Broadway Nails imPRESS press on manicure review

*I received this item courtesy of Influenster in their Vox Box that I blogged about here. 

When I saw this in my Vox Box I was super intrigued. I haven't used any sort of press on nails in years. In fact the only times I have ever used them were during sleepovers with friends. A fun activity but ultimately not a long-term commitment. I am sure that every time, all the nails popped off before going home the next day.

So when I saw the imPRESS Press on Nails from Broadway, I didn't have high expectations. From what I remember of press on nails they are messy and kind of a pain in the behind. I remember dabbing glue on and then quickly pressing nails (that were always too big for my nail beds) on and getting glue everywhere. I'm sure most of us have those memories of sleepovers doing the same thing. But these press on nails don't use glue. So I was instantly on board.

The packaging is cute- it's designed to look like a nail polish bottle but it's really a plastic container that houses the nails. You can see the design on the nails directly so it's easy to find a design that rings your bell.

Once you open them up there are 24 nails in 12 sizes. That was music to my ears because like I said I have rather small fingers/nails so I hate nail strips that you have to cut to size. This was perfect, in fact searching for a match to your nails is the hardest part of the whole process. Which is saying something since that is obviously not that difficult. 

Putting them on was extremely easy, you just peel off the sticker on the back of the nail and apply it to your finger. I held it and pushed down for a few seconds just to try and have a more secure bond.  I thought this would get tricky once I had nails on most of my fingers but it actually was not hard at all.

As you can see the design I got is a giraffe type print in black and white. What may be hard to see is that there was gold shimmer only on certain spots on the nail. It was an impressive design but I will admit that it wouldn't be what I would choose for myself- especially because they have so many designs, there has to be a design for everyone. 

So here's the thing. These were mostly the same length as my regular nails. In fact you can see above that my thumb nail was actually longer! I honestly did not think anything of it when I was putting them on and did not notice until after they were on. Sometimes I forget that my nails get so long so quick and I don't realize how long they actually are!

But even though they didn't add length, they added two things I didn't know I was looking for in nails: strength & uniformity. 

Honestly I always thought my nails were strong enough but with these over top of them they felt so thick and strong. And of course the uniform shape and length of the nails is very nice. 

In fact I liked them so much that after a few days I got curious and painted some of my nail polish over the design, to see if it worked.

It worked out pretty well! You may not be able to tell but I actually put a white coat down first since the majority of the design was dark and I didn't know how easily it could be covered.

I really like the idea of finding a design you like, wearing it for a few days, and then painting them again to shake things up. Then you can enjoy multiple manicures with the same nails.

To be honest I liked the feeling of them so much that I wanted to go out and buy some more for myself. These retail for around $6. While that isn't all that expensive- I would still hope for a coupon or sale because I would love to get these for even cheaper.

Now for an important question- how long did they last? 

I didn't have high expectations at all. And when my first nail came off maybe 5 hours after applying them, I felt that my fears were confirmed.

However my 2nd and 3rd nails didn't come off until 4 or so days afterwards. So it's possible the first nail was just a fluke. And my last nail wouldn't come off (no matter how hard I tugged) for a week. 

The instructions do say you can take these off with acetone but I avoided that because I wanted to see how long they would last without it. 

I think that the claim that they can last a week isn't a far fetched one. However it's hard to make all of the nails behave the same way and most times you want to take them all off after you've lost a nail or two.

Keeping both of those facts in mind I think this is a great option for a special occasion or a holiday weekend or even when you just want your nails to look better. 

I personally really liked these nails but I know they aren't everyone's cup of tea. However, for someone who is like me: you don't get acrylics, you don't use press on nails often, you like having better nails without the comitment- these might be right up your alley.

Have any of you ever tried this brand of press on nails? What did you think of them? 

If you go to the website/ and tell me your favorite designs, I just might pick one up and do a surprise giveaway! :O

My personal favorites are Space Cadet & TGIF.