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Rant & Rave: Manicures
This Week’s Topic: MANICURES (by a salon)!
Your Mission: Tell us what you love, hate, or are otherwise indifferent to about manicures and all that those entail.
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I love that my nails look better than when i do them myself, but to me it’s not really worth it – because the polish stays on no better than when I do it myself. It’s not fun to pay $20 for a manicure (and that’s a more affordable one), just to have the polish chipped off in 2 days anyway. I also get impatient and ansy sitting there b/c it usually takes a half hour…
I hate that:
*Within literally minutes of leaving the salon I am guaranteed to have smudged my polish
*I hate when the manicurist has rough skin on their hands which are abrasive against my skin when they do the massage
*I hate when the manicurists seem more interested in talking to each other than focusing on my nails
On a side note, I have twice picked up hardcore infected toenails when having pedicures at two different chains. Not keen to try that experience again!
I hate when you go and get a manicure and for some reason you get air bubbles in the nail polish I really don’t know what creates that, plus here where I live a hate that some manicurist are really rude.
What creates air bubbles in the polish is when people shake the bottle. i know it says shake well but i was taught to roll the bottle in nail school.
thanx for sharing 🙂
You also get air bubbles when you have to re-dip the brush into the polish to get more product for the same nail, especially with top coat. I have no problem with bubbles when shaking my polishes, but it would make sense as another option for the cause of the bubbles, and I’ve also heard that rolling is better.
I never get air bubbles even when they shake but When i roll the bottle I still get bubbles, its really frustrating and honestly confusing.
I’m shameful to admit that I’ve never had a manicure done at a salon before. Maybe I should try once to see how it is. That is if I could get past the nauseating smell of chemicals first 🙁
Well, you’re not the only one. No shame in that =) I can’t stand the smell either!
Th smell is something That really bothers me. I can’t even walk past a Manila place without holding my breath. I do my own mani sitting outside.
Sorry about all the typos. I forgot that autofill was still on.
I like getting manicures at a salon, but in switzerland it is way to expensive, it cost almost as much as a facial which costs about 100 – 150 bucks.
I take care of my own nails, I just don’t trust how sterilized the tools are in some of these places
agreed!
I generally dont like to get them done by a salon unless my nails are extremly wretchid/ravished. I think they don’t particularly do anythign I can’t do at home, and they charge too much. The only time I get it is if I go to NYC where I can find spots that do mani/pedi for $17.
wait, $17 for BOTH mani/pedi????
Yup. Only in NYC 🙂
I prefer manicures at home and pedicures in the salon… I can’t afford (time or money) to go to the salon twice a week but I have a short attention span for my nail polish 🙂
for me, it´s very relaxing when i get my nails done – what i don´t like: when they try to talk all the time…
but most of the time i do the manicure myself- it´s cheaper… 🙂
I looove SpaRitual’s Too Hot to Handle! No chips and Vegan =)
I’ve had manis a handful of times, and pedicure only once. For sure I prefer the pedicures mainly because i don’t like to be all scrunched up when i do my nails, not ot mention i always end up getting a lot of polish on my cuticles on my toes…when i had a pedi done, it was a lot nicer, and more precise than if i did it myself. The manis though…the place i went to in US sucked. The polish was slightly uneven, the tips are slightly jagged, and i had some polish bits on my cuticles. I was really disappointed. However i had my nails done twice in China for super cheap (like 10-20 rmb) and those were done much nicer. Granted there was a larger gap (which the girl said was so that my nails look smaller), but overall it was just far better done. no polish on my cuticles, nice clean edges, smooth surface, etc.
So for the record, i’ll go in shops in US to get pedis (which i rarely need anyway, as i wear closed toed shoes mostly), but for manis, i can def do better myself
I like the conditioning they do and the range of colors to try out and choose from. That said, I hate the way pretty much every salon in NYC has ever painted my nails! I like the polish to go all the way down to the cuticle and they leave a HUGE gap because they don’t want to take the time to remove the spillover polish on the cuticle (it’s all about rushing here to get to the next person in line). I understand this is common practice, but when I ask for it to go to the cuticle, you could at least humor me, ya know? They won’t! The polish is what matters to me, and if it doesn’t go to the cuticle then my nails look grown out the next day. All of that being said, I’m anxious to try CND Shellac at a salon and see how that shapes out!
