and cleaned up around my house while I waited. And once that hour has passed, your nails should stay beautiful and in place for a whole week!
My Thoughts on imPRESS
If you want the short and sweet version of this review…I loved these nails!
I personally am not a fan of press-on nails because I feel like they often “look” very, very fake and they come off and are a pain. But these imPRESS nails are a whole different story. My husband didn’t realize they were press-on nails until I had them on for over a week. And I was in my mom’s company for several days before she asked if they were press-ons.
For me, I had these nails on for two weeks and they were, honestly, still going strong. None had ever popped off and when I went to remove them, they still felt like they wanted to hang on for a while longer, lol! The reason I decided to remove them at two weeks was because the tips of the nails were starting to get worn and wasn’t holding the curved shape of a natural nail anymore. But, just to be clear, imPRESS only recommends that you keep these on a week.
I don’t know about you, but regular nail polish only lasts a few days on my nails before they start to chip. If I’m careful and take care of my manicure, I can get it to last a week…but it’s starting to look rough by then! So the fact that I can take 5 minutes out of my nails, press these babies on, and (bam!) get a perfect manicure that will look perfect for as long as two weeks….that totally makes them worth the pricetag, in my opinion. And with them being available at the drugstore, you can always wait for a sale (which is what I did when I originally bought them!)
Retail: $7.99 // Available at Target
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I received the products mentioned above from imPRESS through Brandbackers. Regardless, I only share information that I think will be useful for my readers and I only recommend products I have personally used. Opinions are 100% my own! 🙂
