I’m a Beauty Writer Who Never Does Their Nails & This Press-on Set Gave Me a Gel-Manicure in Under 20 Minutes
I might never step foot in a salon again.
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I firmly believe that people who can’t do it pay to get it done — and I’m people. For as long as I can remember, I’ve never been the crafty type who could dye their hair, wax themselves, or even paint their nails, no matter how hard I try. I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with the fact that those are services I’ll always have to pay for. But considering how expensive things have gotten, I haven’t been able to do my nails since the beginning of the year. Although I’ve gotten used to my natural tips, I still miss having my claws done every now and then. And since we live in the age of high-quality press-on nails, I thought I’d take a crack at doing my nails just one more time.
I was lucky enough to receive Kiss’ new Salon X-Tend press-on kit — and let me tell you, it got the job done. Chances are you’ve seen something from Kiss at your local beauty supply or drugstore; from lashes and nails to haircare products, the beauty brand covers it all. When I was a kid, it was the go-to brand for quick and easy press-on nails, and it still is. Over the years, their adhesive nails have improved, and now their latest innovation is meant to offer a salon-quality manicure straight from your home with a mini LED light — and as someone who only goes to the salon, I was intrigued to put it to the test. Below, I share my experience with Kiss’ newest press-ons and why I might never step foot in another nail salon again.
As I said before, I could never do my nails. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve even attempted to in my adult life. The last time I tried to put polish to my beds or apply press-ons was in middle school — so you know it’s been a while, which is why I was a little nervous to test these out because after not having my nails done for so long I didn’t know what to expect. But I took a deep breath and tackled it one step at a time.
The Prep
The new Salon X-Tend Starter Kit has everything you need to achieve a successful manicure at home. It includes 30 nail extensions with two times the number of popular nail sizes, a mini nail file, a prep pad to prepare your natural nails, a wooden stick, LED soft gel adhesive, and a mini LED lamp with a USB cable for it to work. It was nice to know that I didn’t need to go out to buy anything else to have a new full-set.
After cutting and filing down my natural nails, I took some nail polish remover in my beauty cabinet to go over my nails, just in case. Next, I used the wooden stick to push back my cuticles. Now, I’ll admit as someone who doesn’t do their nails, I had no idea what it meant to “push back” my cuticles. I watched a YouTube video to ensure I did it right, but quite frankly, I’m not sure I did — either way, the show must go on. Afterward, I took the mini nail file to buff out my entire nail surface, took the prep pad to remove any excess oil, and was ready for application.
The Process
For me, the most challenging part was the preparation. Between not knowing how to push back my cuticles and being worried that my nails weren’t ready for the nail glue, I was distraught that I would mess the whole thing up. But when it came time to apply the extensions, it was actually pretty easy. Every nail extension has a number on the back to help you determine which size works best for your nail and how much glue to use. The number is in the center of the bed with a small circle around it. The circle lets you know how much glue to apply by filling the entire circle with adhesive. However, I only filled up about half of the circle and had less glue to clean up around the edges.
After applying the glue to the extension, I applied it to my nail by pressing down firmly for about 30 seconds. Immediately after, I put my finger underneath the mini LED lamp to help set the glue in place for another 30 seconds. Unlike the salon, where they’ll do each nail before placing the entire hand underneath an LED lamp, with this kit, I had to apply each nail and set it under the LED light individually before doing my whole hand. At first, it seemed a little tedious to do it that way, but it helped me identify any mistakes I might’ve made before moving on to the next finger.
The Finished Set
After applying each nail individually and letting it set, I placed my nails underneath the LED lamp once more, but this time for much longer for each nail. This is the final step to complete the set. It took me about 20 minutes, give or take, to apply the press-ons, which, compared to a regular salon, is pretty decent. The one thing that could have made a difference in the finish set was ensuring my cuticles were prepared correctly, but either way, I was pleased with them. Kiss claims that one set can last around 14 days, which I’m sure it can because the adhesive is super strong. However, I only kept mine for about five days for a special event. I will definitely use this technique again, especially when the entire kit costs only $23 and refills start at $10 — which is way less than any manicure service at a salon.
You can shop the new Salon X-Tend Starter Kits and different refill options for every aesthetic here.
