Nailed It: I Tried At-Home, Press-On Manicures

By Liz Thompson

I’ve always hated my hands. I have very wide nail beds, so wearing nail polish used to feel like I was shining a spotlight on my least favorite body part. Plus I never had the patience or dexterity to do my own nails at home. Sometimes — for work trips or special occasions — I’d go to the salon and cringe. Like, hello, my name is Liz, please don’t pay ANY attention to these gnarly looking fingers. But today, DIY press-on manicures are at the top of my self-care list (right up there with wine haircuts and junk journaling), thanks to a recent discovery: press-on manicures.

Hear me out: These are not the garish, obvious one-size-fits-all things we grew up with. Fake nails have evolved. There are tons of similar products on the market these days, but the imPRESS and Kiss ones are my favorite because they are so easy to put on. The kits range from $8 to $20, come with self-adhesive tabs or glue, and unlike a traditional manicure, you don’t have to wait for them to dry. Plus the nail art is dope AF.

I usually go with a shorter length, because attempting to do anything with long nails can get ugly real fast. Behold:

These suckers have lasted through all my pre-holiday prepping — no worrying about chipped nail polish — and I don’t hate my hands, anymore. I’m not saying that doing my nails solves all my problems, but this small act of self-care helps me think about the small things that bring a smile to my face.

So if you’re looking for some last-minute gift ideas/stocking stuffers, head over to your local drug store. I’m hoping Santa brings me one of the holiday nail sets.

Originally Published December 21, 2021.