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Press-On Nails: Sizing, Applying and Removing

Press-ons have improved enough that a well-applied set is hard to distinguish from a salon manicure, and they cost a fraction as much. Super Kelly Beauty on Gratiot near 8 Mile stocks sets, glue, adhesive tabs and removers, open until 8:45 PM Monday through Saturday.

Size every nail before you glue anything

Lay out the set and match each nail to its finger before touching the glue. The tip should span the nail bed edge to edge without pressing into the side walls. If you're between sizes, go up and file the sides down rather than down, since a tip narrower than your nail bed lifts at the corners and catches on everything.

Prepare the natural nail

Push back the cuticle, gently buff the shine off the nail plate so the glue has texture to grip, then wipe with alcohol or polish remover so the surface is clean and dry. Skipping the buff and wipe is the main reason a set pops off within a day. Trim your natural nails short so the tip sits flat.

Glue or tabs

Glue gives a stronger, longer hold, typically one to two weeks, and is the choice for a set you want to wear properly. Adhesive tabs hold for a day or two, come off cleanly, and suit a set worn once for an occasion. With glue, apply a thin layer to both the nail and the tip, place from the cuticle edge downward at an angle, and press firmly for twenty to thirty seconds.

Removing them without damage

Soak, do not pry. Warm soapy water or acetone-soaked cotton held against the nail for ten minutes releases the glue. Then lift gently with a cuticle stick. Prying a press-on off takes layers of natural nail with it, and doing that repeatedly leaves nails thin, bendy and slow to recover. Cuticle oil afterward helps.

Our Eastpointe store

Super Kelly Beauty in Eastpointe is at 20902 Gratiot Ave, on Gratiot just north of 8 Mile, so it's an easy stop for Eastpointe, Harper Woods, St. Clair Shores and the Grosse Pointes. It's open until 8:45 PM Monday through Saturday and 6:15 PM on Sunday. Every sale on the monthly flyer runs here, and online orders can be shipped to Eastpointe for $4.99 or picked up at our Detroit store a few minutes down Gratiot.