Well, since I still get compliments on my manicure all the time (my gracious, thank you!), I thought I’d give you a little update (from my post last February) on what I’m using nowadays…

And–pssst–just in case you didn’t already know, I have a little secret about my fancy pants manicure…

…They are cheap-o press-on nails!!

People are always surprised when I share that. But seriously, y’all, I have not the time, money, or inclination to go sit in a nail salon and get my nails done.

But I talk with my hands all the time, so I like to have my nails looking nice.

There are three main brands of artificial nails I see out there: Broadway, Nailene, and Kiss. I used Broadway brand for years, but they stopped carrying them where I regularly shop, so I have switched to Kiss. [I’ve tried Nailene before, too, but wasn’t terribly impressed with the durability of their nail glue.]

I have been using Kiss real short “pearl french tip” for some time now, and I LOVE them. As you can see above, the pearl tips are not stark white, like the ones on the left. It’s a subtle change, but one I’ve been very happy with.

The nails are simple to apply and wear really well. I push back my cuticles (with the included little wooden cuticle-pusher-backer-stick-thingie), make sure my nails are clean and dry, add a drop of glue to each nail as I go, then press on the appropriate size nail, immediately scraping any excess glue from under my nail with the cuticle-tool-thingie. The break off tabs make application simple, and if you bend the tabs in towards your finger, then out, when you snap them off, they come off perfectly cleanly, and your nails are ready to go, no filing!

And shazaam! Instant manicure, thankyouverymuch!

[Tip: if you prefer painted nails, these work great for that! Rather than putting on the nails and then painting them, lay out your ten nails on a paper towel, hold the nails by the break-off tabs and paint them the night before! Then, when you apply the nails in the morning, your polish is already dry and ready to go, smudge free!! HUZZAH!]

Okay girls, we’re in this together! Anyone else have a time- or money-saving beauty secret you want to share? Do tell!

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