My holiday weekend nail experiment
It was a lovely, quiet holiday weekend and I took the rare extra time to catch up on some personal upkeep (dermaplaning, a handful of ZIIP sessions and a few facial masks) as well as a bit of experimentation. The main event was test-driving Paint Lab’s super-cute, on-trend press-on nails, and let me tell you it was quite a ride—albeit for 18 hours.
A little history… After YEARS of weekly manicures, trying crazy colors (which I’d only do for my fingers—I restrict myself to reds on my toes) and ultimately a dip-manicure stretch that completely killed my nails, I fell off the standing-mani bandwagon well before the pandemic hit. I found that I rather enjoyed the look of short, well-groomed nails with a simple, clear coat of nail-strengthening polish. (My go to has been SpaRitual’s Nourish Nail Vegan Strengthener which has the slightest shimmer and pink tint.)
But, I have an adventurous side, and have been itching to try my hand (no pun intended) at a more avant garde look—and having three sets of Paint Lab press-ons at my disposal made for a fun activity. Considering it’s holiday break and work is slow, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.
The application was super-easy. I took the time to select the proper nail/size for each of fingers and lined them up. I did not buff my nails to maximize staying power, but I did use the no-joke glue that came with the set instead of the adhesive strips. Once they were on, they were on. And they looked really good.
OK, my fingers got stuck to the mirrored “mat” that came in the pack and was meant to be used as a protective layer between my hands and my desk a few times, and I had a little extra glue residue on my fingers once I was done. But once complete, I was LOVING this totally new unexpected look. I got some great feedback on Instagram, including comments from those who know me best saying, “So not you.”
If you regularly rock long nails, more power to you. But at some point (shortly after my application) I ran into a few snags. First and foremost, I type ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT LONG. It’s my livelihood. Consider these actual typed notes after applying the nails:
I had a ittle edtrs time on my hands n Chritams (as a jew) and decided to do a press-on nail experiment. @paintlab It was suer esy to find the right sze for h nail and I didn’tt even have to file any of them to make them fit. Applicatin was also easy, st lest until I got to my l.eft hand, when it became rather difficult to pick up the actual nils. My dvice: Enlit the hlp of a frien.
Kind of a problem, right? For the record, press-ons don’t have to be super-long, so you can get the full effect without being hindered performance-wise with a shorter length. If you want to keep things even more simple, I’m a big fan of nail wraps that give you the polished look you want with minimal effort (and no drying time).
A few additional observations from the 18 hours I wore these insane nails:
Using my iPhone was especially difficult.
It took 10 minutes for me to get my contacts out of my eyes at bedtime. (However I had no problem getting them in the next morning.)
I was physically incapable of breaking my dog’s pill daily anti-anxiety pill and my blood pressure medication in half.
I couldn’t open the new bag of dog food with my hand alone and had to enlist the help of a scissor.
I really enjoyed the enhanced ability to scratch the inside of my nose (not pick my nose, per se). I found myself doing this throughout the night.
The clicking associated with tapping my nails on any surface was a soothing form of ASMR.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up on press-on nails forever. I’m thinking I’ll try the plain, red, shorter Static Nails I bought during lockdown before writing them off for good. But I tried, and maybe they are you. If your life doesn’t require typing (or other menial miscellaneous tasks), you are looking for an easy, almost-effortless, high-style DIY manicure—and are accustomed to living with long nails—I highly recommend Paint Lab’s press-on offerings.
P.S. I got them off by soaking in nail polish remover for about 10 minutes—after taking a 4-mile walk with my college friend who said, “There’s no way you’re walking around with those nails.”
P.P.S. Do any of you have any tips for navigating life with long nails? (Other than hiring domestic help?)
