A press-on set should end its run in a drawer, ready for its next event, not in pieces, and your natural nail underneath should come out exactly as it went in. Here is the routine.
Applying for maximum hold: start with clean, completely dry nails; oil is the enemy of every adhesive. Push cuticles back gently so the press-on seats against nail, not skin. Size down, never up: if you are between sizes, the smaller nail glued well beats the wider nail bridging air. Press each nail for a full thirty seconds, firmly, from centre to edges. Then leave water alone for an hour; early showers are the number one killer of day-one sets.
Living in them: tabs are kind to your natural nails, and the trade is that they respect physics. Use the pads of your fingers, not your nail tips, for tape, tabs and tins. Dry hands mean longer hold; a nightly drop of cuticle oil around (not under) the edges keeps your own nails happy.
Removal without damage: never rip. Soak your hands in warm soapy water for five minutes, add a drop of oil at the edge, and roll the nail off from one side with gentle pressure. If it resists, soak longer; time is free and nail damage is not. Peel any tab residue with your fingers, never a metal scraper.
Between wears: clean leftover adhesive off the press-ons, file nothing, and store the set in its box with its unused sizes. A hand-finished set treated this way survives several events, which is exactly how something bought for one shaadi becomes the thing you wear to the next three.