This is a Game Changer: I Found the Secret to Perfectly Manicured Nails

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By Mitra Sorrells Mar 24, 2017, 1:24 PM ET

I get it. Manicured hands are beautiful. Manicured hands convey a sense that you take care of yourself. Isn’t there a saying—a manicured hand is a manicured life? (Or maybe I’m just hearing my mother). But here’s the thing—manicured hands take time, effort, money, COMMITMENT!! All of which can be hard to come by. So… I gave up. I think it was around the time my second daughter was born. When it was just one child, I could make time to keep my nails looking nicely groomed—although even then it was rarely a scene of bliss at a salon and was more likely me, sprawled on my bathroom floor for a DIY solution.

But I digress... So baby two comes along and all those things I mentioned—time, effort, money, commitment—were suddenly in even shorter supply. So I did a 180. Who needs polished nails, I told myself. I LOVE the natural look. Yeah, that’s it. It’s my choice! And once I headed down that path, I had to maintain my conviction. So even when we had the (very rare) dress-up occasion, I opted to stick with my natural look. All the while, staring longingly at friends whose long, sculpted nails changed color with every season.

And then everything changed. Earlier this month, I stopped by The Makeup Show in Orlando to check out some of the new products getting ready to hit the market. And that’s when I discovered Static Nails—a reusable, affordable, pop-on manicure that won’t damage your natural nails. Let that sink in. Each kit comes with 12 sizes of nails per hand to fit nail beds of all shapes and sizes. Mine are super wide, but I had no problem finding nails that fit perfectly. And application is easy: just squeeze a small strip of the glue that comes in each kit onto your nail bed, let it set for a few seconds, then press on the nail for about 20 seconds. Voila! In a matter of minutes, I was staring at 10 of the most gorgeous, natural looking nails—on my hands!

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Let me be clear: These are not the flimsy press-on nails from the '80s that we'd all like to forget. These nails DO NOT look fake and are completely customizable—meaning you can file them, cut them and even paint over the glossy ones. (Get this, you can also paint them and then use nail polish remover to restore the original color!) The nails can be worn for 18 days straight or for shorter periods and reapplied up to six times. The longer you want to keep them on, the more glue you should use. Either way, removal is super easy and doesn’t damage your real nails (like a gel manicure)—do it right after you shower and just pop the nail off from the sides. I applied mine on a Saturday afternoon before date night and left them full length; then Monday I trimmed them to a more functional length and kept them on through the following weekend. And now the nails are tucked safely in the included pouch for the next time I want to use them.

Static Nails comes in tons of cool colors and designs, with finishes that include glossy,on-trend matte, holographic (hello, festival season!) and even some with Swarovski crystal accents. Beautiful nails made fast, easy, and affordable. Seriously, I’ve never been a believer in the fake route, but now I’m a convert…and you should be, too.