Hello and Welcome!
In this post we’re going to be reviewing fake nails from everyone’s favourite affordable high street shop, Primark.
My Instagram is not unfamiliar with Primark fake nails, but I’ve never spoken about them on my blog and I thought it was time.
Primark seems to have everything you could possibly think of (apart from food but honestly if they decided to open a supermarket it wouldn’t surprise me). On top of clothing, accessories, shoes, and bags, they also sell makeup, skincare, and false nails.
I’m pretty new to the fake nail scene if I’m honest. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment that I decided I was too lazy to paint my own nails and wanted to glue coloured pieces of plastic on them instead, but the thought of painting my nails now fills me with dread. As much as I love choosing colours and designs to paint, I ALWAYS smudge at least one nail, which results in me having to remove that entire nail’s polish and redo it. Also, using nail polish and waiting for it to dry takes so long. Putting on fake nails takes approximately 2 minutes, they last longer, and are just generally less stress. I’m officially converted.
The Options
As with everything in Primark, there are different price points for different types of product. The cheapest nails they stock are £1. You didn’t read that incorrectly, for ONE pound, you can get yourself a set of false nails. I believe their most expensive pair are around £4.00.
Between the cheapest and the most expensive, there are a variety of different prices including £1.50, £2.00, £2.50, £3.00, and £3.50.
They also come in an array of different styles such as square, stiletto, squareletto (a mix between the first two which you’ll see in a second), round. I’m sure there are others but I can’t remember off the top of my head. They also have both shorter and long styles. They come in matte or glossy, and there are some with glitter, some with gems, some with accent nails, really every different style you can think of.
In this review I’ll discuss the different price points and what type of nails you can get for each price.
Packaging
I only have a photo of the packaging from some of the £1.00 nail range however the packaging is virtually the same across the board.
The only thing that really changes with the packaging is the nail style (where it says ‘Squareletto’) and the colour of the cardboard. Some of them have white, or pink, or gold, packaging. It depends on the range that they’re from, e.g. they have a disney range of nails at the moment, and the price point.
On the whole I’m not blown away by the packaging, but you can’t expect much more for the price of them. The packaging does the job, and I do like how you can see the nails inside.
When you open it there’s a bag of extra nails behind the silver you can see in the photos, they also come with glue. You get a lot of different sizes so you can pretty much guarantee that the nails will fit you.
£1.00 Nails
The £1.00 range from Primark is pretty much just plain nails like these ones. They’re pretty simple but can be really nice. Personally I found the dark ones looked a bit weird but I think this was only the second time I’d tried to apply fake nails so it’s not entirely the nail’s fault that they look weird.
There are actually little numbers on the underside of the nail so you can see which ones you’ve put on and which you might need for your other hand. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise this after I’d worn a few different pairs, which is also why the darker ones look weird, because I was wearing the wrong numbers.
As I mentioned in my ‘8 Things No-one Tells You About Wearing False Nails’ post, I find with these ones that I needed really short nails underneath, or my natural nail was poking out from the sides of the fake one (not cute). However, as I’ve used more of them and realised they have numbers, I have less of an issue with this. As long as you make sure that they really fit your nails, you should be fine. If you think you need more of one size then I’d recommend buying two packs (they’re only £1 so it’s not a huge cost to buy another of the same one).
The Primark nail glue isn’t the greatest, but I find I can make one pair last around a week. This does include sticking the odd one that falls off back on though. When they’re all gapping from the edges I call it quits and take them off. I’d imagine if you had a better glue then they would last much longer without random ones falling off.
Overall the £1 nails are pretty decent. If you’re looking for a pair of plain false nails that are easy and quick to apply but still look cute for an event then I’d definitely recommend these. They’re really really sturdy for a few days so would last you well, and they look cute as hell (looking back at those pinkish ones makes me want them again).
£2.00 Nails
Moving onto the slightly more expensive ones comes the addition of pattern.
I decided to pick up these marble ones because I’m a little obsessed with marble things. I kept looking at these, which I know if I keep going back to something then it means I really want it, so I knew I needed to have them.
