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With salons continuing to battle COVID-19 restrictions without a clear end in sight, at-home manicures and press-on nails have been surging in popularity. Since the onset of the pandemic, professional nail artists have been creating customized press-on sets to offset business losses. And even prior to the pandemic, we started spotting more fake nails (from brands like Kiss) sent down New York Fashion Week runways. Allure editors, like Nicola Dall’Asen, have also been adamant fans of the paint-on alternatives for quite some time now. 
A lineup of professional nail artists, including Eun Kyung Park, Gina Edwards, and Miss Pop have previously shared their expert tips to keep your manicure looking as fresh and lasting as long as possible. After you match each nail to the properly-sized press-on, push your cuticles back (many kits will come with a wooden tool) and wipe your nails clean with alcohol, so oils don’t prevent proper adhesion. From there, ensure the edges of each press-on lie flush up against the edges of your natural nail and seal it all in with glue — concentrate it in the center of the nail so it doesn’t spill over to the edges and onto your skin — or the provided, double-sided stickers.When applied properly and carefully handled, they can look just as seamless as professional manicures — but at a fraction of the cost and with less damage incurred. “The biggest benefit of a press-on is you are in charge of your nail health,” nail artist Gina Edwards previously told Allure. Removal should be just as simple as application, as long as you are patient with soaking nail tapes in warm water or glued-on tips in acetone. In further contrast with gels and acrylics, press-ons also allow for more frequent experimentation of different shapes and colors.
Amazon might not be the first place you think of when it comes to buying a fresh set of fake nails, but for those searching for a good deal, it’s a very convenient place to start. (As always, read up on those reviews, and use customer photos as a point of reference of what to expect.) 
Ahead, find nine of our favorite kits in a variety of lengths, colors, shapes, and designs for under $20 — most are even $10 or less — including picks from Gabi Thorne, Allure’s resident press-on nail expert.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. […]

Once upon a time, Allure ran advice columns by our favorite beauty pros. In celebration of our 30th anniversary, we’re bringing back the tradition — but this time the expert is: us (we’ve learned a lot over the years). Send your burning (or itching, or otherwise inflamed) questions to beautyexpert@allure.com, and we might answer them in an upcoming story. 

Dear Allure, 
I try my best to be a good beauty consumer. My only hard-and-fast rule is that I won’t buy a product if the company tests on animals, and I try to patronize smaller brands or underrepresented founders when I can. But sometimes I also buy cotton rounds at Walmart. One of my favorite skin-care products was made by somebody who eventually got “canceled.” Are there ethics in beauty shopping? —Danielle, Brooklyn

First, thank you for writing. This year, in the face of overwhelming public suffering, people are having tiny, private referendums in every corner of their lives, including the ones behind the bathroom mirror. The good news is that, unless they are an Instagram influencer, one person’s skin-care and makeup preferences are rarely newsworthy. You are unlikely to lose any public favor based on your beauty product choices. I know that’s not the point, but in our darkest hours it is a nice thing to remember.

Second, I’d like to introduce a concept here, in the manner of a jovial balloon merchant handing one of his wares to a delighted customer: Money is power and nothing else. What are dollars if not enchanted pieces of paper we exchange for toilet paper and massages?

Personally, I love the stuff, cannot get enough of it. We have a simple and powerful relationship: The more money I have, the less feeble I feel. Money does not buy happiness, but if you gave me a substantial amount right now, I would love that, thank you! Because though it does not buy happiness, money does buy food, shelter, clothing, and other things that humans love, and which bring us health and basic dignity. Many have tried to combat money’s magic and failed. The best we can do is try to make sure everybody has enough of it to meet their basic human needs. […]

ALLURE: Which artists of the non-makeup variety do you admire?
PM: I am always deeply inspired by 17th and 18th century French and German rococo and baroque styles, specifically the architects of Nymphenburg and Versailles, mixed with Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Besson’s Le Cinquième Élément.