The shellac is awesome. The color lasts. It remains shiny and doesn’t chip. I have mani q on now but I had shellac for over two weeks before I did the mani q. You’ll love it.
I don’t trust them to sanitize the tools. I can’t stand the thought of a nail file or a buffer that has been used on 20 customers before me.
I really don’t like going to a salon to get my nails done. It just skives me out that they use the same tools on everyone, I know they say they sterilize them but you know they don’t clean the brushes on the nail polish. I would just rather do my own nails at home with my own colors and it’s definitely cheaper. Plus they’re always talking in another language and giggling and I assume they’re talking about me lol.
I am with you. I hate how they ignore you and speak to other techs in the salon in a different language. It makes me feel like Elaine in that episode of Seinfeld. I just know that they are talking about me.
Techs talking in another lanuage is the reason I don’t like to go out to get my nails done. They never talk in Engligh unless they are speaking directly to me. Once a Tech came in off break and took a sip of his coffee and make an awful face and said a few words in his language and seeing this I said that I didn’t like that company’s coffee either. The whole room went silent and the all looked at me in a sort of painc. I knew then that they were talking about their clients and that they were horrified that I might have understood what they were saying!
That’s hilarious!! At least you gave them a little scare 😀
I honestly have never even thought of the polish brushes needing to be sterilized, but now that I have… Eeeeeeee. 😐
Uh, I hate the expense when I know I can do it myself! lol However, they do a much nicer job than I could ever dream of doing. I only go for special occasions or whenever I feel in need of a beauty day. 🙂
I feel they are way to rough on my hands, and afterwards my nails are always paper thin. I also feel they are not the most sanitary sometimes I got a pretty bad infection once after visiting a nail salon, and have not returned!!
I’d love to get a manicure but I’d rather spend the money on getting high quality nail polish. I heard it’s healthy to get a manicure once a month but I’m a college student so I can’t really afford that luxury :/
Has anyone seen the comedian Anjelah Johnson on youtube, where she talks about the nail salon?? If u haven’t you must see it!! She is so spot on.
Hilarious
I LOVE that part of her routine!! I agree, everyone here who has gotten a manicure would appreciate it.
I found a clip on youtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsWrY77o77o
My nail polish almost always chips in under a day, so going to a salon and getting a manicure is a waste of time and money for me. Even using Zoya’s Color Lock system, I can barely get a day of wear due to being a server – washing my hands every 5-10 minutes, plus cleaning and everything else with my hands just makes for a tough environment for nail polish! Lucky for me, I really enjoy painting my own nails and have time to do it almost every night!
The only thing that really bugs me about getting a manicure these days is the lack of conversation. I am not opposed to getting it done by Asian women, but I do hate sitting there for an hour or so in silence while they talk amongst themselves :/
Love: The perfect application of nail polish.
Hate: $$$$. The cost. Especially when they try to convince you to get gel nails. I like my nails, thankyou, can you just paint the ones I have?!
I would love to see an article on the best “less” chipping nail polishes..I only get my nails done when I get a pedicure as I know it is just going to chip in 2 days…
The last time I went to get my nails done at a salon was for a wedding I was in. The sign stated 20 dollars for a pedi which was what I wanted since I was poor at the time. When they got me in the chair they tried to force me to keep getting extra options like “Your hands are dry- you need a wax dip” extra 10 bucks. Or, “How about a foot massage- an extra 10 bucks for 5 minutes” etc, etc. I did NOT want these extra things and they seemed to get very angry when I said NO nicely many times. I asked how much for a french pedi I was told 40 bucks. So I said “I’ll take that pink color on the shelf” she didn’t listen and started painting the french pedi! I had to tell them BOTH (for some reason 2 people were painting my toes) that “NO, Thank you, but just the color please”. And as I said they seemed very angry and I think they started laughing about me in another language which just really makes the experience not fun- you sit there feeling like a fool wanting to leave as fast as possible. I am NOT a racist, I respect everyone equally but it made me very uncomfortable that I wasn’t getting the private joke. I also ended up having to tip both women and I tipped them well since I know tips are important. By the time I got out a $20 pedi turned into $50 because even though I kept saying “no, thank you” they would start doing some extra procedure and I would not have enough time to ask what it was or the cost before I realized what was happening. I have worked in customer service before and I think the customer should be made happy- not feel exasperated and made fun of when there isn’t tons of extra money. At this point I would rather just do my own nails- much cheaper and I can fix any chips if I own the color, and I know the final price beforehand!
