Occasion nails

For one evening: press-on

When nails have to look right on Saturday and be your own on Monday, the answer is a press-on set with adhesive tabs. Five minutes to put on, no lamp; a few days on the hand; off with warm water and back in the box for the next occasion. And they give you length — something wraps cannot.

Lux with Stones is the occasion set par excellence: black with stones and pink accents, made by hand. For a wedding or a christening, Gold French — a gold line instead of white — and Glitter French, with glitter on the tip. For an evening in black, Black and White.

The size is chosen before ordering, from the size guide — if the occasion is close, order a few days ahead and try them on the evening before, still off, so you can file the sides where needed.

For three weeks: gel wraps

If the occasion is the start of a period — a holiday, the festive season — gel wraps hold 2–3 weeks without a thought. French White is the wedding classic; Pink Glitter and Coloured Glitter are for the holidays and artificial light, where glitter looks best. They go on in fifteen minutes and come off with oil.

The glitter rule

Glitter on all ten nails looks good that evening and tiring at the office the next day. Glitter on one or two fingers, the rest in a solid colour or a french, is worn all month — and comes out of two sets, with spares.

The day before

1. Press-on: try them on while still off, file the sides and tip where needed, put them in finger order in the box.
2. Wraps: apply them the evening before, not the morning of the event — not because they need time (the gel is done at the lamp) but so you do not rush the laying step.
3. Both: cuticle oil in the evening. Cared-for skin at the base of the nail shows in photos more than the colour does.

Other pages: pink nails · white nails · summer nails · office nails.