Can You Cure Press-On Nails With UV Light? - Luxe Luminous (2024)

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These days, press-on nails are available in many shapes, colors, and styles, which is a big reason why they have become so popular among nail enthusiasts.

And they work especially well if you’re giving your natural nails a rest from wearing gel or acrylic manicures.

In fact, with a set of really good press-on nails, you’d be hard-pressed to see the difference between these falsies and a salon-created gel manicure)!

But are you aware of the latest viral beauty hack, which shows that it’s possible to make your press-on manicure last longer than usual?

In fact, this hack (thanks TikTok!) has proven that you can cure press-on nails with UV light. So, in this article, we’ll show you how to do just that!

Cure Press-On Nails With UV Light

Using press-on nails to decorate your natural nail beds is an extremely popular way to give your nails a quick and easy manicure.

However, this type of manicure isn’t without its flaws — the most obvious one being that it generally doesn’t last as long as having a professional gel polish or acrylics applied to your nails.

But of course, in the land of social media, it has been left to beauty influencers on TikTok to find a cure for this flaw.

And that is curing your press-on nail by using UV gel.

The result of curing your press-on nail manicure with UV gel is weeks of wear, along with the shine and quality that you’d expect from a professional gel manicure. And all for a fraction of the cost!

During the pandemic, when most nail salons were forced to close around the country and people couldn’t get their nails tended to, many innovative beauty enthusiasts on TikTok took their self-care game into their own hands.

And they got really creative when finding ways to do their own manicures at home.

TikTok creator @yesyyada shared her cured press-on nail approach and went viral, gaining more than two million views (and growing) on just one of her videos. She makes the entire process look really easy, using a generic press-on nail kit, a bottle of nail glue, some gel glue and a simple UV light.

So, What’s The Process of Gel For Press-Ons?

To try this new process, first you’ll need to get hold of some press-on nails that give you life. It will also help if they are easy to apply. ABS plastic nails are more suitable because of their flexibility, and they don’t need any major filing or drilling.

1. Get Your Press-Ons

If you don’t already have a favorite kit of press-ons waiting in the wings, then why not try Beetles Short Press on Nails Castles In The Air kit? This kit contains 144 pieces made of soft ABS plastic, which come in six classic colors, including white, nude, pink grey.

These press-on nails are both flexible and comfortable to wear, and can be trimmed into any shape without causing cracking or chipping.

If more dramatic nails are your kind of thing, then look no further than these high glossy Colorful Liquid press-on coffin nails by Votacos. These dynamic and gorgeous neon coffin nails come in a kit that includes 24 pieces.

2. Grab the Nail Glue (and Lamp)!

Now that you’ve got your press-on nails ready, you’ll need to prepare your nail glue and UV lamp. @yesyyada swears by Beetle’s Nail Glue, which she uses to cure her press-on manicure under her UV lamp.

Well, you can make things easy on yourself by grabbing hold of this Beetle Nail Glue and UV Lamp kit. The nail glue itself is multi-functional and can be used as a base gel, which means it’s (apparently) healthier to use than most nail glues, and doesn’t give off a foul odor.

Meanwhile the accompanying UV/LED lamp is not only cute, compact and portable, but it includes a USB cable, touch switch and user manual, and will cure your nails in 60 seconds or less.

It also turns itself off automatically after one minute. What a great innovation in a LED nail lamp!

3. Get Your UV Gel Glue

Finally, you’ll need some UV gel glue, and we can recommend Mia Secret’s Glass Finish UV-LED Gel Glue.

How to Use UV Gel to Cure Press-On Nails

So, now that you have everything that you need to cure your press-on nails with a UV lamp, what are the next steps?

Well, here they are:

Step 1:

Apply a layer of nail glue to the nails of one hand and cure each one under the UV lamp.

Step 2:

Add the gel to the back of a press-on, then apply it to your nail before curing it again under the UV lamp.

Step 3:

After you’ve finished all five fingers, cure each one again for 60 seconds. File down your nails if needed. You can also apply a gel top coat and cure again if you want an extra glossy finish.

Step 4:

Repeat with your other hand and then enjoy your salon-style manicure for weeks.

Of course, because of this process, you won’t just be able to remove your press-on nails like you would without the curing. This means you’ll have to soak them off in acetone nail polish remover and file down any residue after removal, which can damage your nails if they’re already weak.

The effort this takes might put some people off. But for a studier press-on manicure that will last for weeks, this annoying factor will probably be worth the effort — especially if you’re used to gel manicure removal.

What To Watch Out For

Of course, the fact that UV gel was made to be used with the gel manicure, and simple nail glue was designed to be used with press-ons, means that you are taking a risk if you decide to hop on this TikTok beauty train.

This means that the application — and in particular the removal — of press-ons that have been gel cured, have the potential to cause damage to your natural nails, cuticles, and skin surrounding them.

For instance, if you get any gel on your skin, it could cause some serious irritation.

This means that the application — and in particular the removal — of press-ons that have been gel cured, have the potential to cause damage to your natural nails, cuticles, and skin surrounding them.

And just because this trend has worked for some beauty enthusiasts, it doesn’t mean that it’s the right thing to do for everyone, especially if your nails are already weak, splitting, brittle, or otherwise damaged from previous manicures.

Conclusion

If you’re an adventurous risk taker, then jumping onto this new manicure trend may just be the thing you’ve been waiting for — especially if you’re already a fan of press-on nails.

So, can you cure press-on nails with UV light? Yes, you definitely can, but you’ll need to be ready for some experimenting.

If you have the time, and access to a UV/LED nail lamp, though, then using this procedure to upgrade your press-on game will see your manicure lasting for up to three weeks easily.

And you can always reuse the press-ons after!