You’ll remember that on Instagram and some other social-media platforms, I shared with you photos of me wearing Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure (Glitz & Glamour) – here and here!

I always keep my nail shape very natural, which for me is rounded. But, I admire the square and squoval tips on other nail blogs. So, this was a fun way to test-drive square nails without committing.

(Rest assured – I won’t be converting my nail shape to squares. I’ve actually learned to appreciate my natural, rounded nail shape more, even if they’re not as trendy as squares. But, when I feel the need to sport something different, I’ll just reach for another pack of Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure nails!)

The imPRESS nails are the very first press-on nails that I’ve ever worn, so it was a new experience for me. And I was surprised by how easy and smooth the whole process was. (They’re ideal for those very busy days when you don’t have time to paint your nails or do nail art, yet you still want something fun.)

Plus they come in tons of different designs, so there’s a look to suit your style.

In this post, I’ll show you lots of swatches of them on my nails, and I’ll go into detail about how they wore, as well as share some tips that you may find helpful.

Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure Glitz & Glamour Swatches

All swatches have:

• Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure Glitz & Glamour

Natural Light Photos

Flash Photos

Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure Glitz & Glamour Ingredients

• Nails: ABS Plastic
• Adhesive: Acrylates Copolymer
• Preparation Wipe: Isopropyl Alcohol, Water

Claims: TRUSTED

• Perfect application of glitter and ombre on every nail (Yes)
• Vibrant, gel shine with pre-applied, pre-cured top gel, no LED lamp required (Yes)
• Easy, no glitter hassle, peel-off removal (Yes)
• SafeHold® Adhesive Technology won’t damage natural nails (Yes)
• Lasts up to a week (Yes – although I wore them for 3 full days.)
• Unique, multidimensional nail art unachievable at home or in a salon (No – I think this design can be recreated from scratch.)

Key Notes

• Name: Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure Glitz & Glamour
• Press Release: Click here to see the official Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure press release
• Quick Look: Click here to see my Quick Look post on Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure nails
• Amount: 24 nails in various sizes
• What I Paid: Nothing! (This was provided by PR.)
• Where to Buy: Walmart, London Drugs, Jean Coutu & Target

Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure Glitz & Glamour Review

Nail-Art Design

I was attracted to the Glitz & Glamour design because it’s simple, yet it has some glitter, which makes for a fun look.

The part closer to the cuticle is more natural-looking, and then the tips are a sky blue, creating a funky French manicure.

Along the tips is iridescent glitter for a magical touch.

Finish

There’s glitter, but the artificial nails felt pretty smooth. Only along the edges did I notice a gritty texture.

Fit

Since this was my first time applying any press-on nails, I followed the directions on the back of the package.

First, you need to open up the package and line up all the different-sized tips. (You get 24 nails in different sizes.)

You may not be able to tell from looking at my blog, but I have very skinny fingers, and my nails are proportionate, so they’re narrow. Because of this, I was concerned that there wouldn’t be small enough nails to match mine. But I was pleasantly surprised because I found a great match for each, even my itty-bitty pinkie finger! 🙂

Also, one tip I’d give is not to assume that corresponding nails on either hand are exactly the same. Sometimes, they’re slightly different, so fit each artificial nail onto each nail instead of just finding the sizes that fit one hand and then putting them in pairs.

For instance, my ring-fingers are slightly different. My left hand (what you typically see on the blog) is just a bit smaller than the ring finger on my right hand.

This is because when I was a kid and I was at the swimming pool, I thought I was fast enough to grab the heavy metal door as it was closing by the edge of the door instead of the handle!

Well, I was too slow, and the door closed on my right hand’s ring fingernail!

All the pressure went directly onto the nail, and it got numb, bruised, and changed so many colours. Oddly, I never screamed or complained of the pain. In fact, I continued to take my swimming lesson right after it happened and didn’t tell my parents…that is until my nail got loose and eventually fell off a week or so later.

Then, an interesting thing happened. A new nail formed. It’s cool how it forms. It begins as a thick ball, and over the course of a few weeks, it flattens and thins out to resemble a normal nail.

My nail grew slightly larger than the one on my left hand, and I thought it looked so much better that I was crazy and thought, “Hey, maybe I should do the same thing to the one on my left hand!” Haha, but no, the insane thought came and went quickly. 😉

So I was really glad that there were so many different sizes of the Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure nails to fit each of my nails.

I noticed that there are many more sizes for those who have big and wide nails. I used all of the smallest sizes. Some nails could’ve had a better fit if they were slightly more narrow, but nevertheless, they looked pretty good!

I wore these to work, and one of my co-workers complimented me on my manicure. When I told her that they were fake, she did a double-take and said that she had no idea because they looked very natural on me! (That’s definitely a good sign because I’m not interested in nails that look super fake.)

Also, it’s important to note that when I take photos for my blog, it magnifies my nails. In real life, you can’t see the imperfections as much. And if you know people who look at your nails with magnification glasses in hand, haha, that’s, um, quite interesting! 😉

How I Prepared My Nails Prior to Application

The box indicates that these press-on nails have a “Short Length”, and I never knew that I had long nail beds until I realized that in order to wear this length, I had to cut my natural nails down to little nubs. Yes, I clipped them as short as I could without cutting the fleshy part! Even then, these short artificial nails just barely covered my natural nails, which you can see below.

Also, you’ll notice that my nails are curvier than the fake nails, which is why there’s a gap between my natural nails and the artificial ones. If you have flatter or more gently curved nails, I think it would fit you better. Even so, I still felt comfortable wearing them for a few days, but I tried to clean between the nails more meticulously than usual.

