Now, don’t get me wrong, I pretty much get the same thing on repeat: almond shape in milky nude pink or red. Not exactly groundbreaking, but it’s been 10 years and still going strong. It weirdly makes me disproportionately happy, and instantly makes me feel like I’ve got my life together.

But when life starts life’ing, and diaries start filling up, finding the time to travel into the centre for a salon visit becomes increasingly difficult to justify. 

And while I do enjoy switching my brain off for a full hour, with nothing but me and my headphones against the world, I’m not sure I love it enough to choose it over a rare hour to catch up with a friend over breakfast.

Not to mention, my nails don’t always love it either – especially when I’ve tried a new salon and the products or removal process have left them feeling a little worse for wear.

If I’m completely honest, I’ve never been the biggest fan of stick-on nails. In my experience, they either don’t stick for very long, look a little too unnatural, or both. So when I came across Glaize, which promises a fresh-looking manicure in around 10 minutes, I was intrigued (but definitely sceptical).

Could I really get that same fresh-set feeling without the salon appointment at a fraction of the price? Or is it just really great marketing and packaging? 

If you haven’t come across the brand before, the concept is pretty simple. Glaize creates at-home nails designed to give you the look of a fresh salon manicure without actually having to go to the salon.

Brand owner Gina Farran appeared on Dragons’ Den in 2024, where she received four offers before ultimately accepting a joint investment from Sara Davies and Deborah Meaden.

Growing up in Lebanon, Gina was inspired by her glamorous mum, who always had perfectly painted nails. It was her mum who taught her that something as simple as having nice nails could change how you feel.

Glaize’s stick-on gels are made from real gel and designed to look and wear like a salon manicure, alongside the brand’s patented sizing technology, which is designed to create a salon-level fit at home.

I opted for The Statements set, a collection of four different styles: Light Pink Chrome, Pink Cat Eye, Gold Reverse French, and Tortoise Shell (arguably the style that made me fall for this collection in the first place).

Each individual set comes with all the equipment you need to apply them: the glue (recommended for long-term wear), two sets of glue tabs (recommended for short-term wear), a nail file, cuticle stick, and an alcohol wipe.

The biggest selling point for me was the time. Glaize says you can get your nails done in around 10 minutes, which sounded almost suspiciously quick given that my usual salon appointment takes around an hour.

Turns out, they were wrong – but, not in the way you might think.

Once I’d trialled a few sizes and set them to the side, the application took a mere eight minutes and 42 seconds, to be precise.

I was expecting there to be a bit of a learning curve, but it was pretty straightforward. It’s a simple case of finding the fit, prepping the nail, and sticking. It was that easy that a child could probably pull it off – though, not advisable.

Honestly, the length and the design quality are pretty incredible. They’re not too thick and look incredibly natural. I even got asked a few times where I had them done – little did they know: my sofa. 

The shape was a bit more on the square side which I've not had for around two years, but I particularly liked the clean fit around the cuticles. You only need a small amount of the glue provided, so there was no icky mess.

Obviously, I’m not going to pretend that sticking something onto your nails is exactly the same as having a professional sit there and painstakingly create a manicure from scratch. 

But the whole point is that you’re not trying to recreate the salon experience; you’re trying to get the result without taking up too much time. 

This was the bit I was most interested in.

Because there’s no point saving time at the salon if your new manicure starts falling apart the second you wash your hands.

The brand promises they will last for two weeks. I’m currently at the 10-day mark, and what I will say is that the same nail has pinged off twice, so I’ve made a habit of packing the glue wherever I go. The only other thing worth noting is that the tortoise shell design is wearing off at the edge ever so slightly.

But overall, for £15 a pop versus the usual £50 mark, I can’t really complain too much.

Not to mention, I know I said I tend to stick to the same two colours when visiting a salon, but knowing they can be safely removed whenever I feel like it encourages me to venture out into designs I wouldn’t usually go for.

The Tortoise Shell set is a good example. It’s not something I’d necessarily commit to for a full four weeks, but knowing I can take them off whenever I fancy makes me much more willing to experiment.

I went into this expecting to be sceptical. I like my nails feeling clean and done done, and I’ve never been particularly convinced by the idea that an at-home alternative could give me quite the same feeling.

But after 10 days, I have to admit that I’m sold.

Would it completely replace my salon appointments? Probably not. But that’s only because I’m too nervous for one to randomly pop off at a networking event or somewhere entirely awkward. But as for an impromptu event or date, I’m totally down.

My nail salon can rest easy for now. But Glaize has officially earned a permanent spot in my bathroom cabinet for the weeks when life gets in the way.