Why I Started Press to Impress: From Broke in Australia to Building My Dream Brand

When I first moved to Australia, I had a lot of dreams and not a lot of money.

One of the first things I noticed was how expensive everything was — especially beauty. Back home, getting my nails done was just part of life. Here, a basic salon visit was $80+. It wasn't happening.

So I did what every budget-conscious girl does: I grabbed those cheap plastic press-ons from the pharmacy. You know the ones. $5, flimsy, and somehow you still need to buy the glue, the file, the tabs — separately. By the time you've got everything, you've spent $20 on nails that last exactly one day before flying across the room.

I was frustrated. I wanted to feel put together. I wanted my nails to look good without destroying my budget or my natural nails. But everything on the market was either too cheap to work or too expensive to justify.

So I started researching. I found soft gel press-ons — the kind that actually flex with your nail, look like the real thing, and last weeks not hours. I tried them. I was obsessed. And then I thought: why isn't anyone in Australia making this easy and affordable?

That's when Press to Impress was born.

I launched in January 2025 with one goal: give Australian women salon-quality nails at home — everything included, no damage, no drama, no $100 bill at the end.

It hasn't always been easy. I still work part-time while building this brand from the ground up. But every time a customer messages me saying her nails lasted three weeks, or that she finally feels confident without the salon — that's why I do this.

Press to Impress isn't just a product. It's the solution I wish I had when I first arrived.

Welcome to the club. 💅

— Delfi, Founder of Press to Impress