Like having my underwear and bra match, having a nice manicure somehow makes me feel like I really have my life together. I don't think I'm alone in that feeling either. I just feel polished with a nice set of nails (no pun intended). At the same time, I'm pretty terrible at applying nail polish, and am too lazy to reapply every 3 days when it chips, so I usually go without.
Then, about a year ago I discovered the wonderful world of fake nails. Now, obviously fake nails are not new to the beauty market by any stretch, but they're something I just never tried. Mostly because I always though of them as cheap and kitchy looking. Something a twelve year old would wear. But I was so wrong.
First, I picked up a couple pairs of imPRESS nails from London Drugs and gave them a spin. They were pretty great. They looked quite real, and had adhesive tabs pre-applied to the nails that held them on well and made them super easy to apply. The only issue was that the tabs didn't quite make the nails sit flush again my real nail, so when I ran my hands through my hair, my hair often got caught under the nails.
Luckily, I received a couple sets of KISS nails from London Drugs' Beauty Preview event, and gave them a try. They come with the option of adhesive tabs or glue, and turns out the glue was the perfect solution to the hair problem. The nails sit perfectly flush against my real nails - they really do look like salon nails (believe me, I've fooled a lot of people and gotten a ton of compliments)! Since then, I've tried a bunch more styles of KISS nails and literally love all of them. They don't seem to be available on London Drugs' website, but they have a good selection in stores. There's a variety of styles (coffin, square, almond), and length (short, medium and long). My favourite are the medium length almond nails, although the long almond nails are quite nice too. Even with the long ones, I get used to doing daily tasks with them pretty quick and are comfortable.
If you like the idea of having nice nails, but just can't justify the cost of getting your nails done in a salon every few weeks, KISS nails are a great alternative! If you're curious, just keep reading below to learn more about my experiences using KISS glue-on nails (and hopefully I'll answer some of your burning questions along the way).
Then, about a year ago I discovered the wonderful world of fake nails. Now, obviously fake nails are not new to the beauty market by any stretch, but they're something I just never tried. Mostly because I always though of them as cheap and kitchy looking. Something a twelve year old would wear. But I was so wrong.
First, I picked up a couple pairs of imPRESS nails from London Drugs and gave them a spin. They were pretty great. They looked quite real, and had adhesive tabs pre-applied to the nails that held them on well and made them super easy to apply. The only issue was that the tabs didn't quite make the nails sit flush again my real nail, so when I ran my hands through my hair, my hair often got caught under the nails.
Luckily, I received a couple sets of KISS nails from London Drugs' Beauty Preview event, and gave them a try. They come with the option of adhesive tabs or glue, and turns out the glue was the perfect solution to the hair problem. The nails sit perfectly flush against my real nails - they really do look like salon nails (believe me, I've fooled a lot of people and gotten a ton of compliments)! Since then, I've tried a bunch more styles of KISS nails and literally love all of them. They don't seem to be available on London Drugs' website, but they have a good selection in stores. There's a variety of styles (coffin, square, almond), and length (short, medium and long). My favourite are the medium length almond nails, although the long almond nails are quite nice too. Even with the long ones, I get used to doing daily tasks with them pretty quick and are comfortable.
If you like the idea of having nice nails, but just can't justify the cost of getting your nails done in a salon every few weeks, KISS nails are a great alternative! If you're curious, just keep reading below to learn more about my experiences using KISS glue-on nails (and hopefully I'll answer some of your burning questions along the way).
Nail Application
Application is super quick and easy. First, I lay out which nails I'm going to use. The set comes with a good variety of sizes - 28 different ones, so there's more than you'll need. You'll notice tiny numbers on the underside of the tips, so you can make sure you have the same sizes for both hands. Then I'll trim down my real nails to fit the style. For the pointy ones, I have to narrow the shape of my nails (the kit comes with a mini nail file). I like leaving some length though, because I find it helps keep the artificial nails on longer. The kit also comes with a small wooden stick for pushing back your cuticles.
Then I use the included nail glue, applying it to the underside of the nail. Then I just line it up on my real nail, before pressing down and holding for 5 seconds. Lining it up first is key, so you don't end up with a wonky nail that isn't straight. If you see a little glue gush out around the edges, just wipe it away quickly. And that's it!
Nail longevity
I can pretty easily get 2 weeks of wear out of a set of nails. Usually the second week, there's a nail or two that pops off. But it's easy enough to just apply glue to that nail again and re-apply it. Or, if there's another nail in the leftover kit that fits, I'll apply that instead. I wish the matte finish would last a bit longer on the matte nails I've tried (they usually change to a regular satin finish by the second week), but that's not a huge issue.
For the record, the package does say wearing artificial nails beyond 7 days is not recommended. Not sure why that is, as it doesn't say. But I'm taking my chances until I see any adverse effects (which I haven't yet).
FYI - the nails in the photo above are over a week into wear, and still going strong at the time of writing!
Nail Removal and Recovery
I just remove the nails using your standard nail polish remover, putting one finger at a time in the bottle, soaking it for a minute or two. If they don't come off easily after that, then I'll come back to it and soak it again for a couple more minutes before lightly peeling the fake nail off. If there's any hard glue still around the ends of my nails, I'll just clip or file it off.
I was a bit worried removing these nails for the first time, thinking they may destroy my real nails underneath, like what happened when I got gel nails done a few years ago. Thankfully, not at all!! In fact, I decided to apply another pair of nails right away, and wore those for 2 weeks (so I wore a set for 2 weeks and then another set for an additional two weeks). I took some photos below of when I removed the nails after the second set, and they still were in good shape! Just a few white markings where the nails were a little harder to remove. But I applied some Clarins Hand & Nail Treatment Cream from London Drugs a few times throughout the day, and within 2 days the white markings were gone.
Budget Comparison
I haven't gotten a salon mani (like with acrylics or gel) in years, but my mom usually spends about $50 for a gel mani - and any fancy details are additional. That mani usually lasts about 3 weeks, so that would break down to $16.67 a week. In comparison, a set of KISS nails lasts me 2 weeks, and costs about $11.99. So $5.99 a week. That's a pretty substantial savings! Especially if you consider that my KISS nails usually have the kind of detail that would cost extra on a salon mani.
I'd love to hear what you think if you try KISS nails too! Link your favourite style below!
Happy Styling! xo
~ Britta
