A New Look at Fake Fingernails

When I was getting ready for my wedding, a close friend took the time to purchase a set of acrylic fingernails. She carefully found a nail color to match the gowns. As I am a nail biter, I was grateful that my beautiful wedding pictures show lovely nails, rather than the scrappy bits of fingernails that were really hiding underneath.

At the time, false nails were very simple with a two sided sticker that was placed under the nail and then the other side was peeled off to stick on your fingernail. The problem with this system is that the nails would easily pop off the finger, leaving you to try and hide your hands while looking for the stray nail.

Fast forward, these many years later as I was strolling through our local Walmart store, I noticed that they had a rack of fake fingernails. Each set was already painted or decorated which I found appealing. My nails are still short and a bit scruffy, but I thought it would be fun to give them a try.

When I arrived home, I opened up the package, and to my surprise they are quite different than my first encounter those many years ago. Each individual nail has a little plastic handle affixed to the end to help you place it on the finger. This little tab is easy to fold down and twist off after the nail has dried. A tiny bit of filing and any roughness is gone!

Delving a further into the package, I found that the double sided sticker is no longer used to affix the fake nail to your fingernail. Instead a type of superglue is used. You rub a little on the false nail, and a little on your own nail, then attach© the two together — .and POOF! Instant, flawless nails!

In a matter of about 15 minutes, I had a lovely set of nails in place. The type I had chosen was called “Short, Every Day Nails”. With a family of 5 living at home, these were an excellent choice.

The instructions included in the package indicated that the nails should be on no longer than a week. During the week I found that I could wash my hair, wash dishes, and do laundry without affecting the nails. By the end of the week, the nails easily popped off my fingers, as they had started to lift from my own nails around the edges. I believe they would have lasted longer if I had used gloves for dishwashing.

The first two days of wearing the false nails, I will tell you that my own fingers felt odd. Because my nails and the fake nails were fused together with glue, the false fingernails pulled my nails into the uniform rounded curve that they had. It was an odd feeling, especially when trying to go to sleep the first two nights. After that, my fingers adjusted and the feeling went away completely.

If you’re looking for a quick, fun look for everyday, or a special occasion, fake fingernails are an inexpensive option with a lot of impact. They will enhance any outfit as well as any jewelry you wear on your hands or wrists.

At a low price of $5-$7 per box, which will give you about 2 weeks of nails, it may be less than you are paying for lunch or your weekly coffee. Have fun, treat yourself!