5 Easy steps to make your press-on nails stay on longer

Spending a lot of time at home over the past few months has made me try new things and one of those is DIY-ing press-on nails which I didn't even consider before. Like why would someone put a fake nail on top of their nails? 😂 I usually get my nails done every two weeks pre-quarantine - your girl suck at putting nail polish. Total disaster lol, but not having access to nail salons for months got me so frustrated looking at them ugly nails. I am one of those people who always like to have clean pretty nails whether I'm going somewhere or not.

I have been so obsessed with press-on nails and bought a bunch online. I have never used press-on nails before so the first few tries were trial and error. Sometimes they'd last for a week and sometimes they'd immediately pop the next day. As much as I'd love to wear them much longer they just won't stay.  

After more research, more tests, and some tricks that I learned along the way, I'm happy to say that I made them last for 2 weeks! Yey! I had to remove them eventually because my nails have grown longer. I've read that it's also not recommended to leave them on longer than 2 weeks.

Some people do their nails in an entirely different order than I do but this is how I do mine and made them stay on longer in just 5 easy steps. 

1. MATCH PRESS-ON NAILS WITH NATURAL NAIL SIZE 

Some brands can customize fake nails for them to exactly fit into your nail beds otherwise you can just file them yourself to get the right size. Some of the nails that came with the set were way too big to accommodate different nail sizes.

This step is really important! At first, I didn't know it was okay to file the fake nails so I kept on putting them on even if they were a little bit bigger than my natural nails. Putting the wrong size makes them easily pop. Biggest mistake ☝🏻

2.  WASH HANDS, FILE NAILS, AND PUSH BACK CUTICLE

I like doing this after a shower while the cuticles are still soft making it easier to push them back or simply wash your hands. You can use a wooded cuticle stick or a cuticle pusher and remove the excess cuticle. 

Cut your nails if necessary and file them neatly. Unlike the usual manicure in your neighborhood salons, you must skip putting a hand cream, oil, or anything that will prevent the glue from sticking to your nails.

3. DEHYDRATE (YEAH, THAT'S HOW THEY CALL IT 😅)

Using alcohol or pure acetone to remove our nail's natural oil or excess products will help too. You can skip this if you have buffed your nails to make the surface a little bit coarse. 

4. APPLY GLUE 

Apply enough amount of glue to your natural nails and your fake nails. Just putting glue on either one is okay but putting glue on both makes it not easier to pop based on my experience.

5. PRESS AND HOLD FOR 30 SECONDS

Position the fake nail then press and hold for at least 30 seconds. 

Avoid touching the water for a few hours after putting your press-on nails for your natural nails and the glue to fully bond. I leave my hands dry for at least 4-6 hours but I use rubber gloves if there's a need for me to touch the water otherwise, wet wipes, alcohol, or hand sanitizer are a big help.

So that's it! Easy and nothing fancy. I'm not using a particular brand I just bought mine at a store on Shopee called Baeong.ph - this isn't sponsored I just love their products.  They have one of the lowest prices so far and the quality is good considering the price. I got this glittery set for 61 pesos only which is less than 2 dollars.

Have you tried press-on nails? Share your tips on how to make them stay on even longer!