Best Drugstore Press On Nails: imPRESS by KISS

You all probably know from the frequency of nail posts here on the blog that I am not super avid on doing intricate, gorgeous manicures and nail art. I like keeping my nails healthy, and relaxing with an at-home mani, but I very rarely treat myself to a salon visit. Mostly because of the fact that I’m a major busy-body, can’t stand to sit still to let the polish dry and always end up smudging the polish. And if I don’t, it’s typically chipped in a few days anyway because I’m so hard on my nails.

But sometimes, usually for events or any time I want to look a bit more elegant, I just NEED to have my nails done. My go-to? The KISS imPRESS Press-On Manicure. I’ve talked about them briefly a few years ago when I started wearing them, and my love has been going strong ever since.

I press these on for almost every night out, party, fancy event, wedding, etc. They streamline my getting ready routine since I don’t have to wait for anything to dry, and I don’t have to be careful of smudging or transferring color. Each box comes with 30 nails and 12 sizes. There is definitely enough to choose from to fit your nail almost exactly, and you can always file them to make them fit better. There are so many different colors and nail art designs available, and they even recently collaborated with Christian Siriano on a few designs for their new Clio line.

To start my routine, I fit each nail and find its pair in the box. I find it easiest to line up the nails in the same order they’ll be put on to make the process quicker. The nails come with a prep pad, which helps get rid of any oils, dirt and residue already on your nails. Starting out with this is imperative to getting your press on nails to last longer than a day. I also usually clip my nails to be a little shorter than the press ons so that they fit better.

Next, you peel off the plastic backing, and stick the nail on! I hold it down for about 10 seconds before releasing, and the stick is always very strong.

It never fails that when I’m wearing my imPRESS nails that I get at least one compliment every day from people who think they are my natural nails. A lot of people ask if it’s a gel manicure, and when I tell them they are press on nails, they’re always floored.

The inevitable question I get the most is: how long do they last? Well, that definitely depends on how well you’re taking care of them which I’ve learned over the past couple years. The longest I’ve gotten mine to last while actually looking nice is about 5 days, but still having to replace at least two nails during that timeframe. In order to get them to last this long, I usually apply pressure to each nail in the morning and at night to reinforce them. I’ll wash dishes with gloves on to avoid too much exposure of hot water which may affect the glue (though yes, I have showered and washed my hair with them without too much trouble). And in general, don’t apply them during a week you know you’ll be working with your hands a lot.

If one pops off or gets bent, there are plenty of extras in the box to replace it with. Even if you don’t have the exact size you lost, the difference between one size up or down is super minuscule.

Otherwise, if you’re just looking to wear them for one day or for a night, they’re easy to remove without damaging your nails. I usually hold a cotton ball soaked in acetone up to the nail, letting it getting the crevices and work on the glue. Then I wiggle the nail and it usually comes off without a hitch. Acetone will also work on any glue residue left over.

The KISS imPRESS Press On Manicures are my favorite alternative to the salon when I need chic nails in a snap. Press on nails have come so far since I was a kid… they didn’t look anything like these back in the day! You can find them on the imPRESS website or in drugstores and Walmart.

Have you tried press on nails recently?