Poppin’ Press
How to measure your nails for press-ons (and why it matters)
Drugstore press-ons come in “universal” sizes — which is why they overhang at the sides or dig into your cuticles. My sets are made to measure, but that only works when the measurements are accurate. Good news: it takes 5 minutes.
What are we actually measuring?
The width of the nail plate at its widest point, in millimetres — separately for each of your 10 fingers. The shape and length of the press-on don’t matter here; only the width does.
The paper strip method
- Cut a narrow strip of paper or paper tape.
- Wrap it across the nail, exactly at the widest point.
- Mark with a pen where the strip meets the side edges of the plate.
- Flatten the strip and measure the distance between the marks with a ruler — to the nearest half millimetre.
- Repeat for all 10 fingers. Yes, all of them — your left and right hands can differ by a full size!
Enter the results in the size finder — it converts millimetres into my 0–9 sizes and saves your result for checkout.
Common mistakes
- Measuring along the nail instead of across it.
- A loose strip — it has to hug the plate snugly.
- Holding a ruler directly against the finger (the plate is curved — that’s what the strip is for!).
Precise to the millimetre
If you’d rather be 100% sure, order a sizing kit — I’ll mail you numbered try-on tips. You fit them at home, send me the numbers, and your set is guaranteed to fit.