Press-on nails? WHAT are you thinking?!

imPRESS press-on manicure 

Hit or Miss?

 

The imPRESS press-on manicure ($7.99 in most drugstores, Walmart and Amazon), from the brand Kiss, are not the press on nails from our youth. Remember the old press on nails that only came in white, that you had to paint yourself, and had those tiny glue circles to stick it onto you nails? The imPRESS nails are nothing like that.

From the company website directly, 

"Revolutionary technology paved the way for a new generation of press-on nails with the 2012 launch of imPRESS Press-on Manicure.

The instant gratification manicure was so successful, 2013 introduced new design nails. Listening to customers wants and needs led to the imPRESS Glitter line in 2014; these manicure kits included bonus charms. Keeping up with trends 2015 ushered in imPRESS Accent nails and 2016 welcomed imPRESS Oval-shaped and matte finish manicures.
Continued innovation led to a newly developed Patented Dual-Layer Adhesive system. One layer locks onto the imPRESS nail, while the second layer conforms to the imperfections of the natural nail and then bonds together so the user can wear with confidence that her manicure will stay put and perfect.
The SuperHold adhesive is safe on natural nails so it won’t cause damage, and it’s a guaranteed hassle-free removal! The one-step gel manicure launch this year also includes brand-new packaging and stylish, on-trend designs"

Let's discuss first impressions of the nails - pretty design, colorful and on-trend. The color selections are impressive and the designs of the included accent nails are, most definitely, Instagram worthy. The package is easy open, no heavy plastic clam-shell to cut open or struggle with. Included in the packaging are 30 nails of differing sizes, 6 of which are accent nails, a small wooden cuticle stick and a prep pad (fancy way of saying alcohol pad.) Application of the nails is simple, but somewhat time consuming. A quick run down of application steps are, select proper size of press-on nail to apply, remove all nail polish, push cuticles back slightly, wipe nails with prep pad to remove any debris or oils on the nail and, finally, apply nails. Once application is complete you have the option of filing the nails down to the length you prefer or leaving as-is. 

After having used these nails twice now, there are some very clear positive and negatives about these press-on nails. On the positive side, once these nails are applied they stay on your nails as if the were professionally done. Yes, they actually stay on your nails and do not budge. If you apply the nails properly and use enough pressure when applying the false nail to your natural nail, these nails will not move, shift or do anything other than stay in place. What that means for you though, be careful during application because once the adhesive is activated, there will be no re-positioning of the nail if it is slightly off center. Another positive note, these nails look like a professional manicure. If you are someone in a time crunch, maybe you have a big event looming, these nails will be able to help you get a polished and pulled together nail look in a quarter of the time (and price) it would take to get an actual manicure. Now the negative side of these nails...if you are like me and have slightly curved and/or wide nail beds the fit of these nails is questionable. I found that most of the press-on nails were WAY too narrow for my nails. Also, you are only given two press-on nails of each size, so if you have more then two fingernails with the same size nail bed, you are out of luck. With the nails being as narrow as they were, it was difficult sizing them so they nails would appear realistic. Due to the width of the press-on's, there was a noticeable gap in between the sides of my natural nails and the imPRESS nails, leading them to look artificial. Also, because the curvature of my natural nails, the base of the nail did not get a snug enough fit, so it appeared as if the nail was lifting, leaving another gap at the cuticle, which made the nails look even less realistic. Another thing to note, the adhesive does not extend past the central part of the nail, so the perimeter of the press-on is not going to stick to the nail. The nails are initially very long, so to make wear more comfortable it is a good idea to file the nails down a bit to your desired length. 
Being totally honest, I struggled to wear these nails. Due to the fit of the nails (edges not being "glued" down to the nail, gaps in between the press-on and natural nail, etc) they were constantly snagging on my hair when trying to put a quick mom-bun in, snagging on my daughters hair and clothing, snagging on hand towels, basically snagging on anything I touched. You know there is a problem with a product when both your husband and children ask why you have weird plastic on your nails that keeps getting caught on things.  (My seven year old exclaimed one morning during her hair brushing/ponytail before school, "Mom, don't you come near me with those things! It is going to pull my hair again!") 
Removal of the product is straight forward, a bit time consuming, but if done properly will not damage your natural nails. The adhesive comes off nicely with nail polish remover, so if a little gets left behind it is nothing some remover and a cuticle stick can't get off!

While I do love the look of these nails, and the ease of application, they are not a good fit for someone like me. If you are someone with a narrow/normal nail bed, these nails would be absolutely amazing for you! If you were to ask me today if I would repurchase the imPRESS press-on nails, my answer would be "Eh, maybe." If Kiss created wider sizes of the stick on nail, with more than only two nails of each size and adhesive that runs to the edge of each press-on, my answer would be "100% I would most definitely repurchase." Unfortunately, until then, I will have to stick with good, old-fashioned, nail polish. 

XOXO

  

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