A Well-“Pressed” Manicure

My best friend thinks that getting her acrylic nails done is one of the most relaxing activities there is. Me? I detest it. I sit there for an hour, hating how still I have to be, and thinking about all the other things I could be accomplishing. Everyone is different. I wish that I felt the same calming effect that she does, but alas, it’s just not in the cards for me. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t desire a well-polished manicure.

I knew there had to be a solution, and that was when I discovered press-on nails. (Glue-on nails were a possible alternative as well, but I quickly learned just how difficult it was for me to squeeze the glue out of the tiny bottle and tossed that idea out the window). I’ve been consistently using press-on nails for over two months now, and I've noticed they offer many benefits over regular acrylic nails.

PRICE: For starters, they’re cheaper. Each set of press-on nails lasts me about 1.5 weeks. I go through roughly four pairs per month at an average price of $8 per pair and a total of $32 per month. That’s less than a single trip to the nail salon for acrylic nails (and most women go to the nail salon more than once a month for their acrylics).

REPAIR: The other big selling point is that if you break or chip a nail, you can just peel it off and pop on a new one. It’s that easy. If you break or chip an acrylic nail, you have to book an appointment, pay for the repair, and so forth.

APPLICATION: Press-on nails can take as little as five minutes to put on. (Compare that to an hour sitting at the salon . . .) However, it’s important to keep nail health and hygiene at the forefront of your mind when swapping out press-on pairs.

I typically take my press-ons off in the evening and allow my natural nails to “breathe” overnight. Then, in the morning, I clean, buff, and file my nails before applying my new press-ons.

DESIGN: In my personal opinion, this is the biggest selling point: the designs are perfectly symmetrical every time. It’s very difficult for nail salon artists to make designs look the same on each finger, but press-ons always match.

Yes, the press-on nails stay on. They’re not flimsy, and I can still do everything I need to do. I wear them while I type all day, and they stay on just fine.

Press-ons (or fake nails in general) aren’t for everyone, but they’re definitely for me and could be for you, too!

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