Do the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have you practicing your tumbling in the backyard and attempting the butterfly at the local pool (I’d say it’s harder than it looks, but TBH it looks pretty hard)? Most of us will only ever be able to complete Olympic-level feats in our dreams, but we can capture some of that Paris magic by stealing the athletes’ looks. Team USA gymnast Sunisa Lee—who you can watch compete in the Women’s Artistic All-Around final on July 30—pairs her Swarovski-crystal-bedazzled leo with press-on nails that you can pick up at the drugstore for $23.
Lee is an ambassador for the beauty product company Kiss and was spotted in Paris rocking a set of the brand’s Salon X-tend Nails in the style Pure, which is an almond-shaped nail with a French mani (apropos, non?).
Getting a pair of press-on nails to stay on your fingertips when you’re using your hands to launch your body into the air from the floor, beam, or vault seems as physics-defying as the flips themselves. Personally, I’ve been known to lose a nail while breaking down a cardboard box. But Lee swears that the Kiss gel set, which you apply to your nails with glue and then cure under an LED light for extra staying power (included in the starter kit), is up to the task.
“Being a gymnast requires me to move in a way that is flexible, weightless, and strong,” Lee says in a statement sent to SELF. “I need the same traits when it comes to my manicure, and Salon X-tend allows me to do that effortlessly, while also showcasing my individuality, wherever my meets take me.”
More great press-on nails
At SELF, we love a DIY set not only because applying your own nails means you can save the time and expense that sitting in a technician’s chair will cost you, but also because press-ons can be better for your nail and skin health than acrylics or gel extensions.
