Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with manicure

A manicure primer, please.

peachfuzz — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:42:20 -0800

(shallow-question-filter) French manicures - yea or nay? Is a sheer, short French manicure clean and presentable, or dated and tacky? If the latter, what is the freshest look for hands/nails - clean and bare, nude/pink polish, something else? And how do you keep the tips bright and crud-free throughout the day? And how often do you do your hand-care stuff, whether salon manicure or at-home maintenance or whatever - once a week? every two weeks?

(I asked this question a while back, discovered the pleasure in actually being somewhat kempt, and am trying to figure out the rest of the Girl Rules about these things).

Chips are for potatoes, not nails!

Rosie M. Banks — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:06:00 -0800

How do I get the same long-lasting result with an at-home manicure that I do when I go to an upscale salon? When I get my nails done at a nearby upscale salon, they look lovely and the polish won't chip for a good long time. When I do my nails myself at home, sometimes the polish starts chipping the next day! What am I doing wrong?

I use my hands a LOT (typing), no longer can get away with the Punk Rawk chipped-polish look, and can't afford to get a professional manicure every time. What can I do to make my paint job last? (I've already learned that OPI brand polish is The Best.)

Mani/Pedi in Center City Philly?

fancypants — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 07:38:26 -0800

Where can I get a cheap manicure/pedicure in Center City Philadelphia? I am temporarily working at 15th and Sansom in Philadelphia. I desperately need a manicure and a pedicure. Where's a good, clean place where I can get just a basic mani/pedi without spending a ton of money? Bonus points if they do brow waxing too.

Make my mom feel like a princess

caitlinb — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:01:18 -0800

Recommend a place for mani-pedi in Seattle? Bellevue even better! My mom has never been and thinks she wouldn't enjoy it by herself, but she'd like to make a trip of it. I said I'd figure out where to go, but I haven't lived around there for over a decade now. We're going around her birthday, so a little splashy is in order. I think I'm looking for someplace with a Gene Juarez (Nordstrom) vibe, but don't know what else is out there. What can you recommend?

I don't want claws, but I don't want stubby nails either!

cathoo — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:29:45 -0800

How long should the white parts of my fingernails be before I go for a manicure? As a reformed (almost) nail biter, I would like to reward myself with a manicure. However, when I went for a pedicure I thought my toenails were pretty long, but the stylist said she had nothing to work with. I guess I'm a bad judge.

Any other advice on preparing for a manicure would be appreciated.

Cheap manicures in the West Loop?

a robot made out of meat — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 06:51:03 -0800

Cheap manicures in the West Loop? Ms. Vegetable has the bad habit of picking her fingernails and cuticles, and one of the only things that has worked in the past several years is getting manicures on a fairly regular basis. Where in the West Loop can she get good, cheap (~$10-15) manicures?

What do you actually get for the price of a fancy spa pedicure?

matildaben — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:58:06 -0800

What is the difference between a $75 pedicure at a fancy spa and a sub-$25 pedicure at some hole-in-the-wall storefront? Is it just about the ambience and the expensiveness of the products, or are the services qualitatively different?

H2O-soluble nail polish scam?

TochterAusElysium — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:38:06 -0800

Do all nail salons use polish that comes off quicker than the brands you buy in stores? I've only had a manicure twice, and like the look; just a simple, light color - nothing fancy. Both times I went to the same nearby nail salon. But both times, as soon as my hands were exposed to water (once, washing my car, once, just showering) the polish started to peel off right away. This doesn't happen with standard store-bought polish; do salons use water-soluble polish just to keep you coming back more often? Or do I need to find a more upscale place? (Any recommendations for the north-of-Seattle area, if so?)

Nails!

thesiameseffect — Tue, 02 May 2006 11:28:58 -0800

Where is a good place to get a manicure/pedicure in Long Beach, California?

Strong nail glue

skjønn — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 13:13:59 -0800

What is the strongest glue I can buy that is safe for my nails? I used to spend lots of money (about $17 every 1.5 weeks) to get acrylic nails applied at a local nail salon. They looked great, but it was really starting to hurt my pocketbook.

I started buying the acrylic nails you find in drugstores and doing them myself. After I paint, buff, and file them, they look great. However, the glue never holds like the glue they use in nail salons. I tried the "extended wear/improved bond" nail glue that was also in the drugstore without much better results.

I need something much stronger. Something that's probably sold in a hardware store. What is the strongest glue I can buy that is safe for my nails? Or, what type of glue do professional nail salons use and where can I buy it?