WORDS RACHEL EDWARDS PHOTOGRAPHY PABLO DE PASTORS - CODEA STUDIO
There's something about investing in your nails that makes you feel particularly satisfied, like your life is in order. Other 'life in order' moments include eating dinner alone in a restaurant and taking a meter reading. I imagine ordering a dry martini is another but I'm not brave enough for that one yet. Anyway, we can all agree that opening your laptop and typing 'I hope this email finds you well' feels a lot better with the tap-tap of a false nail. So when I caught wind of Barcelona based nail artist Vanesa Juez I was excited.
Not only has Juez made her name as a high fashion nail stylist, working with the likes of Loewe and Desigual, she also recently released her own collection of press on nails. Press on nails don't get much... well, press... compared to acrylics and gels. She is on a mission to change that, and I was lucky enough to have a set sent to me.
The collection consists of unique textures such as denim and fur, but the one I was instantly drawn to was the coral shell nail. The first thing to note is the packaging. The nails arrived in what resembled a record case with the collection of nails stuck to an actual CD inside.
I am notoriously clumsy, and I worried that I'd struggle to put the nails on, but with the glue provided, application was relatively easy. I wore them to a festival that day and yes, I felt like my life was together (actually I did lose my phone, but the quest to get it back felt smoother than usual - something I wholeheartedly attribute to the power of the press on nail).
After embracing what I can only describe as my newly found 'main character' energy, I soaked them off. The shells are now safely back in their box, ready for the next special occasion. The fact that the nails are reusable is a huge plus and means that you can continue to remove and reapply them for whatever event you have coming up (for one night only use sticky tape is provided which makes them super easy to remove). As I try to refrain from rounding off this feature by saying something cheesy like Vanesa Juez is 'nailing it', I recommend you check out Volume 2 and start your collection of designer nails.
For more information and to shop the collection: https://www.vanesajuez.com/
