It’s been both good and bad, depending on the era, but they’ve gotten SO MUCH BETTER since I used them in the ’90s! Back then it was all about Lee Press On Nails, and all of my friends used them… I don’t know why, because they were terrible!
I tried ’em a couple times, and they never stayed put, never quite fit my nails correctly, and they looked super fake.
Fast forward to today, and I don’t know what technological advances have been made in the press-on nail industry since those janky Lee Press Ons, but now they’re actually really good.
I think the imPress press ons are truly great. You generally get more size, style and length options than you used to in the Lee days, so not just long talon-like French nails, which were the only option way back when.
Oh, and the glue?
THE GLUE!
It’s better by leaps and bounds, like it’s space glue or something that came from an advanced alien civilization. Now I can stick some nails on and even correct them if I need to, and they’ll last a few days, even through hand washing and showers.
I remember in high school doing my press-ons before my first class in the morning and having them fall off by lunch, LOL! They’re so much better now.
What’s been your experience with temporary press-on nails? Tell me the good, the bad, the ugly in the comments. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
The category certainly seems to be robust in retail, so they must be doing something right. 🙂 I don’t even like to wear polish often because it makes my nails feel unhealthy (softer, weaker, discolored), so I’m definitely passing on the artificial nails in all their incarnation!
I wore a pair on my first date with my husband. We went bowling and they did not last long. Luckily, I’m still going strong with my husband but I have no desire for fake nails again (any kind of fake nails, tbh).
I used to wear the KISS french style nails and I remember it being a challenge to smooth out the air bubbles from the glue. ANNOYING! These days I rely the imPRESS nails; no glue required, just stick ’em on and go!
These nails are so darn cute on you, Karen!! I’ve never worn press-on nails (although I have a closetful of KISS in my office), but they look so good on you. I love how too-cute-for-school the Night Fever design is!
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Horrible experiences. Weird fit, falling off, you name it.
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I wore a lot of press-on nails in high school and would occasionally lose one in a boy’s hair. Haha! Memories!
I have worn imPress occasionally mainly because I really like nail art and while I can sometimes do an okay job myself, I like their patterns and styles. They are light years ahead of the Lee Press-On nails of the 80’s 🙂
I also like to wear nail stickers, specifically, the Incoco brand, which says that it’s actually 100 percent nail polish strips. They have super fun designs. Last year they had a really cool Day of the Dead design. And they last Forever, on average two full weeks and that’s with gardening and doing the dish. They do tend to dry out my nails though so I try to only wear them once a season or so.
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You have so many great questions you ask, they’d be awesome for some bomb twitter chats, Karen! But I know you’re a busy mom and business woman so that would probably be too time consuming. Anyway, I find that my press on nail success has been largely dependent on the strength of the glue. I always add to the glue that comes in the pack with my own heavy duty glue. and then i get something natural and people think i went to the salon!
I’m actually wearing the same set from your photo right now! I swear by the imPress brand. I don’t know what magic they’ve done to the adhesive recently, but they are a life saver for me. I work retail beauty and my weak natural nails cannot stand up to the abuse of the job. Uv gel polish works great, but is time consuming and damaging. I can swap out a set of these in 20 minutes and with proper prep they last me all week. My tips? Don’t skip lightly buffing the surface of your natural nail, and make sure that you clean all dust and oils off your nails before applying (I use the individual alcohol wipes from the first aid section of my local walgreens). Press firmly when applying and then a couple times on each for the next hour or so, just to be sure (if one starts to get wiggly during the week, more pressure will cement it again). I have no problem with showers or frequent hand washing, but a warm water soak, like doing the dishes or a hot bath will help with removal. Just peel up the sides a little bit to let the water get underneath them. The take a floss pick (from the dental aisle) and work the floss under the nail to release it from the adhesive. NO DAMAGING NAIL POLISH REMOVER REQUIRED! Glue-on nails tear up my natural nail and pop off, I can’t stand them. But these are so easy, and they are constantly putting out new styles and designs. I get so so many compliments on these, and no one believes that they’re just press ons. I will go on and on about these to anyone that will listen, lol!
Hi Lauren,
Thank you for these great tips! I’ll be sure to use them when I wear these again (which I’m sure will be soon).
Oh my goodness- that manicure is so adorable! Those are all press ons? I´ve never had really luck with them as I find they dry out my nails immense!
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I’ve used KISS and NailHur, and been really impressed. Especially with NailHur. Light years beyond the Lee Press-On Nails I occasionally wore in the 80s.