ALLURE: Most descriptive beauty adjective in your vocabulary:
PM: Major!
ALLURE: Most admired person:
PM: I adore Grace Jones.
ALLURE: Last TV binge…
PM: Le Bureau.
ALLURE: Favorite flower:
PM: A “Divine Rose,” of course!

ALLURE: When we can travel again, what is the first place you’d like to go?
PM: A little heat could be nice, but I’m not like a lot of my friends — it’s like the Grand National rushing to get to the airport! They just want to go somewhere. I’m like, “I have been somewhere my whole life.” Once, in a single week, I went from New York to London to Japan and back to New York. I’m not bolting to the airport.
ALLURE: Do you dream about makeup?
PM: Working in makeup is a dream! 
ALLURE: Drugstore beauty staple:
PM: Bioderma Sensibio H20.
ALLURE: Favorite sunscreen:
PM: Institut Esthederm Bronz Repair.

ALLURE: The products that are always in your shower:
PM: The Aesop Citrus Melange Body Cleanser, the Oui The People Rose Gold Sensitive Skin Razor and Sugarcoat Shave Gel-to-Milk, and the Pattern Leave-In Conditioner.
ALLURE: I feel most confident when… 
PM: …I read reviews from beauty lovers around the world who’ve spent their hard-earned money on something from Pat McGrath Labs and they love it. That’s just beyond rewarding.
ALLURE: Who are your beauty icons?
PM: Donyale Luna, Grace Jones, Pierre Laroche, and Serge Lutens.
ALLURE: Who makes the best black headband?
PM: They are actually handmade for me in Paris at an undisclosed location ;).

ALLURE: Wellness essentials:
PM: Sleep. Laughter. Friends.
ALLURE: Last product you finished:
PM: My Bronze Temptation Lust Gloss. I am obsessed!
ALLURE: Most used item in your personal makeup bag:
PM: My Dark Star Mascara.
ALLURE: Most surprising item in your personal makeup bag: […]

Like for so many other things, 2020 was arguably not lipstick’s year. And while masks may become a nearly-permanent part of our wardrobe I, at least, have finally started working lip products back into my daily makeup routine. The lovely folks on TikTok are too, and Nyx Cosmetics Shine Loud High Shine Lip Color is one new launch they’re particularly amped about. 

Currently, the dual-sided lippie is blowing up because of the brand’s claim that the product’s color lasts for 16 hours without any transfer, despite its glossy finish. Influencers like Mikayla Nogueira and Stephanie Valentine (and yours truly, though influencer is a generous term here) have posted videos of themselves applying the lipstick, kissing their fingers, then waving them into the camera to prove the color stays put. As I ease back into wearing makeup on the reg, having a lip product that doesn’t require any touch-ups is a nice bonus. 

If you aren’t one to be swayed on longevity alone, the color payoff might be the thing to sell these to you. They’re available in 24 shades, ranging from your usual nudes, pinks, reds, and berries to surprisingly wearable navy and green. I’ve historically found that liquid lipsticks can get a bit messy, but the diamond-shaped reservoir tip applicator on this product makes it easy to both pile on color in the center of your lips and get into the corners with the pointy end of the brush. 

A long-lasting matte base, plus a super-glossy topcoat, sounds like a recipe for a horrible drying-yet-sticky sensation, but, luckily, these lipsticks provide neither. The first day I tried the product out, I genuinely forgot I was wearing it and put on my cloth face covering without removing it (a no-go, if you want your mask to be as effective as possible). 

Courtesy NYX
Of course, the one downside to a long-lasting lip product is that they last… for a long time. As you can see from my video, makeup-removing wipes alone don’t do the trick. Ultimately, the only thing that would get it off was the Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm, plus a lot of elbow grease. But was all the effort worth it for lip color that lasts through five hours of Zoom calls and a bunch of really great selfies? Absolutely.
You can get the Nyx Cosmetics Shine Loud High Pigment Lip Color for $12 at Ulta Beauty. 
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Read about more of Allure editors’ favorite new products: 
Now watch three nail artists create a butterfly manicure:

You can follow Kara on Instagram and TikTok.  […]