I’m Impressed with imPRESS Nails
There’s nothing like going to the nail salon and getting your nails done. You feel so classy afterwards, and I personally love hearing my nails clickety-clack on my laptop keyboard or my phone screen as I type. However, as a busy and broke college student, I do not have the luxury of getting my nails done on a regular basis. But, there is an alternative I discovered a year ago and now am obsessed with: press-on nails.
I know, I know, they sound so tacky, but here me out!
Last year for about four months, I had gel polish on, not giving my natural nails time between polishes to heal. Right before I left for my first semester at Hofstra, I had the gel polish removed and a regular glittery blue polish applied to hide how horrible my nails looked. After about three weeks, I knew I had to remove the blue polish because it had chipped so much. While on a Target run with some friends, I saw that there were some press-on nails in the beauty section. I grabbed a blue and gold set (#HofstraPRIDE) and thought I would try them. If I didn’t like them, I was only out eight bucks.
After removing my polish and showering, I sat down at my desk in my room and cut and filed my nails before following the package directions. I sorted through the nails and found the ones that fit my nails perfectly before wiping down my nails with an alcohol-based prep pad that is provided (or you can just use nail polish remover). After wiping down my nail, I waited for it to dry and then peeled the plastic off the fake nail, lined the base up to my cuticle, and pressed down, making sure the nail stuck. I did this nine more times until my nails were done. I did my nails at night before I went to bed so I wasn’t actively using my hands and allowing the adhesive to really bond to my nails. It took me a couple of days to get used to the feel of the nails, but I’ve used them so much now that I don’t even notice them.
The nails from imPRESS allow me to add some color to my life, and they make me feel classier as I go about my day-to-day business. They’re also a great accessory for holidays. imPRESS is always putting out new patterns to match the current holiday or season. In fact, last year for Halloween, I found a set called “Heart Was Broken,” and I wore them with my Persephone costume, since one of the accent nails reminded me of pomegranate seeds.
As a college student, I’m not doing any heavy lifting or deep cleaning, so a set can last me up to three weeks (but I normally change them after two weeks because I want a change). At eight dollars per set, I can get two and a half manicures out of each set, when I mix and match with other nails I’ve acquired. And there is very little damage done to the nail, since it’s just adhesive that keeps the fake nail stuck to your natural ones.
You can find these nails at your local drugstore, or you can order them online. However, some nail sets can only be found in stores, which I found both interesting and annoying. Below are a few photos of some nail sets from the imPRESS website.
