Posted by VitaNails
Adhesive tabs last 10 to 14 days and come off in warm water with no damage. Nail glue lasts 2 to 3 weeks, survives the gym and the garden, and makes the set single wear. Both are in every VitaNails box, so this is not a buying decision, it is a decision you make at the bathroom counter. Use tabs by default. Use glue when one look has to survive a specific week.
How tabs work
A tab is a double-sided pressure-sensitive film cut to the shape of a nail. You peel it, press it onto your natural nail, peel the top layer, then press the nail on and hold for 15 seconds. The bond forms under pressure, which is why a firm 15-second press outlasts a lazy 30-second one. Tabs are forgiving: if you misalign a nail you can lift it in the first minute and reset it. They are also the reason you can reuse a VitaNails set two or three times; the nail comes off clean.
How glue works
The glue in the box is ethyl cyanoacrylate, the same chemistry as salon nail glue. One dot on your natural nail, one dot on the back of the press-on, line the nail up under the cuticle, press for 15 seconds. It cures in seconds against the moisture in your nail, so there is no reset. Keep it away from eyes, lips and skin, never use it on a broken or sore nail, and keep it out of reach of children. Treat a glued set as one wear.
Ruby Desire Gloss Set
Ivory Petal Almond Set
When to pick which
Tabs: everyday wear, office, anything you want to change in two weeks, anyone new to press-ons, anyone with thin or sensitive nails. Glue: a wedding week, a trip where you will not have time to fix a lifted nail, a job that soaks your hands all day, or a set you want to push to three weeks. If you are not sure, tabs. You can always re-do one nail with glue if it lifts.
The mistake that makes both fail
Skin oil. Neither adhesive bonds to an oily nail. Push back the cuticles, file the surface lightly, wipe with the alcohol pad from the box, and do not touch your nails again until the press-on is on. That one wipe is the difference between three days and two weeks, whichever adhesive you use.
Both adhesives ship in every set, with 32 nails in 16 sizes, a prep pad, a file and a cuticle stick. Three sets are $35 CAD with free shipping in Canada.
