Growing up, I was always the youngest girl in the nail salon. I mean, really young. I used to tag along with my mom starting around 3-years-old, which was both a blessing and a curse because 1. I had bangin’ manicures as a toddler, but 2. to this day, I cannot do my own nails. Friends have endlessly badgered me to learn, but at this point in my life I’ve invested so much into manicures and building up relationships with my local salons, so why stop now?
I’m obsessed. While I’ve never purchased a color–I have no need–I’ve slowly matured to different levels of badassery. Obviously, for most of my formative years, I kept things pretty simple. Additionally, I’ve been a nail biter all my life, but when they’re painted, I just can’t bring myself to destroy them. So, maybe I ought to play my manicures off as treatment for my bad habit. But anyway, once shellac came along, things got real. I could justify paying a little more for a manicure if it meant they wouldn’t chip, and I wouldn’t be forced to pull out my nail polish remover a week after my visit.
Then, for my junior prom, I got my first acrylic set. As a biter, I had never seen much length to my nails. It was as if the manicurist herself worked a magic spell on my hands. I quickly learned that me with nails was sort of like a kitten in mittens; I had to completely retrain myself how to type and text, but I was dedicated. For a good year, I was attached to my tips, and I couldn’t live any other way.
However, an acrylic habit is an expensive habit. Something had to change. I had to become more creative with my manicures, and I was able to do so with the help of Instagram and Pinterest. I scoured the manicure scene for new ideas, and while I’ve yet to get too crazy, I have found ways to make my normal shellac a little more chic.
I picked up one of my favorite manicures–that purple creation–on my trip to Japan. It was outrageously overpriced, but I’m going to go ahead and blame the language barrier. I sat in this lavish massage chair while two women tended to my hands. They laid out a selection of designs and stones in front of me and told me to take my pick. At that point I had stated to understand the debt I would soon be in from that outrageous manicure, so I didn’t go too crazy, but it made for an awesome experience and a gorgeous work of nail art.
And, well, I’d be lying if I completely divorced myself from tip sets. Here are my most recent manicures…
But please, DO YOUR RESEARCH. I ended up paying way more than I had to earlier this summer because I walked into a salon without looking it up beforehand. Yelp is your friend. Look up artists you’re interested in because even the most simple of manicures can be destroyed by a bad experience.
If you want to do some lurking of your own, here are some of my favorite nail Instagrams (word of advice: bring a photo into the salon with you):
Kira Cole 