Press-On Pedicures Are the Thing You Didn’t Know You Needed This Summer

You know that moment when you look down at your feet and realize just how badly you need a pedicure? Your previously shiny polish has lost its sheen from walking around barefoot at the beach—or worse, it’s chipped front and center on your big toe. (Let’s not even talk about the cuticles right now.) 

Of course, this realization usually happens when you’re about to head into a big meeting or are breaking in a cute new pair of sandals for the first time. 

Short of getting a rush pedi (which always ends up being an unnecessarily stressful experience), we have a quick—albeit sort of odd—fix for you: press-on toenails. Yup. And before you rule them out as tacky or unsuitable for a grown woman, hear us out.

For starters, they’re really easy to use. Each pack comes with 24 nails of various sizes, a prep pad and a cuticle stick. All you have to do is choose the ones that most closely match the size and length of your nails. (Tip: File them from the top and sides to fit your nail beds better.) Next, wipe your toes using the enclosed pad; this is especially important because you don’t want any old polish or oils remaining on the surface of your nails. Remove the adhesive backing from the underside of each nail and press them over your own for a few seconds.

Badda bing, badda boom. You’ve got yourself a shiny new pedi in the time it takes you to heat up your Trader Joe’s Tikka Masala lunch. Plus, it doesn't cost much more than said lunch. 

Best of all there’s no waiting to put your shoes on. No weird cling wrap sliding around and suffocating your feet. No big toe smudges. Just a super-glossy, gel-finish pedi that you can go dancing in, pop into spin shoes or, you know, just walk home with immediately afterward. 

From our experience, a press-on pedi will usually last you up to a week (though we’ve managed to get a solid ten days from them once). And when you’re ready to remove them, soak your feet in warm water for a few minutes and apply some polish remover (or an oil-based makeup remover) around the edges of each nail to gently pop them off. 

Listen, nothing replaces the magic of a pedi—if solely (ha!) for the foot massage—but these are a pretty darn good option for when you're in a pinch.

Buy it ($8)