Review (5/5): Awesome
I am in love with glue-on nails. For full disclosure, I will say that Kiss is the only brand I have used - my excitement is based on a comparison of fake nails vs. other options.
I have the weakest, crappiest natural nails. It doesn't matter what I do - even when I was pregnant, they were s***. Expensive manicures are a waste because the nail itself doesn't hold up, and all is lost. Even the liquid-applied acrylics that were popular back in the '90s were hit or miss for me, plus they looked so unnatural and were so expensive. Glue on has been a game changer for me.
I wear each set for two weeks at a time. They pop off fairly regularly (maybe 1 a day or so), but I have no problem with that because I keep the little thing of glue with me all the time. Crazy glue works just as well. I actually like that they pop off because 1) this gives me an opportunity to clean the nail, 2) for those that pop off in the evening, I even allow the nail to breathe overnight and reapply the nail in the morning, 3) I can reposition the nail and keep it from looking too grown out, and 4) the nail pops off instead of chipping or breaking, so I am back to having beautiful hands in minutes. I switch them after two weeks to freshen them up and/or change the color - the glue does build up under the nails and is visible on the clear varieties upon very close inspection (if people are staring at your hands that closely, you may want to reassess your friend group). In the included photo, I have had this set on for about 1.5 weekFs.
And, there is almost no dry time needed. I can't deal with dry time.
I have really small nail beds, but the smallest size fits my little finger perfectly. If I had to include a downside, I would say that even the "real short" are a bit long for me - with my crappy natural nails, I was used to having very short nails, so the length took some getting used to. With the solid colors, I can just cut them down, but this is tougher to do with the French tips.
Here are some hints I've learned along the way:
1. Always have acetone handy when applying. I am super clumsy when putting them on, and I always glue my fingers together. Acetone takes the glue right off the skin and it won't hurt the nail in that short amount of time.
2. When mine are loose and lifting at the bottom, I find them very easy to pull off after I pour a little baby oil or mineral oil (best) under the lifted edge. If there is no lifted edge, you have to soak them in acetone, which is, of course, a giant pain in the ass but also a great excuse to sit and drink wine and binge on Netflix.
3. I recommend pulling them off when they start to feel loose and then reapplying. If they are already loose, they could pop off surreptitiously, which could leave you with a baldy (this only happened to me once, and I found the nail a couple hours later in my shoe!).
I have had no nail damage or fungus even after repeated use. My nails are maybe a smidge discolored (yellowish), but that could be the glue staining, aaaaannnnnd, I couldn't care less, because I doubt that anyone outside my immediate family is ever going to see my natural nails again.