Quality-wise, they’re pretty much exactly the same as the £1.00 ones. The more expensive price is just for the addition of the pattern, you aren’t paying for any extra quality. The glue is the same, the packaging is the same, it’s just a more interesting pattern.
Whilst I did like these they are slightly obnoxious and considering I was in a hospital (not totally appropriate). However, with a big jumper I did feel pretty cute with these on. Personally, I think they would be better with the marble as an accent nail, or a couple of nails, and not the full set. This is more personal preference than an issue with the nail though.
For some reason I found these lasted less time than the £1.00 ones, but I think the glue that I had was somehow worse than the other nails I’ve had (it was a different colour as well). I’m not sure if there’s a different glue in all the £2.00 sets or if I just got the odd one out, but it wasn’t great. Again, with a better glue this issue wouldn’t have happened.
£2.50 Nails
This set, called ‘Marble Babe’, is similar in some ways to the £2.00 set. This set is pink marble but has an accent nail that is completely different (gold chrome in this case).
Again, the actual quality of the nail is exactly the same, the glue is the same, the packaging is the same, the extra 50p between the other marble set and this one seems to just come from having an accent nail. However, I have seen a set with many different nail designs in for £2.00, so the extra 50p doesn’t seem completely logical in this sense.
This set is the same stiletto shape as the £2.00 marble set but I decided to file them down to more of an almond shape because I wasn’t really feeling the stiletto when I put them on. It took around 1 and a half hours to get them to this length/shape but I think they look really good and suit my hands better. I used a glass nail file to do this and found the nails were pretty easy to file, it didn’t damage the pattern or cause any peeling.
Whilst I do really like these, the printing on the nail is a little bit blurred/pixelated on the marble nails. You can only really notice if you look really closely, but I’d prefer to pay for the £2.00 ones and just file them to a better shape. I don’t think the extra 50p added much, although the chrome nail is nice.
Final Thoughts
If you’re wondering what the difference between the price points of the Primark nails are the short answer is: nothing. The nail quality is the same, the packaging is the same, the glue is the same. The only difference is what’s on the actual nails. However, the logical difference between each price point seems to stop once you get past the £1.00 range. All of the £1.00 ones are plain. However, the price points after this have varying designs and there’s no clear reason for the different prices of the nails (e.g. why some £2.00 ones have loads of patterning, but some are £2.50 with less pattern).
There’s nothing wrong with the Primark nails, but if you’re trying to decide between a £2.00 and a £2.50 pair and think the quality might be better in the more expensive one – it isn’t. Personally, I think I like the plain ones the most. I find some of Primark’s designs kind of tacky. Plus, I’ve recently been using more expensive nails (review coming soon) and the fit and quality of the nails is incredible compared to the Primark ones.
Overall, my verdict is that if you’re looking for just one flat plain colour for an event or special occasion (or just want to feel fancy) then yes, purchasing the Primark £1 nails is a good idea. You would need to get a better glue though, unless you’re only wearing them for a short amount of time. However, if you’re looking for ones that have a pattern then I think it’s actually better to look elsewhere. Although they may be more expensive in places like Superdrug, the glue is better, and the overall nail quality is better. You’re going to get more wear time, and nicer looking nails that fit your nail shape better. It may actually work out on average that you spend less money on nails if you buy the more expensive, but better quality ones. Another option would be to support a seller on Etsy. Many people make incredible nails on there and you can specify the sizes you need for each finger.
Okay this brings us to the end of my review, I hope that you enjoyed reading it and I hope it gave you some insight into the different nails that Primark has to offer at different price points. If you did enjoy reading then please give this review a like, there will be more nail reviews coming so it helps me to know that you do actually like reading them! Also make sure you follow my blog if you aren’t already, I’m close to hitting my goal for the year and really want to get there.
Love,
Charlotte (Multibendystraw)
Check out my previous posts!
Anatomicals Face Masks Review
Night-time Skincare Routine for Dry Skin
ESQIDO ‘Gel Eyeliner Pencil’ Review
