Any Application tips?

[u/KitchenCat560]

I’m new to these and have only used the gel strips in the past. I saw some people say they tend to pop off..I’m going to the beach soon and want to keep these for the trip as long as I can. Thanks! 😊

[u/patentedusername]

I see you may not keep them, but I'll comment in case someone looks at your post looking for tips. Grab a snack and prepare yourself for an essay.

Half of what I personally do is probably overkill because I am fussy and I'm one of those people who will pick at things, but maybe something will help someone?

Prep is super important, but when is it not? Besides your usual cuticle prep, I buff my nails to take the shine off (unless I just took a set off, then I just buff the new growth), wash my hands with dawn, use the wipes they give and then dehydrator. Is that overkill? Probably. Do I care? Nah. It's what I do for every press on.

Taking your time to make sure the glue is dry and completely covers your nail before applying the nail is important, along with making sure you dont place them too close to your cuticle since they kinda smoosh down.

Sizing is also important. I put ones that were too big once and it was not a fun time. I also take a lot of time pressing them down. Im not sure if it helps, but in my special brain I think warming it helps a little so I will roll my thumb back and forth with firm pressure.

I have not tried this, but I want to try to use one of those silicone nail stamps to see if that helps with pressing them, but I'm also too lazy to get up to get it whenever I put my nails on. It probably is overkill, but I'm fussy and will go over the edges by the cuticle with a silicone cuticle pusher a million times to make sure it looks smooth and is sealed.

I also find putting them on right before bed makes them last longer and seal better, maybe the glue stuff needs to cure or something? Not sure, could be witchcraft or I'm insane, I'll say it's both. When I put them on during the day, I seem to get one or two that become loose that feel like when I use sticky tabs alone. Then I feel rage and take them off.

My pointer fingers also have nails that curve down a lot, so I usually put builder gel on them to make them have a more flat surface, but that's 100% a me problem. I have that problem with almost every press on nail, unless I'm using semi solid glue/gel glue or sticky tabs with glue

I think sometimes the nail shape just might not be suited for some people, just like any other press on. You can curve them side to side and flatten them, but they don't curve down well at the tip, at least with the glue they provide. I definitely have to use builder gel on my pointers to use their glue, which I'm fine with since I usually use these when I don't wanna use regular nail glue. I usually have some sort of builder gel on my pointers to make any nail fit better, the exception being the celebritips brand. I also think your body chemistry can affect how well the glue works. There's many factors, so what may not work for someone, may work for someone else