My Journey of Self-Nail Care

I do love going to a nail salon. Pleasant scent, that feeling of “being cared”, the hand massage at the end… No reason to hate this amazing place. However, even before the current COVID19 situation, I stopped going to a nail salon since like… 5 years ago. Spending a minimum of $50 per visit hasn’t been easy for me for the nails that only last for two weeks.

Then began my self nail journey. The very first innovative product that I enjoyed using was actually from Incoco nail appliqué. The fact that the product being the real nail polish but dried about 95% was very appealing. The result was actually really nice and the application was easy as well since they are very flexible to make it adjust to each of your nails.

A few years later, Dashing Diva has risen in the Korean market. Unlike Incoco, their major product is “Magic Press” which is closer to fake nails but press-on type. I didn’t buy in at first since I thought these would be artificial and not natural. However, after I tried using it a couple of times, slowly I completely transferred to Dashing Diva camp. And here I am writing a Dashing Diva review to spread the word!

A couple of my Dashing Diva Magic Press collections. Should have taken more photos since I tried over 20+ different designs so far!

Why Dashing Diva Magic Press

The major reason is that I have a very hard time keeping my nails long enough to make “nail stickers / flexible nail strips” work right. It is such a bad habit to retain by now that I am in my 30s, but I keep biting my nails especially when I get stressed. Unfortunately, I’m always under stress as a 9 to 5 office worker. With very short nails, Incoco or any kind of nail stickers didn’t look good. It was better to have them applied than keeping the bare nails but somehow they looked clumsy. It was also hard to apply those products to short nails since they won’t stick hard to the edges without enough space at the end of each nail.

The second reason is that Dashing Diva Magic Press lasts quite long – easily up to 10 days. Please note that I do pay attention to keep them longer. For example, I never do dishes without wearing dishwashing gloves. However, when applied right after cleaning the cuticles and using the “prep pad” which comes with the product, you will be able to see Magic Press lasts longer than you expected.

How To Apply It Right

I am a little bit embarrassed to disclose my ugly feet but I shot a video to better explain the process of applying the product in a way to last long. The video shows the pedicure but the process is basically the same for both mani and pedi. The key point is to get your nails cleaned and always use a prep pad!

Step 0: Sanitize the tools (nail clipper, nail file) with alcohol spray
Step 1: Remove cuticles by applying a cuticle remover and gently using a pusher
Step 2 (optional): Remove hair on your toes/fingers * this step might sound strange but this little stage makes the overall look more neat and tidy! Now you’re ready to apply the product 🙂
Step 3: Open the product and find a prep pad
Step 4: Open the prep pad and rub/cleanse each of your nails
Step 5: Try different sizes of the Magic Press nails and find the right one for each of your nail
Step 6: Attach the product to each nail and press hard! Repeat the same for the rest and smooth the edges with a nail file if needed.

Tips

Dashing Diva Magic Press have several types by shape and nail length.

By Shape: Coffin, Oval, Square, Stiletto
By Length: Long, Medium, Short

If you have a very short nail like myself, choosing a product with “short” sign will be helpful. However, medium or long types also work – you just need to clip the longer part with a nail clipper and file the edge to smooth a little.