OPI xPRESS/ON Special Effect Press On Nails

Most Helpful Critical Review

IYKYK

TL;DR - I could take or leave these press ons, hence the three stars. If you want subtly pretty press ons for short-term, low impact wear and don't mind paying for the brand name, I could recommend these. If you're looking for long-term, rough and tumble wear with a look that packs a punch in any li...ghting, you may want to at least consider a different OPI design and finish, if not a different brand of press ons altogether. Given the brand is OPI and I exclusively wear press ons, I wanted to fall endlessly in love with these nails and never turn back. The included instructions were very clear and all other components were accounted for. The alcohol based prep wipe was even appropriately saturated, which was a pleasant surprise since most press on sets that bother to include one seem to think Mirage In The Sahara is a helpful amount of moisture for a prep wipe. The emory board has a coarse grit side and a buffing side, so I recommend making sure you have your own fine grit emory boards on hand. Determining nail size and application of the nails was quick and easy. I will note here that people with wider/flatter nail beds may find the size 8 and smaller nails feel tight or don't want to lay quite right during application because the molded curve becomes sharper/higher as the nails themselves become narrower. Where these nails began to lose their luster for me—literally and figuratively—was within two days of applying them when the otherwise pretty holo finish began chipping, lifting, and peeling. Some people choose to add their own top coat to press ons to prevent this, but if I'm paying almost $14 for some of the best press ons available, I guess I don't feel I should need to take such a step, nor does OPI recommend it as a tip or suggestion to extend the longevity of their press on finishes. As for the wear time, their suggestion of applying glue to both the fake nail (which is slightly textured and the only press on I've encountered that comes this way out of the package) and your nail bed to extend the wear didn't do anything for me, but it also hasn't for any other brand, so YMMV on that. I had to reapply both thumb and index nails on both hands within five days of initial application, which is unheard of for me after applying and wearing press ons exclusively for over a decade and easily having sets last two weeks plus with little to no intervention in the first ten days. Today is day ten with these nails and four of them are significantly lifting from the nail bed again, which is my limit for continuing to fool with them. OPI press ons aren't a bad product by any means, but I also feel they don't go above and beyond other brands to justify their price, either.