I've really been getting into artificial ('press-on') nails lately. It seems like every set of press-ons I've encountered, with the exception of three or four designs, are a variation on a french manicure. I'm not wild about the plain french manicure ones, but I love the ones with fun or funky designs instead of plain white tips.
And that's where Fing'rs Edge comes in.
This is the 31270 style. It doesn't seem to have a name on the tag other than the number 31270, but they are a neutral nude base with a hot pink and black houndstooth 'funky french' tip design. Here's what they look like on me:
As you can see from the pictures, the base of the nail is a milky semi-sheer nude shade. I don't think this shade works with my skintone, but I can see it blending better on someone warmer than me. These nails are very easy to apply. Just a little glue and they're done. This particular set of nails comes with stick on adhesive tabs in addition to a small tube of nail glue. Adhesive tabs are especially great for younger girls because it makes the nails more temporary and removal is much more gentle. I can see a pre-teen girl wanting to experiment with fake nails for a day, and these would be perfect for that. If you use the adhesive tabs instead of the glue, the nails will come off with warm water instead of having to dissolve them in pure acetone. This also makes the nail reusable, which is a bonus in my book. The set comes with enough adhesive tabs to do two or three full manicures.
I have covered application technique for press on fake nails in my previous posts about them, but it's worth mentioning again that if you choose to use the glue instead of the adhesive tabs you will need to be mindful of preventing air bubbles. Since the base of these nails is somewhat sheer, if you have an air bubble underneath it will be very noticeable. To avoid air bubbles forming under the nail, simply hold the nail on with firm pressure for a good 20-30 seconds when you apply it. If you release the nail before the glue is dried, it will lift up in the center and an air bubble will form.
I really love the design of these nails. This would be a pretty difficult design to do on your own, unless you're really good with the Konad. It's unique and fun and not your run of the mill plain french manicure. The tips do not chip, so you don't have to worry about having to touch up every other day like a traditional painted french. They do get a little tipwear like polish does, but I kept these nails on for five days without significant wear or outgrowth.
The one thing I really don't like about these nails is the length. They are extremely short, as you can see from the pictures. I had to file my natural nail down as far as it would go to wear these nails. At least the package mentions that these are short length so you have some warning ahead of time. The short length of these nails is probably because this style is likely marketed to a younger crowd who are probably not accustomed to long nails or fake nails. Personally, I prefer a much longer length.
I think the designs from Fing'rs Edge are really cool and I've been playing around with a bunch of them. I'm pretty happy that there's a good variety of artificial nails out there now. I was beginning to think that I was the only one who didn't want a plain, overdone, mundane french manicure. Long live the funky french!
