I've been getting my nails done for many years, and have tried multiple locations for acrylics, gels, manicures, and shellacs. Upon finding a groupon for a place that was right in my neighborhood but had never tried, gave me an excuse to try out a place that would be super convenient to become a regular at.
Upon entering, I was ignored for a decently awkward amount of time, made greater still due to the positioning of the tables, giving you the feeling of being 'on stage'. As I waited for any one of the 9+ employees to notice my entrance, finally I was motioned over to one of the girls who was on the phone. I waited for some time for the conversation to end, and then began the process.
It went as most nail conversations go, getting formalities out of the way in attempts to break the silence. She informed me that the french tip shellac I was getting lasts for much longer than the color shellacs and would be great. It was just an extra $5 charge. Grudgingly I accepted, and continued. An off-brand shellac/gellish was used that didnt look familiar. The process continued until completion, I gave the groupon, tipped over 35% and continued on my merry little way.
Expecting many fantastic days with my new french manicure I was pumped. However, during day two, BLAMO one nail's worth of 'shellac' peels right off. Dumbfounded I thought it was just a piece of bad luck and carried on. After about 4 days, each and every nail had either completely peeled off, had the tip ripped off past the natural nail point or was missing the 'shellac' completely. After discussing with a friend in the business, she claimed that an off-brand shellac was most likely used due to how cost-efficient it was, that obviously didnt hold like the real thing. Not sure if this was their scheme from selling large amounts of groupons and no loss of profit or what happened, but I expect any nail job to last more than a few days.
After this experience I will absolutely be straying away and guiding others to places better suited for what should have been a great nail job.
more