Bows and Charms Press-On Nails

8 sets in total. By shape, 4 almond, 2 oval and 2 squoval. By length, 3 short, 3 medium and 2 long. Every set contains ten nails, five per hand, pre-arranged and labelled left and right, in sizes XS, S and M. Applied in about five minutes and worn 3 to 5 days with adhesive tabs, or up to 14 days with nail glue.

Accent nails are pre-placed for a specific finger. Check the L and R labels before you apply, or the design lands in the wrong position.

A bow sits proud of the nail, so it reads best on a hand that is otherwise quiet — bare wrists, a thin ring, no competing texture. Wear the charm on the ring finger only if you want the eye to land there; wear it across all ten if the set is the outfit rather than an accent to it. Bow press-on nails photograph well from above, which is why they move fastest in the weeks around graduations and engagement parties.

The charm is the part that snags. Dry your hands by pressing rather than rubbing, put the kettle down before you reach into a bag, and take the set off before sleeping in it more than a night or two. Applied on glue and treated carefully, a bow set holds two weeks; applied on tabs it is a three-day set, and that is a perfectly good way to wear it for one occasion.

Charms sit toward the centre of the nail, so filing the sides to adjust width does not disturb them. Never file the free edge to shorten a charmed nail — the balance shifts and the charm ends up sitting over the fingertip. Choose the shorter length instead.