Prior to this post, I had never tried press-on nails. With my nails being at times in disastrous shape, I had been looking for a solution that would result in still being able to have cute nails (check out my experience with trying OPI Nail Envy here). One of my friends staunchly supports press-on nails and I thought that it couldn’t hurt to give them a try.
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Method
I chose the following sets of nails through a mix of picking up what was available at my local Target, being influenced by Instagram ads, and my friend’s recommendations.
The individual sets I chose vary slightly in nail shapes, but the constant is that all sets are the brand’s “small” size. As I’ve now learned, different brands seem to have different expectations of “small”, and that does factor into my review.
I tried to be as scientific as possible when testing each set of nails. My thought process was to treat each set as a stand-alone item, where I would use whatever was provided in the set. So, that results in three nails applied using glue, one applied using glue tabs, and one applied with pre-applied glue. I understand that’s not an exact comparison, but I really wanted to simulate what set I would recommend someone to buy without having any prior exposure.
I tried to keep the application technique the same for all brands. If the nails came with glue, this meant trying to use the same amount of glue for application. For all nails, this meant taking time to make sure that the sizing was appropriate for my nail beds, and then applying pressure to put the nails on for about thirty seconds. Each brand had slightly different times to apply pressure, but thirty seconds felt “right” to me, and was towards the upper bounds of recommended times.
I didn’t vary my daily routine at all during testing, which probably means these nails were put through the ringer. I don’t use gloves to do dishes, I will use nails as opening tools, I type on the computer all the time. I also am really fidgety, so the instant one nail pops off, I am testing and picking at the rest if there’s gaps in between the fake and real nail. So keep that in mind as I talk about longevity – if you treat your nails better than that, you may have better luck than me in some cases.
Press-On Nails Wear Test
Olive & June
I tried the Olive & June set first. I bought them at my local Target for $10 and have since seen them in other drugstores in my area. In hindsight, I’m glad that this was the first set, as it comes with extensive instructions, and provides good quality mini tools like an emery board and nail stick. It was easy to apply the nails with the glue, and I thought they looked very cute.
The length was a bit longer than what I would naturally keep my nails at, but I didn’t find them to be annoying when using my phone or laptop. The Olive & June set comes with 21 different nail sizes, so it was easy to find a well-fitting nail for each nail, without worrying about repeating patterns. They do seem a bit more curved than the other brands, which I only found bothersome on my pointer finger, which is the flattest of my nails.
The first nail popped off on Day 4 of wear, with a majority coming loose on Days 6-7. On Day 7 I decided to soak the remaining ones off. At the time I didn’t know what to expect in terms of wear length, but these ended up lasting the longest out of all brands.
Glamnetic
Next up was Glamnetic, which I was very excited to try, as it’s been all over my Instagram with ads and influencer highlights. Glamnetic seems to have the most patterns that have my vibe – neutrals with a pop of color or an interesting pattern. They’re the second most expensive brand, with nail sets priced at $15 or $20.
Unfortunately my nail sizes didn’t work out with the cute pattern pictured in the packaging. I really wanted that skittles rainbow effect but the colors to make that happen weren’t in the sizes that fit my nails. Super disappointing, and something I know I’ll look out for in the future when choosing press-ons.
Application with the glue was similar to Olive & June in that it was very easy to manage. Glamnetic did not wear as long as the Olive & June set, with one nail popping off the day after I put them on. For the whole week I wore them, I had at least one nail pop off each day, which to me indicates that they don’t have as much longevity.
So, overall kind of bummed with Glamnetic, as they seemed like they would be the coolest, but didn’t quite deliver on what I wanted.
Kiss Impress
Kiss Impress was the first brand I tried that didn’t have glue as the adhesive method. For these the sticky glue was already on the nail, so you can just peel off a tab and immediately press them on. This was both a pro and a con for me, as the application is much simpler and you’re a lot less likely to accidentally get glue on your fingers. But with glue there seems to be a little bit more wiggle room for you to reposition the nail before it cures. With the Kiss set, once it sticks it is STUCK, which means you may have a painful day if you accidentally overlap the nail with your cuticle.
The nails didn’t seem built to last like the Glamnetic or Olive & June set. They definitely were more flexible and less rigid, so they didn’t seem as sturdy as the other brands. The pre-placed adhesive made it so that there was a bit more of a gap along the cuticle between the fake nail and the real nail. I find that kind of annoying, as my hair always seems to get stuck in that space and it doesn’t feel great. All of the nails popped off within 2-3 days, but they came off super easily, I don’t think it would be possible to get any nail damage with these.
I did like the length of the nails, they were probably the shortest “short” out of the bunch and very similar to where I try to keep my nails naturally. There were only 11 individual sizes, but had duplicates of some sizes, so I was able to get the pattern I wanted from the set, which I appreciated after the disappointing Glamnetic set.
