Old school press on nails. A pain to put on and painful to take off. Lose lose. Bye bye.Yes, you read correctly, and yes I’m shocked that press-on nails are making a return too. Growing up, I used to pick up packages of pretty-pink press-ons complete with Barbie decals for 50-cents at my local corner store. I would spend the afternoon carefully adhering the molded plastic to my own nails only to spend the rest of the day avoiding anything that might jeopardize my self-applied mani. (Why don’t YOU push ME on the tire swing this time? Thankyouverymuch!”>
The issue was that, come morning, more press-on’s were stuck to my sheets than my nails and or they began to stick in all sorts of embarrassing places like cups and jean pockets. Needless to say, I figured out quickly that press-on nails, while novel in concept, were just not a realistic part of my 9-year old beauty regimen. I dropped press-on’s like a bad habit (mainly because they were”> and stuck to my normal nail polish like the rest of the world. That is, until my trip to America’s Beauty Show last week.
The Press-On Renaissance
A bejeweled mosaic press-on manicureImagine my surprise when I saw press-on’s popping up all over the show floor at this year’s America’s Beauty Show! I thought these things were long gone, so I had to get to the bottom of this nail art revival! After stopping by the Dashing Diva booth, a company geared solely to professional press-ons, I learned that there have been some really interesting innovations in press-on technology over last 20 years. Here’s what I learned:
- It’s the Polish! Press-on’s of yore used to be an actual pre-painted, pre-manicured nail that you would affix to your existing nail bed. Today’s press-on’s are simply sheets of press-on polish.
- No Drying Necessary. Because you’re working with adhesive sheets of polish rather than wet paint, there is no dry time necessary. Just press ’em on and grab your keys from the bottom of your purse without worrying about ruining your new mani. It’s both delightful in concept and practice!
- Colors! Glitter! Patterns! OH MY! The really groovy thing about these press-on polishes is that they they come in every style imaginable! I saw everything from solid red to houndstooth to leopard to plaid. Literally, if you can dream it up, there is a press-on polish out there for you!
- Manicured for days and days and days. Fourteen of them to be exact. If applied correctly, you could be sitting pretty with a no-chip pretty mani for two weeks! Pretty cool!
So that’s the skinny! Check out my adventures in press-on nails from this year’s ABS!
Press-On and Presto!
A package of gorgeous floral press-on polish
A finished and intricate press-on manicure with jewel inlays
Press-on pattern options
Applying the press-on polish
My press on nail before clipping and filing down to my nail
My finished nail
Wanna get your press-on on?
- Check with your local nail salon! Many of the brands at ABS specialize in professional-quality products specifically for nail salons
- Try a brand like Incoco to get your fix
- Make sure to take your time and be patient. The polish is super sticky, so move slowly to avoid a mistake