gosh that sounds like a horrible experience. I am lucky to have a nail salon near me where I know the 3 ladies that work there very well, and they speak to me in English the whole time (they are Vietnamese too). They are very up front about costs and never over charge. wow, I guess I’m lucky, I did not know nail salons were not like this elsewhere :-/
i love getting manicures!for years i had acrylics (which did horrible damage to my nails) but since i do my own nails now i dont go to the salon as often anymore. but when i do its so relaxing. plus i love the person who does my nails for me…plue its super affordable being only $7 : )
I never get salon manicures. I feel like I do a better job than most nail techs anyway. I used to occasionally get manis and pedis, but I had some really bad work done. I had nails buffed too much, filing by sawing side to side, cuticles clipped (ew!) and even a fungal infection. I’m really wary now.
That being said, I’m getting a CND Shellac manicure for the first time, this week. Cross your fingers for me!
the cost. so maybe my application isn’t perfect… but if I’ve already spent $9 on a bottle of polish, why would i spend more for someone to apply it to my fingers? Also, I change my mani a lot… like every week. that would cost wayyy too much.
the UV drying lamp. those things scare me. as a person majoring in chemistry, who has to look at things under UV lamps, the dangers of radiation are all too real. And while a couple times a year isn’t a big deal, with the frequency that I do my nails (and the amount of time i spend in lab!) it might be a problem.
You are right, there was a study done that showed that people that got UV gel nails done for a decade had higher chance of getting melanoma on their hands.
For me, I don’t even want to think about how long it takes to take off acrylics or gel nails (30minin warm acetone, then file file and file). So I do regular polish at home. Although I’m pretty open to trying Shellac.
My nails chip within 2 days , no matter if I do them or if someone else does them. I would rather spend that money on a new lippie or something. I would like to try calgels though.
I do acrylics. I know they’re tacky and passe but I love that the polish doesn’t chip and how strong they are. My only rant would be the time it takes and how hard it is for me to find time to hit the salon.
I give myself manicures at home every Sunday. If I do go to a salon I hate that they cut my cuticle instead of pushing them back. FYI to anyone who wants their polish to stay on longer I swear by Sally Hansen Nail Shine Miracle 10 Day Top Coat. I apply it every morning before I start work and my nails NEVER chip even when I use cheap polish….. and I’m really rough on my nails.
I had one salon experience and it was not positive. I had acrylics done and they looked terrible – I went home and complained about it and my mom forced me to go back and make them fix it. They did fix it without charging but overall, I didn’t think it was worth it. I have practiced my polishing skills and I think I’m pretty good. I also tend to believe if I want something done right, I have to do it myself.
I also never, ever got acrylics again.
hate em. im sorry, but they always have oriental people that i cant understand working there. it makes me uncomfortable.
If I lived in the us, I’d probably would get many more mani/pedi’s! the service is so good – and I love range of polishes to choose from! My favs are Essie & OPI
I used to get my nails done with my mom when I visited her in her city. One time I decided to get my brows waxed while I was there. BIG mistake. I watched her double dip! When I said something about it. She acted like I had no idea what I was talking about, and continued to wax me! Never again. it says a lot about a place’s cleanliness when you witness a stunt like that! Plus, with the price tag being about 20ish for manicure I would rather spend the money on nice nail polish and give myself a manicure. 🙂
I HATE when I am not so sure that they are using clean tools! And when they cut me (just happened a week ago-GRR). And when they don’t file them in a nice “squoval” shape!! (Are manicurists going to have equal time??? Oh oh…)
I love how my nails and hand look after and I love how cheap they are but I hate how long they take, and that my nails never seem to dry. I also hate when I put my hands under the dryer that the table always feels greasy (from the cuticle oil.) This never fails, every single nail salon I go to the table is ALWAYS greasy :/
The place near my work only charges $12 for a manicure. My nails don’t come out looking any better than if I did them myself, but they give some amazing massages while you’re getting your nails done and to me, that’s worth it.
