Formal season is still well and truly upon us. Lunchtime conversations are flooded with whose dress is what colour, hair up or down, and other all-important prep questions. 

But the more prep you add onto your plate, the more the price goes up and up and that’s just not ideal. While some girls might be able to afford going to a salon and paying $50+ for nails, that’s not realistic for everybody. 

So to save a little coin this formal season, we wanted to give you our top tips on nailing your lashes and nails at home, because we understand these things are fiddly, annoying, and really easy to mess up and have a complete meltdown over at the last second. 

Even better, why not try this with a friend? A sleepover the night before would be a fab opportunity to apply your nails and practice your lash application together, or even in advance if you really want the practice. 

Full disclosure, the team at Ardell have sent us these products to try, and to share with you if we like them.

I’ve been a life-long fan of Ardell for their strip lashes (demi wispies are life), so when I saw their range of press-on nails I had high expectations, and I promise you they absolutely deliver. 

A Billie guide to press on nails:

I’ve been applying press-on nails for about a year now, and was introduced by the absolute QUEEN of premium nails in New Zealand, Nicola May from Blush Baby.

If your nail budget is generous, I’d absolutely recommend her on-trend looks for both luxury press-on nails and acrylics. I love the convenience of being able to prep and apply press-ons from the comfort of my home, and because they last up to 10 days (and if one or two pop off earlier, no issues just glue those bad boys back on!) you really get to switch-up your nail look based on the occasion.

This is an area in beauty that I’ve seen grow and grow in the last few years, with a lot of high-quality affordable options at your doorstep such as Ardell, Glamcare and Teddy Lane. I’ve tried and enjoyed all three, but I was incredibly impressed by Ardell’s offering because of the quality, diversity in the range and the quality of the glue it comes with. 

How to apply*:

1. Prep: Ensure your nails are clean, dry and have no product remaining on them. You can do this with nail polish remover, and/or lightly buffing the surface of your nails (don’t file too much on your natural nail though, as this can damage it). Trim back your nails to ensure they sit comfortably under the fake nail. Push your cuticles back with a cuticle pusher to ensure that the base of the fake nail sits as far back as possible, as it will ensure longevity as the natural nail grows out. 
   
   

2. Sizing: Before you even think of picking up the glue, make sure you have all the correctly-sized nails ready to go. Ensure that it fits comfortably across the whole nail without overhanging onto your skin on either side. 
   
   

3. Application: As you’ll be dealing with some pretty strong glue, I’d strongly recommend you protect the surface you’re working on with an old magazine/newspaper etc. I’d also strongly recommend applying one nail at a time to ensure you’re not being rushed, and you’re giving it the proper attention it needs.
   
   Carefully open your glue, and place a small amount on both the tip of your natural nail and the base (where the cuticle is) of the fake nail. Holding the fake nail by its tip, gently place it onto your natural nail and ensure it’s straight. Once you’re happy with the position (you should feel the glue wanting to set now, so this is your best chance to ensure it’s in the proper place as you’ll have to remove it after the next step), hold the nail firmly onto your finger for 10-15 seconds.
   
   If glue spills over the side of the nail, quickly wipe this up with nail polish remover (but be aware that too much exposure to nail polish remover may damage some fake nails, so tread with caution!). Repeat for each finger and enjoy your instant salon-worthy claws!
   
   

4. Aftercare: Avoid getting your hands wet (eg; no baths, long hot showers, dishes etc) for at least 12 hours afterwards, as this is a sure-fire way to break down the glue! With proper care, your press-on nails can last up to 10 days. And if one falls off early, no problem– keep some glue nearby and simply repeat the steps above and pop it back on.

*As a general rule, we’d recommend you go by the instructions included with your press-on nails. But the process tends to be the same!

A Billie guide to lashes:

Once again, while Ardell have gifted Billie the product, I promise you they’re not paying me to say that Ardell have been my favourite lashes for years.

I’ve loved and heroed their Demi Wispies for years for a more natural-looking glam look, so when we had the chance to try out some of their new range I was totally frothing. 

What I loved even more was that their new Light as Air range even came with a mini of what is a cult classic lash glue for a really good reason.

Duo lash glue is just fabulous, it does exactly what it’s designed to do and makes the application process much more consistent than if you were using a glue that doesn’t get accurately tacky. (Tacky = good in this case!)

How to apply: 

1. Prep: Gather your lashes, a pair of tweezers, scissors and a mirror with good lighting so you can see everything you’re doing. Remove the lashes from their plastic display case by gently encouraging it down with your thumb. Don’t pull it off with your tweezers from the edge, as this can damage the shape of your lashes.
   

2. Trim your lashes: Handle your lashes with your tweezers on the outer corner of the false lash, this gives you a good amount of control to be able to place the lash where you want it to go.

   Place it onto your eyelash (without glue) to measure it against the shape of your eye to see how much you need to trim. This is a crucial step and one that many may miss, which will make the application process a disaster honestly.

   You don’t want your false lashes to end at the inner corner of your eye because this isn’t natural. Look where your natural lashes end and use that as a guide for how long your false lashes need to be.
   

3. Apply glue: Using a good glue, apply a line of glue to the edge of the lash only. Place it down somewhere clean and safe to get tacky. This is also a crucial step, if you apply the lash straight on your eye with the glue still fresh from the tube it will slip and slide all over the place. Waiting about 20-30 seconds is generally a good rule, but a good glue will start to go slightly transparent when it’s ready to apply. This will help it actually stick to your eyelid when placing it down.
   
   Another couple of tricks I’ve learnt is to gently bend the lashes in a ‘U’ shape to encourage a light curve. Additionally, a little heavy breathing onto the glue can encourage it to go tacky.
   

4. Apply lash: Using clean tweezers (make sure you don’t have any glue on the tweezers or else they’ll stick to the tweezers and not your face… you’ll be very frustrated) pick up the lash carefully at the base of the outer corner, avoiding the glue.
   
   Apply the corner of the lash directly to the outer corner of your eyelid, and once it’s in a good position and appears to be sticking to the right place, encourage the remainder of the lash snugly against your lash line with your tweezers. 
   

5. Be patient, and repeat: Take your time and practice! Even after years of applying false lashes I can still get the application wrong on the first time. If your glue has dried, feel free to apply more (but use the glue sparingly where you can, or else you’ll be sticky in places you don’t really want to be sticky!). Repeat for the second eye and enjoy instant glam!

With a little bit of practice, time and patience, you’ll feel confident taking these beauty treatments into your own hands. It’s totally okay if you don’t nail it the first time around (I know I sure didn’t), but it’s all about trial and error. 

Have a fabulous formal season, take heaps of photos and enjoy looking glam with all your friends!