When Sarah Gibson Tuttle was young, her father didn’t allow her to paint her nails. Perhaps it laid the groundwork for Olive & June, the nail empire she built and sold to Helen of Troy in November 2024. “I kept a box of nail polish underneath my bed and would sneak manicures when he was on work trips,” Gibson Tuttle said.
In the years since then, Olive & June has entered the at-home manicure space, in 2019, and prioritized innovation. It already offers two kinds of press-on nails: glue press-ons and tab press-ons, which adhere to the nail like a sticker. Now, it’s launching Pressies — press-ons specifically made for kids and tweens.
“My 10-year-old daughter is experimenting with [nail art], and then she wants press-ons,” Gibson Tuttle said. “She’s trying to put on Olive & June press-ons, and they’re working better than the ones I had when I was a kid, but they’re still not made for kids and tweens; they’re not made for those smaller nail beds.” Gibson Tuttle identified Pressies’s core audience as kids ages five to 12, though she said the range could extend a couple of years older based on nail size.
Pressies have been a couple of years in the making. “We had to get it right. I have a critic in my household,” Gibson Tuttle said.
The debut collection includes 19 styles with two application methods each — both are offered in every set and designed to make DIY manicures easier for kids. One is numbered tabs, allowing kids to choose the sticker size that best fits their nail, apply that sticker to the nail, and then stick the press-on to it. Or, for a shorter wear time and an even easier option for younger children, they can apply one to three sticky “circle tabs” on which a nail can be applied. The nails themselves also have break-off tips that simplify the application process by making the nails easier to handle. The nails themselves are quite short and more focused on adding color and nail art than length, unlike adult press-ons.
Through in-person focus groups and virtual surveys, Olive & June connected with 700 kids and tweens aged 5-14, and their parents, to gather feedback on potential designs. “They’re obsessed with bows, of course. They’re obsessed with cherries. We’re really being thoughtful about what designs they want,” she said. The offering also encompasses classics like a French mani and trend-forward options like chromes. Down the line, Mommy & Me options will become available.
Pressies launched direct-to-consumer on Thursday and will enter Target in December. Each $8.99 box comes with 28 nails in 14 custom sizes, which the brand says is 40% more sizes than its competitors. Kiss, the brand behind Impress press-on nails, offers select designs in a “mini” size.
According to Gibson Tuttle, citing feedback from parents surveyed, parents don’t have the same concerns about manicures as they do about children using skin-care — often due to harsh ingredients — or wearing makeup. Most are OK with their kids experimenting with manicures.
“The predominant feedback we heard from parents, if they were trying to be thoughtful about press-ons, was that they didn’t want glue,” Gibson Tuttle said. “Sticky adhesive tabs that remove easily and don’t damage the nails, even if you rip off [the press-on], were predominantly what parents felt very comfortable with.” The problem they reported with other brands’ offerings was that the adhesive wasn’t strong enough, and “kids will just grab the glue anyway.”
Olive & June has begun to seed the launch to its community members with kids. The brand is focused on addressing the mailers to the kids and teens themselves, Gibson Tuttle said, noting that the “bright, joyful, oversized” boxes have been specifically designed to make the young recipients feel special. Many will be delivered by hand, including to notable moms including Haylie Duff and Chriselle Lim. Creators like Itzel Castanada (559,000 Instagram followers) have already shared their children receiving Pressies.
“We wanted to engage the next generation of beauty lovers, inviting them to explore self-expression in a way that feels fun, accessible and age-appropriate,” said Sarah Leech Aucutt, Olive & June’s COO and CRO.
