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2020 has been the year of the pivot. It’s challenged all of us in the nail industry to diversify our businesses- leading to an awesome and unexpected press-on nail boom. All of a sudden, us manicurists were left with a surplus of time we were not expecting to have and rent/mortgages that still came due on the first of the month. Necessity truly put creativity in full-force.

The custom press-on industry is far from new (there are plenty of artists who specialize and only create and sell press-ons) it was new for ultra-popular nail art by highly sought after nail artists to be accessible to the entire country and/or world. Without taking away from the massive hardships of the year, it was truly the silver lining.

 While I do expect (as salons begin to reopen and the world slowly turns right-side up) that the demand may wane- I suspect that many of us will continue to keep a foot in the press-on pool.

It was always important to me to keep the same ethos while venturing into the press-on landscape as I do in my studio: I wanted to use the best products that gave the best result. It was a no brainer for me to choose to utilize Aprés Gel-X Extensions and Kokoist Gelip Tips.

Here’s a little breakdown of why I chose these tips over other brands or cheap plastic tips:

Aprés Gel-X was partially a matter of convenience, I use them in my studio so not only did they already meet my personal quality standards, I had stock on hand. Aprés are also made out of soft gel, so from a prep, size/shape availability and product compatibility standpoint- they were and continue to be my top choice.

Kokoist Gelip Tips were also already a part of my collection, but always more of a suoporting character in my studio due to some adhesion issues on clients. The major difference between the two is that the Kokoist tips are high quality ABS plastic vs soft gel. However, they run a little more universal like a traditional press-ons with less curve and sizing that’s similar to traditional press-ons. Also, their Almond shape is to die for.

 Alright, now that we’ve talked about the types of tips I use- let’s head to PREP SCHOOL.  

I like to start my prep by divvying out my tips based on the clients’ requested sizes and placing them on my plastic nail art pedestals using poster tac. You want to make sure that the poster tac is securely on the nail, but that the perimeter of the nail isn’t pressing into the poster tac-which creates an annoying, but fixable problem typically with the smaller tips (you’ll see it in the video).

Lightly buff the surface with a 180 grit buffer, it doesn’t have to be perfect but the teensy bit of texture will help everything grip better. Wipe away any excess dust with a nail brush.

Once you’ve buffed your tips, you’ll want to do a quick swipe of Acetone on the surface using a lint-free wipe. It’s important to use acetone instead of alcohol, because alcohol will leave a white chalky residue that is no Bueno.

After I wipe with acetone, I hit all of the tips with IBD Powerbond Gel Bonder- I don’t know why, but I do it and it’s like a little security blanket that keeps the nightmares away. It just creates a nice strong bond between the gel and the extension.  If you’re using the Kokoist tips, a base coat is non-negotiable. You gotta do it. I recommend using Kokoist base gel with Kokoist tips. For the Aprés the base coat isn’t necessary because the tip is actually made of gel, so,  unless the color product misbehaves without it, I don’t use a base coat.

A little bonus tip, I like to pull the nail off the stand and inspect for any weirdness BEFORE I put on my topcoat. That way if I have to file anything down, it’ll still look good and smooth once I add the topcoat. My absolute favorite topcoat for press-ons is the Aprés Top Gelcoat X Scratch Resistant one. It’s new and it’s non-wipe and it rules. It’s also worth nothing that it’s not uncommon to have to double cure your topcoat, since you’re not physically putting a hand in the light to cure- you’re bound to have some nails that just aren’t hitting the light in the right place.

Once your base is down and your nail is prepped, you are free as a bee to paint the nail. Once you’re done with your art- hit the underside of the press-on with an Erica’s ATA Medium Grit Zebra Sanding Band on a low RPM (3000ish) and then use a 180 grit foam buffer to smooth out any roughness. You’ll want to feel the perimeter of the entire nail with your finger to make sure there aren’t any jagged bits, if there are gently buff them out.  

If you’ve gotten any gel on the underside of the free edge, you’ll also want to buff that out. I recommend using the Under Nail Cleaner bit from Erica’s ATA you can also use this bit to *gently* biff the inside of your smaller 7-9 size tips that are a little too small for a sanding band.

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