What I like the best about Kiss Impress is that they seem to be in every drugstore, and are the cheapest set I tested. Everything I’ve seen is at that $10 sweet spot, and I have seen some sales too, so if you’re looking after your wallet, they’re probably your best bet.
Glamermaid
The Glamermaid set was probably the most different set out of any of the other brands. The nails were matte, not glossy, and came with glue tabs as an application method.
I found the glue tabs to be super annoying to deal with. Getting it positioned in the right place while also peeling the backing off was a ton of effort. These press-on nails took the longest by far for me to put on. That said, I did like the result once I managed to apply the nails. I didn’t have as much of a gap between the fake nail and real nail like the Kiss set, so I didn’t get that icky stuck hair feeling. They came off very easily about three to four days after application. So it would seem that the glue tabs longevity is probably somewhere between the pre-applied glue and the regular glue.
The length of the nails was comfortable. The set only had ten sizes, but did have duplicates of two sizes, so that I was able to stagger the pattern so it wasn’t obvious that there were repeats. The matte pattern did make it more obvious that I was wearing a fake set of nails, but it didn’t bother me because the pattern was cool. If you’re looking for nails that are less obviously press-ons, I would probably choose something else.
Static Nails
Finally, the last set in my press-on nails experiment. I think I saved these for last because they were very obviously larger than any of the other sets, and some of the other sets were already pushing the boundaries of the nail length I want to tolerate on my hands.
The nails look super cute, but they did not last. I had one pop off the same day, then all of them popped off within five days, which is the worst longevity of any of the glue on nails. I admit that this might just be because I am not built for long nails – the biggest culprit of popping a nail was when I would idly scratch my skin, which I don’t think is a ridiculous task to expect my hand to accomplish.
Also interesting about the Static Nails is that the set was the most expensive out of any tested at $20 when I purchased, but also had the least number of nails included. Maybe this also led to the shorter longevity because the nails weren’t as good of a fit on my nail bed? Speculation, but I definitely didn’t see anything special that would elevate these above the other nails I tried to warrant the extra few dollars.
Verdict
Press-On Nails In General
I liked the experience of wearing press-on nails and I would say that I’m somewhat of a convert. They won’t be my everyday go-to, but I liked having a manicure that wouldn’t chip or break. For the glue adhesive nails, fixing a broken nail was as easy as dotting on some more glue and pressing for thirty seconds – much easier than attempting to fix a painted nail. I also liked that removing the press-on nails won’t damage your real nails like a gel manicure. In the case of the adhesive tabs, removal was incredibly easy.
Press-on nails are also much less expensive than going to the nail salon regularly. Even if you get the most expensive Glamnetic or Static Nails at $20, that’s going to be a lot cheaper than a manicure. In theory you can also reuse the press-on sets, but I honestly don’t see myself doing that. Maybe if it’s a set where I used the glue tabs, but cleaning the hardened glue off of the nails seems like a lot of work that I’m not interested in doing. So if the waste of plastic bothers you, then you may want to stick to other types of nail products.
Recommendations
I don’t think I can declare just one brand as the obvious winner, as I think a lot will depend on your own personal aesthetic and reasons for wearing press-on nails. I will say that all the brands, even the ones I’m not really recommending, looked good. Like, they did not look cheap or immediately like press-on nails. So from that sense, you really can’t go wrong with any that I’ve tried. But, that being said, I would recommend the following:
If you want longevity I would get Olive & June, as they lasted the longest in my wear test.
If you want the most unique nails I would get Glamermaid, as their selection of patterns (especially seasonal ones) is unmatched.
If you want the easiest set of nails, I would go with Kiss Impress, as you can easily find them at the drugstore, and application is super simple.
If you have smaller or larger than average nails, I would recommend Olive & June as they have the most sizes out of everything I tried.
I personally can see myself buying each of these brands again in different situations. I would choose Olive & June for when I need to go a few days with a nice manicure and don’t have the time to go to the salon. I would choose Glamermaid if I want a specific pattern for an event. I would choose Kiss Impress for when I need to quickly have nice nails for an event or party and I don’t care about them lasting longer than a night.
I would also consider buying Glamnetic again, just because I really like some of the patterns, but I would try a different application method, either the glue tabs or a different glue, to see I have better luck with longevity. And I wouldn’t get a set with exactly five different patterns again because the lack of a rainbow really disappointed me. I guess the only brand I wouldn’t choose again is Static Nails because the length bothered me, and I just think there’s better value for my money with the other brands.
What do you think? Have you tried any of these brands? Was your experience similar, or did I miss something? Let me know in the comments!
