Lee Press-On nails

Fashion Synopsis

Fake, plastic nails. Before the days of realistic acrylic tips, Lee Press-On nails offered tough unbreakable nails in the form of hard plastic discs that stuck to the tops of your nails via double-sided sticky tape. No longer would biting your nails down to stubby nubs cause you embarrassment and shame. Instead, you could glue plastic nails on top of your real ones (although everyone knew that the pointy claws were not your own).

Press-On nails became an accessory like makeup, carrying you from childhood to the land of the ‘adults.’ In an array of rainbow colors, these long, claw-like nails filed to rounded points were all the rage. A dangerous style, the nails doubled as talons and spears for bad girls, making weapons out of your fingertips.

Nails were a canvas that allowed artistic expression: airbrushed designs and jewels were a popular accessory to both real and fake nails. Palm trees and flamingos lived a short fad while Miami Vice was on the air, followed by lightning bolts and smiley faces. The ultimate in nail chic was to glue a little rhinestone or gold charm on your pinky finger.

The best thing about ‘press-on nails’ is that they could easily pop off for quick removal, making long, fashionable nails possible even for girls with the strictest moms on the planet.

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