The Nail Addict's Guide to Press On Nails

As ridiculous as this may sound, 2 of my greatest fears when I moved to Colorado was 1) where and how will I find a HTown quality barber & 2) what the heck am I gonna do about my nails, baby Jesus?? I wear my hair super low cut but if push came to shove, I’d ultimately just be done with it and grow it back out. My true concern was with my nail upkeep.

Some background, I have gone to a nail salon and got my nails done since as long as I’ve been into beauty, so since my sophomore year in high school. The longest I’ve ever gone in that timeframe without an appointment was maybe 2 weeks and that was when I was in between nail techs. I was PICKY when it came to who I let touch my nails and how I wanted them to look. Not to mention that each trip every 2-3 weeks was $80. I wanted them long, the perfect shape, lots of bling. Confession: I almost turned down a job because we weren’t supposed to wear them long or blinged out. In short, it was problematic even living in Houston where there were dozens of nail tech to choose from. It was my obsession with individual lash extensions all over again.

In planning for the move, I knew that I’d have to save money so that would mean I’d have to do tons of research to find a new nail tech for super cheap. As an entrepreneur, I’m a huge advocate for paying a businesses asking price and I knew that the quality that I was accustomed to would not come cheap. So I opted to give press on nails a try. After checking out the ones at drugstores and a few online, I wasn’t seeing the length, quality, or the designs I liked at all! So I thought to myself, “hey, you do makeup, you can paint, you can draw AND you’ve been getting your nails done for more than a decade. Surely you can paint a nail.” After weeks of experimenting and perfecting, I launched my own line of press on nails, and let me tell you, making the switch from the nail salon to wearing press on nails is one of the best decisions I ever could have made time and money wise. My only regret is that none of my homegirls who knew how amazing they were, told me!

Pros Of Press Ons

1) They’re more affordable & reusable. I wear my press ons for weeks at a time and depending on what I used to adhere them, I can pop them off and wear them over and over again. That’s like getting your nails done 3 or 4 times for less than $40 in total, as opposed to spending $50+ every visit to your nail technician.

2) They’re a time saver. Because these only take 10 minutes or less to apply, there’s no need to schedule a nail appointment, drive all the way to the nail salon, then spend 2-3 hours there getting them done.

3) They come in all different shapes, colors, and designs. These bad boys can be custom designed to look however you want them to. For my press on nail line, short coffin/ballerina sets have easily been the most popular, while I strictly where my nails long coffin sets with plenty of bling and customization. That’s the beauty of them though. You can build a whole wardrobe for your nails at a fraction of the cost.

4) Non-damaging. This is probably my favorite benefit of all. Press on nails don’t require any drilling down of your own nails so your nails are healthier as a result. My nails have done a 180 strength-wise since I stopped getting them drilled down for acrylics.

Cons of Press Ons

1) They can lift or pop off. I think this is a pro and a con. It can be nice that they come off in a pinch if you’re like a nurse or any type of worker where you can’t wear nails while you’re working. That’s awesome if you only want to wear them for an occasion or on the weekend. With the right glue though, they can last up to 3 weeks with minimal touch ups. I recommend using nail file to to buff your nail a bit, putting glue on your nail and the press on nail then holding for 5-10 seconds for maximum hold when applying if you want them to last longer.

2) The sets come with sizes a bit bigger or a bit smaller. This is the case with almost any press on nail brand unless they come with a custom size kit that allows you to match up your nail to the press ons ahead of time. Easy fix for press on nails that are just a tad to big is to file down the nail bed region of the press on til it matches the size of your nail.

Being more focused on my finances and businesses this year, time and money are 2 things that I’m always looking to save on. Press on nails really offered me a solution that I didn’t realized I needed.

If you’ve tried press on nails, I’d love to know what your favorite brand is and why you love them. If you’re looking to try them out, shop The Uptown Body Press On Nails. They’re made with salon grade gel polishes, stones, and products.

What other beauty hacks would you recommend? Let me know in the comments.

XOXO

Bee