Hi Friend!

 

My name is Marlia and I am the creator of MAD Pressed.

 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a debilitating

habit of picking scabs. I used to have sores all over my

body, from my scalp to my feet.

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I tried everything to stop it, from wearing gloves all day

to trimming my nails extremely short to trying to resist

the urge through sheer willpower. Nothing worked.

 

But then I went to a salon and had acrylic nails applied.

I’ve never been much of girly girl so my very first time having

my nails done wasn’t until I was in my early to mid-twenties.

I honestly can’t remember why I had them done but I do remember how it affected my scab-picking habit. Initially, I still found ways to pick, but over time (likely because picking the scabs with fake nails didn’t give me nearly as much satisfaction as doing so without them), the habit began to fade. Before long, my sores started to heal.

 

Inevitably, I tore off that set of acrylics (please don’t ever do that). I immediately returned to the habit. It was a few months before I decided to try acrylics again. I had damaged my nails by ripping the fake nails off and I hated how thin and brittle they were, but I was desperate. Just as before, the habit slowly disappeared.

 

I realized I needed to constantly have artificial nails, but the cost of salon visits was too high. That’s when I was introduced to press on nails through a friend. I started buying the fifteen to twenty dollar sets online. You know the type. They are definitely not worth the price. They fade, split, crack very easily and, despite the marketing to the contrary, they are not reusable.

 

In addition to that, my scab picking habit morphed into a nail peeling habit. The glue was no match for my anxiety! Whenever I felt panicked, I would easily tear them off. But still, I kept trying and trying and buying and buying.

 

In the end, I realized that while using glue for press-on nails is effective for many people, it simply wasn't suitable for me. That's when I discovered the method of applying press-on nails with acrylic. It completely transformed my experience. I perfected the technique until they were secure enough to withstand my nail-prying. I quickly abandoned the so-called "reusable", machine-made press ons and began creating my own.

 

What began as a desperate effort to break a bad habit quickly evolved into a passion and hobby. I immersed myself in the realm of nail art and started designing my own creations. Today, that passion has transformed into MAD Pressed.