Press-on manicure for St paddy's

Today is probably the MOST uneventful St Patrick's Day known to mankind. I'm willing to bet due to all the cancellations of gatherings that people aren't feeling the most festive. An easy way to fix that and put next to no effort into it, is press on nails.

I picked up these press on nails from Dollarama a couple of years ago and they have been lost in the back of my nail drawer ever since. This year however, I did remember to pull them out and promptly stuck these bad boys on.

The kit has 24 nails in 5 different designs and gives you 2-3 size options per design. I have narrower nail beds so unfortunately, the "thumb" design didn't work out for me, though I think if you had the patience to try and file down the cuticle edge on the nail you maaaaay be able to make it work. I did not have the commitment level for that, so I opted to double up on a design instead. I would argue the last Ireland flag size is almost the same as the clover, so you could choose to double up on either.

I think press on nails have come a loooooong way and I really wish they were more accessible when I was a teen. My nails have a love/hate relationship with me. When I was a kid they would not grow if you paid them and they were constantly breaking, chipping or peeling. Then one day when I was in university, I looked down and BAM my nails were maintaining a decent length. This THRILLED me, but I'm also a spaz, so typically when I get my nails to the perfect length, they all start abandoning ship and self-destruct. You may laugh, but it sucks every time. I used to cut down the rest of my nails to be uniform, but not anymore. Now she is the ugly step sister who just needs to mind her business...
I currently have 3 ugly step sisters LOL.

Anyways, the point I'm making is press on nails make it SO easy for you to have a decent length nail and a cute design with no mess. These nails were self adhesive so you literally just needed to pick a size (which weren't labelled on these nails) and stick. If you are suffering from winter hands like I am, I advise hand cream and/or cuticle oil so you can get the edge right up close and have it look seamless. 

I've tried a few different press on nails and I find that the durability is max about 5 days? I don't think they can really hang on much longer unless you add a nail glue (or lash glue as I had to do one time). I did not wear these for long so I can't speak to how long they'd last, but if you are curious I can do a wear test with these or pick up another set from Dollarama. 

One of the drawbacks I find to press on nails and their durability is showering and washing my hair. It's a HUGE struggle and when that single strand of hair finds its way between the press on and my nail - yowza, that hurts. I promptly want to rip them all off when that happens because even pulling my hair up or tucking it behind my ear runs the risk of pain. Lifting by the cuticle is the usual spot I find this happening. Also washing your hands vigorously is also a challenge. 

Another drawback I tend to have is the length options of the press on nail. Now that my nails are more likely to be long, many of these press on nail kits don't work because they are a short length. I know I've seen longer lengths online but whenever I'm in shops like Walmart, I NEVER see them. Sometimes a design lends itself to a medium length but in general, I refuse to cut my nails just to wear press ons. I feel like the American shops have way more options from KISS, etc. than we have in Canada. If you have come across medium/longer length designs PLEASE tell me where!

I would love to know what your experiences with press on nails has been like. Do you love them? Hate them? I'm currently missing my biogels, so the idea of press on makes me happy. I think I have another set or two hiding in my drawer!

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