1 /5 Amber Roberts: I’ve gone here a few times since they’ve opened but don’t get my nails done frequently since I can’t normally have them done at work. My service has always been fine but my last service on 12/19 left me feeling uncomfortable and disappointed.
I walked in shortly after they opened hoping to get a dip manicure with tips in a short almond shape. I had nails on they had done for me a few weeks earlier so they proceeded to soak the old ones off. I have some dip powders which are sold to regular consumers as I used to do my nails at home following COVID. I’m not very good at it so I will occasionally bring one of my dip powders with me to the nail salon. I’ve done this here before with no issue until 12/19.
I brought a white dip powder with sparkles from Sparkle&Co. As soon as the woman servicing my nails asked for the color I told her I brought my own. She looked at it and told me it was not a dip powder but looked like a powder used for sugaring. I explained to her it was a dip powder sold from a company that markets nail products to customers to do at home. She again told me she didn’t believe it was a dip powder, but I explained again that I had used it before and I showed her a picture of it applied to nails. She didn’t saying anything and left my nails to continue to soak.
While my nails were soaking off, the woman got up and began talking to the manager (or receptionist) checking customers in at the front. They then both came over and began staring at my dip powder while standing over me. I explained again that it was a dip powder I had purchased on my own. The woman from the front then told me it didn’t look like dip powder and normally it would need to be mixed in with clear because “it wouldn’t stick with all the glitter in it”. I again tried to explain that it was sold as dip powder and I had used it previously and it was fine, but she told me they could use it but couldn’t guarantee the service. She then said if your nails chip we won’t fix them if you come back. I felt so embarrassed at this point as other customers were starring trying to figure out what was going on. I’ve never returned after a service to get my nails fixed any way, so I agreed so they would stop discussing it.
The technician proceeds with my service after this discussion and I decided to skip the tips to get done as quickly as possible. The service was going fine until she starts buffing my nails down before applying the top coat to finish my nails. When filing down/buffing my left thumb she chipped it so I could see my nail through the powder. She stopped buffing, examined the spot, and then proceeded without fixing it. When I realized she wasn’t going to add another coat of dip powder to the spot I pointed it out to her and she proceeds to add clear dip, but the chip was still there. I asked her again politely to add an additional layer of dip powder so my nail couldn’t be seen, which I felt was a fair ask especially since they just told me it’s my problem if they do chip. She didn’t say anything and did do an additional layer but it felt like I was inconveniencing her just by asking for the chip to be fixed properly. Once she added the extra layer to my thumb she just gave it a quick buff with a hand buffer and then added a gel top coat to the nail, making it bulkier than the rest. However I chose not to say anything to just get out.
I have no problem with them having their own policies when using non typical salon products; however I felt embarrassed by the way they communicated this policy to me. And I found it interesting that this has never been an issue when I’ve used my own colors before. I also found it unacceptable for the technician to act like ensuring my nails were properly covered in dip powder was an inconvenience. Ultimately my nails lasted 12 days until I had to remove them for work (photos on day of service/day of removal) and I had no issues apart from the bulkier thumb nail and expected grow out. I won’t be returning though as the overall experience left a bad taste in my mouth.
