What I really like about press-ons:๐ Do it at home
- The convenience is just unparalalled. You can also have a small pouch and stuff all your nail supplies inside and take with you to travels, this is what i did while we were on honeymoon.
๐ Re-useable sets
- There's a lot of press-on nail artisans out there that are just crafting the most beautiful and durable sets pls, if you take care of your sets you can use them again and again! I have not tried this myself though just a disclaimer!
๐ Budget flexibility
- As of right now all my girly coins went to make-up and stationary so I really didn't have much to splurge on this new found obsession, luckily there's something for every budget! What i bought are disposable one-use press-ons, I do intend to take care of them still and see if i can re-use them. But you know, if i still was going to salons i won't be able to buy as much make-up and stickers as I did this month.
๐ Nail health
- I love having the complete control of my nail health. My last nail tech didn't do fill-ins so I always had fresh set every month and that really made my nails paper thin. Now I'm on a journey to strengthen my nails and increase my nail bed size. I'm still learning and it will be a long journey but knowing every single thing i do to my nails does put me at ease.
Mentioning some cons:๐ Learning curve
- Well there will always be some learning curve when it comes to hobbies. However when it comes to our nails and cuticles, they are quite fragile. You will nip yourself and fuck up many times, so make sure to have alcohol and disenfectant to avoid infection. As for making your press-ons last for 3 weeks, i have to say it is also a skill that needs to be learned. In a month i have changed my sets 3 times, this is because despite all the tutorials I've watched, execution and clean nail prep is not something you learn on your first, 2nd or 3rd time. It will take as long as it takes until you can perfect the nail prep. And there's no way of finding out if your nail prep was good until some days or a week later and you notice lifting already. Most importantly nail sizes differ from the shape you want and length, so this also takes time to learn, i personally start with small size, it is a safe size for me and then i will just buff the nail down to perfectly fit my nail bed.
๐ Initial investment
- Thanks to being budget friendly, initial investment isn't really that much, it's only until you want to get a bit more serious is when the amount starts to pile up. A single quality set averages about 50€ (which you can reuse!) and then you'd want more designs and try out different nail shapes and lengths. And then you want to improve your nail prep so you get an electric buff machine to help with your cuticles and making texture on your nail and on to the press-on nails, oh but this produce so much nail dust, so now you gotta get those desk exhaust fan. Oh but where do i put all my spare nails, so you get an acrylic board and magnets to display/store your press-on collections. It's always one thing leading to another hehe.
๐ Anxiety
- Even though im wearing disposal press-ons there is still the anxiety that they will pop off my hands when im out and about. What more if im wearing expensive quality sets! But yes one of the reasons that it took me this long to try press on nails is because of the possibility that i will lose them and will have to deal with a naked nail but so far this has not happened to me yet, the nail glue im using is quite strong and im usually able to clock them when the adhesive is weakening then i'll decide if i take everything off or just wait for the other nails to lift as well. They've been reliable so far and that helps a lot with my anxiety!
