The Weekly Manicure #5: Impress Nails in Night Fever

I know.  Press-ons.  How 1987.  But they've come a long way baby!  

I know they're not for everyone but if I'm in the mood to wear press-ons, this is the one and only brand I use.  Here are some pros:

• QUICK application.  And I do mean quick.  If I don't have any polish to take off first, I can have these on my fingers in 5 minutes.
• Zero chipping.  That's the whole point of press-ons, right?  Well these don't disappoint.  
• Fun colors and designs.  I still tend to go for solid colors (of which there is a totally decent selection) and the occasional glitter (pictured above), they have even more fun nail art options if you're into that sorta thang.  
• Gentle on nails.  There's no super glue here (can you believe people, me included, used to put super glue straight on nails!?  And still do!), just a mild adhesive, that I find completely gentle.  I've never experienced any damage to the nail as long as I'm careful with removal.  

And, in all fairness, here are the cons:

• Longevity- I've found varying results on longevity.  I think you need to be careful about how you apply (and if so, you can get quite a bit of wear) but it's still less than a normal gel manicure.  I average about 5 days of comfortable wear (perfect for a work week), which is about 3 days longer than normal polish for me.  I'm cursed with chipping.  
• Hair.  Yes, hair.  As the nails start to lose some adhesion, you may notice them lifting slightly at the nail bed.  For normal activities, this won't matter much.  But for styling hair?  Yeah, those hairs get stuck under the nail and yanked straight out of your head.  You can avoid this by choosing the right nail size and just being a bit more careful.  

So, now that I consider myself a press-on expert, here are some tips (and even more bullet points):

• Use the alcohol pad provided.  You want to be sure your nail is totally free of polish and oils.  The better prepped the nail, the better it stays
• Choose the smaller size.  If you're deciding between two nail sizes, choose the smaller one.  These will adhere better to the nail and you'll experience less of that hair-yanking I talked about.
• No water for 30 minutes.  Seems like a silly rule to ignore but it does make a difference when it comes to longevity.  You need to avoid washing your hands while the adhesive does its job to seal to your nails.  

Anytime I wear these, I'm guaranteed to get compliments.  For me, I have quite long nail beds already so rather than providing any extra length, they really just act like a quickie no-chip mani for a week.  At about $7 a pop, it's a nice option to have and I've always got an extra pack at home.  

Have you tried Impress Nails?