Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Venting here. I live in NOMA and now most nail salons are charging $42 for basic gel manicures. It used to be $30 a few years ago.

I only get mine done 2-3 times a year as my budget is very tight. Anyone else find this cost ridiculous?

Gel manicures are so tacky and lower class. No one in my circle has worn gel since 2002.

Again, are you thinking of acrylics?

My short nails don't look any different polished with regular polish or gel polish. I don't now how anyone could tell it was gel without, like, touching my nails.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Venting here. I live in NOMA and now most nail salons are charging $42 for basic gel manicures. It used to be $30 a few years ago.

I only get mine done 2-3 times a year as my budget is very tight. Anyone else find this cost ridiculous?

Gel manicures are so tacky and lower class. No one in my circle has worn gel since 2002.

I love it when DCUM people think they have class, yet post something as dumb as this.

Anonymous wrote:Venting here. I live in NOMA and now most nail salons are charging $42 for basic gel manicures. It used to be $30 a few years ago.

I only get mine done 2-3 times a year as my budget is very tight. Anyone else find this cost ridiculous?

Gel manicures are so tacky and lower class. No one in my circle has worn gel since 2002.

Look into Dazzle Dry. I LOVE IT as a gel alternative. It's a regular nail polish that lasts longer than most (7-10 days), does not chip as much, dries really fast, and best of all can be removed just with acetone.

It's all the benefits of gel without the downsides. You can look for a nail salon that offers dazzle dry or just buy the kit yourself and do it.

I don’t pay for manicures anymore and the gel polish ruins my nails for months. However, Amazon sells a cheap kit to remove gel polish so you don’t need to return to have it taken off.

Anonymous wrote:At least go to the “Russian manicure” places as they do a much better job (they aren’t all or mostly Russian too if it matters)

What is this/where are they?

I have short nails and get a gel
Manicure every two weeks because well, I have to. My nails are ruined underneath. I tried to use clear and they just looked so bad.

At least go to the “Russian manicure” places as they do a much better job (they aren’t all or mostly Russian too if it matters)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re also stupid looking, generally. The witch-point, sherbet orange dagger nails. Sometimes with a purple French tip accent!

If you are one of the few who gets professional gel manicures that are always pale pink, rounded short nails 💅🏽 then good news: you can do this at home for $1.50/week in supplies. No need to get a $40 salon job for this look.

OP here
Can you share what products you use? I cook and clean a lot so regular polish does stay on my hands.

The key to at home manicures lasting a week is to add a base coat (ensures you won’t stain your nails), two thin coats color, and a top clear coat. All layers should be thin. Reapply one layer of top clear coat midway through the week, say end of day 3.

Anonymous wrote:They’re also stupid looking, generally. The witch-point, sherbet orange dagger nails. Sometimes with a purple French tip accent!

If you are one of the few who gets professional gel manicures that are always pale pink, rounded short nails 💅🏽 then good news: you can do this at home for $1.50/week in supplies. No need to get a $40 salon job for this look.

I think you're thinking of acrylic nails. Gel manicures are on natural nails and don't usually feature wild designs.

I have recently started using the Ohora gel strips at home and they are great. They hold up like a gel manicure for 2 weeks and don't wreck your nails like professional gel. FWIW my nails are short and I do pink or red polish only. They do have lots of flashier designs if that's your thing. They have seriously changed my life (in a low stakes way).

Caveat: It takes me two hours to remove the old set, prep my cuticles, and apply a new one. I'm sure I will get faster with time but I'm also not rushing. I do it in the bath while watching tv.

https://ohora.com/products/starter-kit

I like the OPI gel nail polish you can do a home without a light. OPI Infinite Shine. It's a two part system. Very easy to apply and it comes off with regular nail polish.

OP didn't say she had long nails or that she got pointed shapes.

People are odd.

OP, it's definitely more expensive, but so is running a business. I DIY these days.

There are LOTs of youtube channels that will walk you through a manicure.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re also stupid looking, generally. The witch-point, sherbet orange dagger nails. Sometimes with a purple French tip accent!

If you are one of the few who gets professional gel manicures that are always pale pink, rounded short nails 💅🏽 then good news: you can do this at home for $1.50/week in supplies. No need to get a $40 salon job for this look.

OP here
Can you share what products you use? I cook and clean a lot so regular polish does stay on my hands.

Not PP.

But I've had great success with Essie from the drugstore. Even their quick dry (Expressie) lasts about a week on me.

I swear by gel because regular chips the second I do anything around the house. I bought something similar to this kit during the pandemic and have become pretty good at doing my own.

https://a.co/d/578hXK8

I dislike salon manicures for a lot of the reasons stated above. I buy acetone remover and soak off the old gel for about 20 minutes. It will scrape off without any issues.