ms. kitty clawz nail tips

Why Choose Press-on Nails?

Press-on nails are an accessible and affordable alternative to professional nail extensions from a salon. However, in order to make your at-home manicure last, it takes a little more than just “pressing on” the nails.

The most important, and often overlooked part, of applying your own press-on nails is the nail prep. Without proper nail prep your manicure is not going to last more than a couple days!

Tips to Make Your Press-on Nails Last

Here are some of my top tips for making your press-on nails last as long as possible:

• Make sure your press-on tips fit onto your nail bed properly. If your press-on nails are too small or too big it makes it so much harder for them to properly attach to the nail bed. There are two important factors to making sure you have the correct fit:
  • Buy tip shapes that reflect the shape of your nail bed– a flat nailbed needs a flat, often called “natural” tip, while a curved nailbed needs a more curved, often called “sculpted” tip (I recommend Apres Gel X tips for this).
  • File the bottom of the tip to match the shape of your cuticle area – if the tip is wider than the bottom of your nail it will be glued to your cuticle which could be painful and will not have as strong of an adhesion to the tip as your nail would.
• Cut your natural nail before application. I always recommend filing or cutting down the natural nail before applying press-on nails.  A longer natural nail will likely not line up with the shape of the press on, and this will lead to more gaps between the two surfaces, and poor adhesion. There is also a chance that the natural nail will poke out from underneath the press-on along the sides which also leads to poor adhesion.
• Buff your nails. Lightly buffing your natural nails before applying press-on nails creates a rough surface that improves adhesiveness. After buffing the natural shine on your nails should be evenly dulled.
• Push back your cuticles. Pushing back your cuticles clears the surface of the nail plate. This allows the press-on nail to fully adhere to a solid surface, rather than being glued on top of skin that can shift and move, causing the tip to fall off.
• Dehydrate the natural nail. In order to create a lasting manicure it is so essential to keep your nails dry before and after applying the press-on nails. Before applying the nails you need to dehydrate the nail plate. This can be done using 99% alcohol and preferably a lint-free pad. I choose to use lint-free because it prevents any small hairs from attaching to the nail.
• Hold the press-on nails down while applying. When applying the press-on nails I try to hold each tip down on the natural nail using pressure for about 30 seconds each. This ensures that the press-on is firmly attached to the nail before I let go and move on to the next nail.
• Keep your nails dry. After the nails have been applied it is important to keep avoid water for at least 8 hours afterwards. Water can break down the glue so it important to avoid wetting the nails for as long as possible. I find the best way to do this is by completing everything I need to do involving water (ie. dishes, shower, etc.) before applying the press-on nails, as well as applying the nails right before I go to bed. That way I can ensure I will not be anywhere near water for at least 8 hours.

While these steps are guaranteed to make your press-on nails last longer, mishaps can always happen and a press-on could fall of at any time. To avoid having to spend a night out walking around with a missing nail – My number one tip is to always keep your nail glue on you!