Not Your Mom's Press-on Nails + Gen X's Nepo Babies

Hello WNVMers!

This week, Cheryl wrangles with the legacy and future of press-on nails. When she told some same-age friends about this topic, they were skeptical, because how can you not be? The glamorous fake nail lie that Lee told us in the ‘80s is deeply embedded in our psyches. Now, Gen Z has made the category explode. But technology and artistry in press-ons has come a long way, so follow along on the exploration.

Then, in news You Oughta Know, Cheryl finally has closure on her Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice anticipation (Fawnia realized she confused the first with Edward Scissorhands), the 9-hour Prince documentary may not make it to the screen, and nepo babies of Gen X luminaries take over New York Fashion Week.

Blood Red Nails On Your Fingertips

These are not the hideous Lee Press-On Nails from the late night commercials of our youth

By Cheryl

Adhesive tab press-on nails from Olive & June. Photos: Olive & June

If you were sentient and owned a TV in the ‘80s, there is a good chance you know what a Lee Press-On Nail is. The commercials aired at all hours of the day and night. As a pre-teen nail biter with dreams of red talons, I took my precious birthday money to buy some. It was one of my first bitter experiences of a beauty product not living up to its promise. They looked terrible and fell off almost immediately. 

I’ve been watching with a lot of side eye as press-on nail use has proliferated unchecked. When my 18-year-old niece came to visit a few months ago, I offered to take her for some nail art. But she informed me, “I already did my press-ons.” Finally, my beauty reporter brain and my short, thin, peeling nails  — that have only become worse in menopause — could not resist a deeper dive into the hows and whys. And I’m here to tell you: modern press-on nails rule. They are also shockingly popular, which means there is a lot of choice in the market. Plus, they stay on. Gymnast Suni Lee wore them at the Olympics this summer during her routines, for heaven’s sake. 

So how did the kitschy punchline product of the ‘80s suddenly get cool?

From Lee to Lockdowns

It’s hard to find a cohesive history of Lee Press-on Nails, but the podcast Forever35 did a great episode on the brand last year. Headed by Dr. Henry Lee originally as a dental company, Lee Pharmaceuticals later applied its innovative adhesive and polymer technology to nail products in the ‘70s. They bought up tons of cheap airtime and blanketed TV screens with ads.

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In a time capsule 1987 Washington Post article, Lee speculates on the popularity of his invention: “...over the last five years, it has gone through the roof. Why? I guess women have gone through all the hair and facial products." (Those ladies! Always looking for stuff to put on themselves!) Apparently the queen of Spain was even dedicating a Lee factory in her country, as the brand grew internationally.

Then, after years of late night ubiquity, press-ons became viewed as tacky and “a signifier of low class” by the ‘90s, per Forever35. This is definitely how I remember their characterization at the time. 

Since then, press-ons, from category leader Kiss to the newer and more upmarket Static Nails, have been available, but they made up a sliver of the nail category — until the pandemic hit and people wanted DIY at-home beauty hacks. 

Press-ons vs. Polish 

In August of 2020, the New York Times wrote that “press-on nails are back,” mostly focusing on out-of-work nail techs who were custom painting press-ons and selling them to clients while salons were closed. Then demand spiked, with growth mostly driven by Gen Z. This is what Google search data (which you can assume roughly translates to sales) looks like for “press-on nails” from 2004 to now:

Brands hopped on board. Stick-on eyelash company Glamnetic, drugstore nail polish stalwart Sally Hansen, and even the venerable salon nail polish brand OPI are just a few of the many companies that succumbed and started offering press-on nails post-2020. 

A Kiss truck seen in August on a New Jersey highway, bringing fake nails and eyelashes to the eastern seaboard. Photo: Cheryl Wischhover

Since January, searches for press-on nails on payment platform Klarna increased by 21%. Searches for gel and regular nail polish decreased by 37% and 57%, respectively. In mid-2023, Nielsen predicted that artificial nails would outsell traditional polish for the first time. It didn’t happen, but Olive & June founder Sarah Gibson Tuttle thinks this is the year it will, which is pretty remarkable.