What you see under the ring finger’s nail isn’t dirt. It’s part of the artificial nail’s plastic.

After trimming my nails, I used the provided little wipe and rubbed my nails with them to remove any residue and to ensure better adhesion.

Also, while you can file the artificial nails after you apply them, I decided to file the edges before I applied them. You need to do this with the glittery tips because the edges can be a little rugged. (A tiny little nail file is included in the package for this.)

Application

When applying the nails, put on the thumbnails last. This is because each of the nails has a tab that you need to peel off to reveal the sticky glue. Peeling is much easier when you have your thumbs free.

I applied the nails from the outwards in, so I started with my pinkies, ring fingers, middle fingers, index fingers, and finally thumbnails.

The side that has the tab sticking out is the end that should fit closest to your cuticle.

After peeling off the tab, line up the nail with your cuticle, and press down firmly. Continue with all of your nails. When done, keep pressing down each nail for the first hour, so that the glue has a better chance to adhere to your natural nails.

Durability

Going into this, I wasn’t sure how durable the fake nails would be or if the glue would stand up against water (like when I wash my hands 5-8 times at work or when I wash dishes or my hair).

The design didn’t rub off or fade. It remained vibrant and fresh like it did when I first applied the nails.

I wore the Broadway Nails imPRESS nails for 3 full days, and I went about my normal routine, which is generally hard on my nails. I type on the computer at my job, and even though you’re “not supposed to”, I always use my nails as tools (e.g. picking off labels, etc.).

Since I was curious, I did try several times to bend the nails, and I was really surprised that they truly gripped on strongly! They didn’t feel loose for all 3 days that I wore them, even when they were wet in hot shower water.

But, that got me thinking, “Uh-oh! If the glue is this strong, it might be a nightmare to remove!”

Removal

The instructions say that to remove them, you can first try peeling off the nails. I tried this, and haha, I got scared because they didn’t seem to want to come off!

The alternative way suggested was to put some nail-polish remover around the edge of the nails and to wait about a minute before peeling the nail gently off. This worked! And this is the method that I’d recommend if you try these nails. Forget about trying to just peel them off straight away because that puts a lot of stress on your natural nails.

It’s much more gentle to just use the remover because that helps lift the nails more easily. You still will need to peel them off, though. They won’t just drop off.

For this reason, if you have verrrry weak nails, I don’t think these artificial nails are for you. My nails are pretty strong and didn’t suffer even the slightest damage after removal. But, if your nails are thin and tend to peel easily, I could see you causing damage to your nails if you don’t completely douse with the remover.

Value

Instead of just chucking out the extra, unused nails in the garbage (what a waste!), I decided to get a second manicure out of them. No, the remaining ones didn’t fit my nails, but I gave the rest to my co-worker, who has wider nails. She was able to get a full manicure out of it, so together, we used 20 out of 24 nails. Pretty good, if you ask me!

Artificial Nail Length

The interesting thing is that while the “Short Length” was super short on my long nail beds, on my co-worker, the “Short Length” was really long because she has short nail beds.

I wish that these designs came in a “Long Length”. (I asked PR, but Broadway Nails only makes the nail-art press-ons in the short length. The ones in the long length are just solid colours.)

The short length on me didn’t pose any problems with typing or going about my usual daily tasks. The only thing is that I wasn’t used to the square shape, since my nails are typically rounded. Haha, so I had to get used to corners on my nails! (I prefer rounded nails on myself because they feel smooth and don’t snag on anything.)

Had the nails been longer, I would’ve filed the corners to make the tips more rounded, so they would mimic my natural nails. (While I don’t think squares look bad on me, I have a new-found appreciation for my rounded tips.)

My Experience Wearing Artificial Nails

I found that the nails tended to lift from the cuticle area first, so when you apply them, press down firmly at the cuticle area more, so the glue adheres better.

My natural nails are very curvy, so the fake nails didn’t lay completely flush against my natural nails. Because of this, even when I pressed down firmly near the cuticle, it can never lay completely flat. When I washed or touched my hair, some strands would catch near the cuticle.

It was such a different experience wearing these. When you tap your nails, you definitely feel pressure on your natural nails, and they don’t feel like ‘a second skin’. You can feel that there’s something on your nails.

I was very impressed that they lasted 3 full days, and I could’ve easily worn them for a couple more days, but, as a nailphile, I like to change up my manicure often. Three days was a long time for me!

Packaging

I love the packaging because it’s so cute! The plastic package is shaped like a nail-polish bottle. You twist the cap, and the container opens up, butterfly style.

To see lots of photos of the packaging, please refer to my Quick Look post on Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure nails.

Pros Pretty design Easy to apply Fits wide and narrow nails Short length is comfortable Glue adheres strongly Can be worn for several days Easy & quick to remove You can get a second manicure out of the same package, if you share it with a friend Great for special occasions or when you’re too busy to paint your nails Cute packaging

Cons Those with long, natural nail beds will need to trim their nails to little nubs in order to wear these I wouldn’t recommend these for those who have very thin, peeling & weak nails because you need to apply some pressure during removal

Final Verdict: 8.5/10

I had a lot of fun wearing the Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure nails, and I’ll definitely be trying out their other designs!

These are a great solution when you want nail art, but you’re pressed for time. It’s also good for if you have a special occasion coming up. Whether you wear them for a day or for several days, these nails securely attach, and they don’t budge until you remove them.

Have you ever worn artificial nails? What is your nail shape, and have you ever experimented with a different one?