At-home manicures are the only manicures that most of us have had in a year. So it’s no wonder that every few weeks, my feed explodes with ads for Static Nails. And judging by my Instagram DMs, I’m not the only one.
Static Nails promotes two products: The Liquid Glass Nail Lacquer and the Pop-On Reusable Nails. I tried both.
Nail Lacquer. First, let’s talk about the packaging. Specifically how much trouble I had removing the tiny bottles from their plastic chains, and then unscrewing the lids so I could use the product. Even my husband struggled to dislodge the product, and I ended up using my teeth (I know, I know) to open the lids.
Not a great first impression.
I bought the Sweater Weather set and the colors are really beautiful in person. The formula offers smooth application and a seriously glassy finish. I’m pretty sure that I could see my reflection in my nails.
As for the staying power, I type a lot. A lot. So any polish that can keep up is tough stuff. I re-applied top coat on days 4 and 8 just like I usually do to ensure maximum strength. And I got about 10 days of solid coverage.
That’s a good number, but the results are similar to my Deborah Lippmann Gel Polish and Essie Gel Polish. The one serious difference between those formulations and the Static Nails was the aptly named liquid glass finish.
Who lived through the days of Lee Press on Nails? This girl.
Who was really skeptical about the concept of reusable nails? This girl.
Static Nails makes a Pop On Nail that you apply with “non-damaging” glue. I purchased the Peony nails above, even though I rarely wear long nails. I thought it would be a nice change of pace.
Applying the nails required some doing. They send you multiple widths, and you size them appropriately. You then file and adjust them to the length and shape you want. The glue was easy enough to use, and not as messy as I anticipated.
It took me a little over 30-minutes to apply all 10 nails. They looked nice. A little fancy, but I was happy with them. Until two hours later when they started popping off with zero effort. I lost a thumb nail opening a door. I lost my right index finger brushing my hair. Both pinkies came off while I was trying to reapply the other two, and that was it, I was done.
I actually gave the set (because they’re reusable) to a friend to try. She couldn’t keep them on either. The text I got said, “I lost a nail changing the channel on the TV.”
Bottom Line. The nail polish is great. It’s comparable to other gel polish replacements, but is much shinier. I love their colors, especially their soft neutrals. But I’m wouldn’t spend $55 for a nail polish set for anything other than this column.
The reusable Pop On nails are to be skipped wholesale. I see no way to keep them on. Even if you do, reviews on other sites say removing them is a chore and results in some mild damage to the nail bed.
If you’re influenced by Static Nails: Buy the polish, skip the press ons.
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I have had good luck with the press-on nails, assuming I lightly file my natural nails, wipe with alcohol, then put glue both on my own nail and the back of the press-on nail. I usually can get over a week. However I almost always end up with glue fingerprints on the top of the press-on nail, and as they grow out, they end up really long, and you can’t re-use them if you file them down as you grow. Otherwise, they’ll end up hella short the next time you go to apply them. So I don’t wear them all the time, but for a special event, I am all for them!
Thank you for your review of the glue-on nails, I thought it was just me! Static says if the nails pop off you need to use more glue, so I put on a LOT of glue. I still couldn’t get them to stay on for more than a day or two.
Ok I tried Sundays recently and loved it. I was drawn to the non-toxic pitch and found it to be super long lasting. Great colors.
Really?! Mine took two weeks to only begin to pop off, and the ones that don’t are really damaging my nails. What a strangely different experience!
Thanks for this review. I will have to give the lacquer a try. I am normally a big fan of the CND Vinylux nail polishes. I type a lot, cook a lot, am always washing something and I get a good 7 days our of my manicure when I remember to do a topcoat mid-week. Plus it dries super fast.
I enjoy Saw It on Social so much—I can’t believe I responded to your reader survey and forgot to mention it! A true delight. LOLing picturing those nails flying through the air ????
Hi! Maybe you’ve seen vanity table obora nails? They are slightly cured gel stickers that you set with uv light after snapping. I’ve had surprisingly good results with them! They ship from China though so they have a sizable minimum purchase but I like them better than painting!
I had the same exact issues with the press on nails. Good to know the polish was pretty good.
I love the laquer, too!
The press ons actually stayed on DAYS later than I thought and it has a lot to do with the amount of glue you use. They were almond shaped and a little longer than I was used to but stayed on for a little over 7 days.
I’m with you on the little bottles being difficult to pop out of the case lol
I am a huge fan of the primer and top coat because I’ve literally extended the life of all my other polishes, which prompted me to order the full sized bottles ????