Olive & June started in LA with nail salons in 2013. In 2019, it introduced a nail polish line, and then at-home manicure kits, selling a ton when the pandemic hit. The brand added press-ons in 2021. It is now the #2 selling brand of artificial nails in mass stores (like Target and drugstores) after Kiss. The popularity even surprised Gibson Tuttle. 

“Because I grew up in the ‘80s, I was the person who was like, ‘I'll never be a press-on person.’ And now I rarely wear polish versus press-on,” she says.

I was surprised by how much variety there is in press-on nails. And they are much cheaper than even a basic salon manicure, with many under $10. You can find every length, from extra short to “coffin” and every style ranging from plain neutral colors to bedazzled glitter bombs. 

“I think of Chillhouse for cool designs, Paintbox for chic designs, Olive & June for cute/fun designs, and Signet for edgy designs/finishes,” says Julia Talisman, a beauty creator, writer, and manicure aficionado I have known forever. If you want to support local and independent artists, look to your own city’s nail salons, plus Etsy, TikTok, and Instagram.

Picking Press-Ons 

ADHESIVE TAB: 

What: They use double-sided adhesive, but the technology is light years ahead of Lee’s. Some have the tape already on the nail, while some provide the tabs separately. The most important thing is to press tightly on the tabs and nails after you apply for 30-60 seconds for the best wear time.

How long they last: Two to seven days. 

Removal: Once they start loosening, use the included beveled wooden stick to gently lift them off. The adhesive doesn’t damage nails. It rolls off or you can get it up with some gentle scrubbing with soap and water. Theoretically you can clean and re-use adhesive nails a few times. 

My experience: My nails have never extended beyond the tips of my fingers. So I went really short for my first time, choosing this Olive & June cutie. They lasted three days, but I blame it on a lot of newbie mistakes. There is a learning curve getting the tabs to stick and choosing correct sizes. Next I tried these tab press-ons from Kiss. They lasted 9 days, even through bathroom cleaning, laundry folding, typing, and life. I showered. I washed my hands thoroughly. It was incredible. I took my hard won knowledge and went back and tried a new package of the O&J pink stars again and made it seven full days before they started getting loose. 

My press-ons and my cat, Duffy. I love a star motif! (And please do not judge my dry cuticles.) Photo: Cheryl Wischhover

GLUE:

What: As the name suggests, they stick on with glue, applied to both the press-on and your nail. 

How long they last: One to two weeks.

Removal: The glue is the reason for their longevity, but it also makes the nails harder to remove. While many brands say you can soak in warm, soapy water to remove them, this is BS, per Talisman. You have to use acetone, similar to gel polish, which can be damaging to brittle nails like mine. But there are kits available that provide condom-like sheaths and pads to direct the acetone more directly to minimize damage. 

My experience: After my adhesive nail success, I got cocky and flew too close to the sun, trying longer, pointier Kiss glue nails. I made an absolute mess and stuck my fingers together. I could not do basic activities in them. By day 4, a couple fell off, but the remaining ones felt cemented to my fingers. I soaked them in a bowl of acetone and it took forever for them to start degrading and for the glue to ultimately give way. My nails and cuticles were a dry disaster for days. 

Some Caveats

There are issues with press-ons that go beyond the learning curve of application and removal. 

1. As I was standing in line at a bakery in a town on the Jersey Shore a few weeks ago, I saw a single, forlorn red nail laying on the ground. It was a good reminder that press-ons are small pieces of plastic that get thrown out. Most brands give you a lot to ensure you get the correct sizes. It’s nice to have extras in case you lose one, but it’s also wasteful. (Olive & June says they use up to 94% post-consumer recycled material in theirs.) 

2. If people stop going to salons, what will happen to the workers there? They are already dealing with low wages and potential health risks. It’s a complex issue. 

