Going to get your nails done can feel like a chore and even a little intimidating, when every time you go to the nail salon you get told that the reason you don’t have a boyfriend is actually because of your poorly kept, chewed down nails. I once was even asked if there was something wrong with my teeth, after having braces for a year and a half and personally considering them to be my only good feature… major confidence burner.
I asked my friends what are some comments they have received about their nails when getting a manicure or pedicure, that they can look back and laugh at now. Here is a list of my personal favorites:
“you know there are tablets you can take to stop your hands sweating?!”
“your hands and nails are the same size as my toddler! This means you will stay young forever!”
“you have an ugly toe”
“this tan on your hands looks really fake and is not very good, you should try and naturally tan…”
However, besides the scariness of being excessively judged, I personally love the feeling of walking out of the nail salon with fresh Kylie Jenner claws and have enjoyed being very creative with my nail patterns and colours since I was young. I always research some nail inspiration on Pinterest before getting my nails done so I can easily explain what design I want. So, I would like to share with you my tips and tricks on getting nail discounts and educating you on the proper difference between SNS, Gel, Shellac, and acrylics.
SNS is essentially a coloured powder that requires no drying under a UV light. The process is that a base coat of liquid polish is applied and then, the nail is dipped into coloured powder of your choice multiple times. The durability of SNS can be up to two to three weeks. SNS is commonly marked as a product that is very different from acrylic and very healthy for your nails, however, the truth is, SNS coloured powder is essentially the same as acrylic powder (the powder added to your nails when getting acrylics just before the polish) and the main ingredient in these two powders is also the main ingredient in super glue.
Shellac is a brand of gel polish. There is very little difference between the brand of Shellac and a generic gel polish as each process involves preparing the nail bed, painting the nail with two or three coats of colour of your choice, and then finishing with a topcoat. Each layer is dried under a UV light and both Shellac and Gel usually last up to 14 days. Essentially, the three differences between Shellac and gel are the price, as Shellac is usually just a little more expensive, the colour range, as there are usually more ranges of color with general gel as it is a combination of multiple gel brands whereas, Shellac is just one brand with only 61 colours available and finally, in the long term Shellac is much less damaging to nails than traditional Gels as it can strengthen and help grow the nail.
Acrylic sets are helpful if you want to extend the length of your nail or change the shape. When getting a full set of acrylics, ‘fake nails’ are applied and then the acrylic, which is a polymer powder, and monomer liquid are used together to overlay the top and essentially make the fake nail ‘blend’ into your natural, underneath nails. With acrylics, they can be painted with either regular polish or gel/ Shellac polish. The durability of acrylics is usually three weeks.
Once you have chosen your preferred type of polish, colour of choice and your nails are looking mighty fine, follow this advice to get those juicy discounts! Always, ALWAYS pull out your student card if you are in university or high school, it is very rare for a nail salon not to do student discounts. Also, try and pay in cash when getting your nails done, this can reduce the price by $10. Finally, as irrelevant you think those nail loyalty cards are, you can really score big if you are a regular. Besides, every time you forget your loyalty card, the salon will most likely just give you a new one anyway, whether you want it or not.
That’s my ramble.
Ruby x
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