Corrine StokoeQUICK VERSION: Shop the Red Aspen Valentine's Day nails on sale up to 37% off HERE!
In 2020, we brought back one of the posts that made Mint Arrow “take off:” the shellac hack! When all the nail salons were closed, we decided it was time to resurrect Corrine's perfected hack and update that OG blog post! This process served us so well over the years, but..it IS a PROCESS. Painting and drying and waiting and layering..it takes a hot minute (or 90) from start to finish. You had to plan ahead, and sometimes that just doesn't work out. Enter: Red Aspen nails!
Corrine had a friend convince her to try the product and she said she actually had really low expectations going into it. There are tons of other products on the market just like it and they always seem cheesy and not worth the effort. Imagine her surprise when she quickly became OBSESSED with these press-on nails!! There are sooo many reasons we love Red Aspen nails – we're so excited to share them with you + they have some SUPER CUTE nails for Valentine's Day on sale!
Deal Details
Starting today through 2/15, you can take up to 37% off the cutest Valentine's Day nail sets at Red Aspen! These will go fast so make sure to grab them before they sell out. Keep reading for a list of their Valentine's styles.
Valentine's Day Nails
Right now at Red Aspen you can get the perfect Valentine's Day nails on sale! They have so many cute styles, you're sure to find one that's perfect for you. You can also mix and match any of these cute patterns below with their other solid/simple designs, too!
- Heart Beats to Music (cream nails with a black heart)– $10 (reg $16)
- Hilda Lane (pink with red foil dots)– $10 (reg $16)
- Hugs and Kisses, Kristin (pink with red xo text)– $10 (reg $16)
- I'll Always Love You, Wendy (pink with multiple red hearts)– $10 (reg $16)
- Lillian's Love Song (light brown with white hearts)– $10 (reg $16)
- Lolo Heart's Life (nude with red hearts, pictured above!)– $10 (reg $16)
- Lesa Loves Red + Pink (pink and red colorblock)– $10 (reg $16)
- Love Letters to London (nude with black, white, and gold hearts)– $10 (reg $16)
- Whole Lotta Heart, Jenni (pink with swirls)– $10 (reg $16)
- Gabby's Heart of Gold (black with gold heart)– $10 (reg $16)
- Ballet Slipper (solid light pink)
- Alrighty Rita Roo (gold accent at cuticle, pictured below!)
What are Red Aspen nails?
If you're new here, you may be wondering – what are Red Aspen nails? These are press on nails that feel like an amazing gel manicure or a really good, thin acrylic nail. These are NOT a sticker! When Corrine first heard about these, she thought they were stickers and she was so pleasantly surprised to find that they're a press on.
Red Aspen carries petite sizes, short, medium, and long lengths and TONS of colors and patterns! They even have press on nails for your toes! And bonus: all the nail products are cruelty free, sulfate free, phthalate free, and paraben free. Good for you + for the environment.
Floral Nails sold out, similar
Gold Dome Ring – use code: MINTARROW for 10% off and FREE US shipping!
Chain Link Ring – use code: MINTARROW for 10% off and FREE US shipping!
Toasted marshmallow nail dashes
White nail dashes
White sand nail dashes
Gold Dome Ring – use code: MINTARROW for 10% off and FREE US shipping!
Chain Link Ring – use code: MINTARROW for 10% off and FREE US shipping!
Photos by Arielle Levy
How to remove Red Aspen Nails
Removal is SO easy and takes only 10 minutes! Get a small bowl of warm water with a tiny squirt of Dawn dish soap. The magic in Dawn that lifts oils and grease from dishes will lift the glue so you can pop them off. No, this doesn't mean that doing dishes or getting your nails wet will pop the glue off. You have to soak them in the Dawn mixture for several minutes for the nails to get loose! After your nails sit in the mixture, start trying to lift the sides of the nails to see if they're ready to come off. We like to use a little flosser to pry them off easily. No pain, no damage!
TIP: Don't let the nails sit too long in the water before taking them off. They'll soften TOO much and you can possibly tear one of your natural nails getting them off.
How to apply
- First, prep your nails by removing anything that's on them!
- Then buff each nail just enough to make it just a little rough, making them easier to adhere to.
- Next, you'll use the included cuticle stick to push your cuticles back.
- Then use rubbing alcohol or vinegar to get any oils off your nail beds.
- Next, apply a little bit of glue on your nail and a little bit on the press on nail.
- The most important tip: You NEED to press on each nail for a full 30 seconds!!
We even roll a finger all over the whole nail during that 30 seconds to get the entire nail adhered. Then, file them down to your preferred shape and length. The glue, the file, the cuticle stick AND several sizes of the press-on nails (to find the perfect fit for each nail) are included in the Red Aspen set.
TIP: When you're picking the size of the nails to put on, it's always better to go slightly smaller because it'll look better and more natural in your nail bed!
TIP: Try to let the glue set in without getting them wet for an hour or so! We've totally broken this rule, but you'll always have better results if you avoid water on your nails for a little bit. Consider this your permission to sit and watch Netflix for an hour and ask your significant other to do the dishes!
How much do they cost?
These nail packs cost anywhere from $13-16 per pack, which is about 1/3 of the price of going to the salon. And the short nails feel just like gel nails and the medium length feel like acrylics! We love how thin they are and how well they sit on your nails.
Can you reuse Red Aspen press-on nails?
We haven't tried this, but we've heard from several people that you can definitely reuse nail dashes! You want to soak them overnight in rubbing alcohol to remove any glue residue from the previous use, and then they should be ready to go the next day. Again, haven't tried this ourselves but have heard from a lot of people that it works great!
Changing out is EASY!
These nails can literally last forever BUT they don't have to! We've left a set of Red Aspen nails on for over two weeks and only changed them out because we wanted something new. LOVE that you don't have to stay committed to a color or pattern for two weeks. Gel and dip nails are SO hard on your nails but you can literally wear these nails for a day, three days, or three weeks or more without any damage! They're also SO fun to change throughout the seasons!
Convenience
We've been LONG TIME nail salon junkies. But trying to make that appointment every two weeks and then having your hands totally useless for an hour is hard!! Corrine said she actually used to get a lot of mom guilt taking that time away from her family AND not even being able to work while doing it. She loves that she can do these at home and it literally only takes 10 minutes! The learning curve isn't even crazy; the first time it takes about 15 minutes. And no mess!
At home options = best options
Ever since 2020 we've become so much more DIY beauty girls. It's not just about saving money, it's the time that you save by not being married to a service that requires bi-monthly upkeep. Red Aspen nails have totally changed our nail game, and we love that you can switch out your nails easily on every whim! Check out all the colors and patterns here!
Hi Corrine, just want to share my Red Aspen use. I have only been using for over a month and luv, luv, luv these nails. Yes, they stay on for at least a few weeks, but yes, I get tired of the same color and soooo, I use regular nailpolish to change the color without removing the nails. The polish stays on the dashes much better than on my natural nails. Game changer – you bet!! Diane