3. Press-ons for the toes exist. I see no scenario where those make sense and I reject them outright. Yuck. 

Truly, though, I haven’t been this excited by a beauty product in a long time. They are just plain fun and have nothing to do with aging or wrinkles. Having perfect tips with a bit of glitter makes me smile and feel a bit more put together. I still intend to go to my favorite local nail salon, because I enjoy it as a ritual. Plus, I don’t think it’s great, from an infection standpoint, to keep your nails covered all the time with non-airtight tips. But I can’t wait to play around some more, and maybe even conquer the glue.

Forty years later: you win, Lee.

We are two Gen X journalists who analyze all the '80s and '90s nostalgia in current pop culture, fashion, and beauty. Read more stories like this one here!

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You Oughta Know

• Dig if you will the picture — or maybe not. Because the 9-hour Prince documentary by “O.J.: Made in America” Emmy winner Ezra Edelman may not make it to your Netflix queue. After a screening of the doc, Prince’s estate responded to a fact-check review with 17 pages of notes demanding changes to what sounds like an unflinchingly honest depiction the enigmatic music legend, who died of a fentanyl overdose in 2016 at age 57. The New York Times Magazine deputy editor Sasha Weiss spent a year and a half reporting this in-depth story behind the documentary, writing, “Edelman manages to present a deeply flawed person while still granting him his greatness — and his dignity.” [The New York Times Magazine]

• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice did great at the box office this past weekend, raking in $145 million globally. I (hi, it’s Cheryl) saw it on opening day and, while I did laugh during it, I felt a little sad afterwards. I love the original so much, and it was fun to revisit the weird underworld, where the visuals were as kooky as ever. And the women (Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Jenna Ortega) were spectacular onscreen. But Beetlejuice — like me, I guess — lost a bit of the frenetic energy that made him so fun 36 years ago. And some of the movie made me cringe. (Read what NPR had to say about that Asian dry cleaner and the soul train scenes.) I had planned to write about all the batshit product tie-ins — like Glamnetic press-on nails! — but I just felt a bit melancholy about it all, like I got some curdled nostalgia. Some things do not need sequels. Anyway, Winona forever! 

• Gwen Stefani’s beauty brand, GXVE (don’t ask us how you pronounce that) doesn’t seem to be doing well. The brand, which sells at Sephora, reportedly laid off a chunk of its team and is running a fire sale on its products. Who was this beauty line even for? Now, possibly nobody. Let’s hope she doesn’t try to reboot LAMB.  [Puck]

• This past weekend’s “Lovett or Leave It” podcast episode embraces Gen X-adjacent nostalgia. Host Jon Lovett, “Hacks” scene-stealer Poppy Liu, comedian Gareth Reynolds, and actor-author, Three Things Substack-er and friend of WNVM Paul Scheer share what pop culture they’d like to bring back from the ‘90s — and drop some deep cuts. Plus, in honor of the Oasis reunion, Lovett revisits the time one of the grumpy Gallagher brothers (Fawnia can’t tell them apart) told Maroon 5’s bassist how he really feels about the pop band. [“Lovett or Leave It”]

• Nepo baby alert! During New York Fashion Week, the spawn of Gen X legends, from Madonna to Reese Witherspoon, gathered at Old Navy’s “Once More ‘94” party celebrating it’s ‘90s-themed collection. (They launched a zine, too.) Note: Lourdes Leon was not born until 1996.

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• Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, whose titular founder is no longer involved with the brand and which is owned by conglomerate Estée Lauder, recently posted a series of Instagram images featuring a makeup look they called “Polished Grunge.” The copy reads: “90s grunge—made for every day. Create effortless, lived-in looks.” What in the Sub Pop is that all about? Grunge makeup will always be Courtney Love’s mascara running down her face. Maybe it’s meant to help accentuate “Nirvana waves.” [Bobbi Brown Cosmetics Instagram]

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