Since I went to high school for comestogology, my teachers stressed professional and service. So I am always in the mind frame of great service whenever I get a service including manicures. However, I feel so many places lack great customer service. That goes from high end spa salons to the little $6 mani spot.
I hate being rushed whenever I am getting my manicure. While I understand that the nail tech wants to get clients in and out, I don’t like being rushed. It’s annoying and takes away the relaxation one should have when getting a manicure.
I don’t want to be friends with the nail tech. So other than being cordial, we really don’t need to talk because again it takes away from my relaxation.
Hate it when the nail techs talk to each other because it takes away from my service.
Don’t give me a bullsh*t hand massage when you advertised reflexology. I don’t need anyone to just rub lotion on my hand and arm. I could do that. Whatever service you advertise and I am paying for, I expect it.
Hate the nail polish thinner put in the nail polish which is why I bring my own nail polish.
Hate when I go to a aalon featured in a magazine, online or recommended by a friend about an amazing salon or service. And then it sucks a**.
Despite this long list, I have had really good manicures and of course ones that have been totally a wash of my time and money. SMDH
i usually get a french manicure because i can’t do one myself
it’s nice to be pampered once in awhile but i don’t get manicures very often because they’re expensive
usually just for school dances and special events
probably like 2-6 times a year
I’ve only had one once…it was okay but I would rather do it myself. I have gotten fake nails put on a couple times though and I like those instead of glue on ones. I hate how it takes so long and sometimes it hurts.
Bi weekly mani/pedi’s is a must for me! Sometimes more if there is an occasion I need to attend to. 🙂
My place does manis for 15 dollars, and I love going (I go about once a month, and otherwise paint my own nails) just because they have a FABULOUS selection of OPI colors, I really feel like the polish lasts longer, and it makes me feel fancy! (lol!) Also my salon is really cute and CLEAN.
There’s a sanitary salon in my area that does $25 mani-pedis once a week, and with a $5 tip I find it very reasonable given that the salon is clean, the techs are friendly and don’t over-charge, and that a short massage and perfect nail clean-up and polish application are all included! I only go for special occasions or when my nails are in particularly bad shape, and I don’t mind spending the $30 for amazing service. Otherwise, I’ll paint my own toes every three weeks (my toenails grow/the polish chips slooooowly) and my fingers once a week.
Manicures are nice, but definitely something easily done at home. Prefer to do them myself because it costs too much to have someone do it for me. I don’t get tips or gel so it’s just not worth it to me. Plus, it’s hard finding a salon that doesn’t do the hard-sell for things.
Pedicures are awesome though!
OMG i hate it when they go on in their own language its extremely rude and disconcerting, my nails always chip so i usually dont get a manicure but my toes when painted at the salon and at home last aggggeees so i dont mind getting a pedi. once i asked for and paid for (the more expensive) gel nails and they gave me acrylics!!! i think that because i was younger they thought id never had them before and wouldnt notice GRRR. and when i mentioned the difference in procedure the thai guy doing my nails didnt say anything!!
Love – my nails always look super glossy and shiny
Hate – prices are high for the short amount of time nail polish lasts, depending on your manicurist you can end up with really sloppy application.
Super Hate – I once saw a manicurist take tools used on another client and put them BACK into the bag marked “sterile” even though she had not washed them. *shudder*
I’ve never had a pedicure but a friend gave me a voucher for a beauty salon as a thank you present once, so I got a manicure done. I’ve never been back.
There was nothing inherently *bad* about the experience, the manicurist was nice and we had a decent conversation, she didn’t rush me at all and she explained how they sterilized everything properly… but she also filed my nails more pointy than I like (I told her I prefer squared off) but she said pointed made my finger look longer – that may be true but I asked for square, lady! and when it came time to select the colour I wanted I picked from the wall display right by her station – then she told me that they were the ones for sale (oh, OK, maybe you should put a sign out saying so then because I’ve been looking at them for the last 15 minutes trying to decide which one I like best, silly me…) I had to pick from the ones in a drawer somewhere and the colour range wasn’t that great, maybe 12 colours in all and all frosty shades.
So I wasn’t happy with the colour (weird metallic reddish coral) and yes, I dinged my nails 15 minutes after walking out of the salon.
I’d rather just do it myself.