Hi everyone,
I have many calls every week from unsuspecting ladies that claim to have 'gel' on their nails. Having had so many of these calls I am always pretty spot on with my judgement and very quickly I can establish that these poor ladies have acrylics. How? Its easy to spot and here are things you need to look out for if you are fobbed off with the 'gel' story!
* Acrylic has a highly pungent smell
* Acrylic IS NOT A GEL!!! Acrylic is a powder mixed with a liquid to make a 'gel like bead' on the brush. THIS IS WHERE THEY FOOL YOU!
* Gel is gel. When it come out of the pot its gel and low in odour. It is not mixed with anything else.
* Acrylic nails are usually drilled with an electric drill. Seriously, do you really think this is good for your nail plate?
* Long term acrylics will leave deep ridges in your nails and leave them wafer thin. This is generally because of the application and removal, not necessarily the product itself.
* If the nail technician is wearing a mask its a pretty good indicator that they use acrylics.
The acrylic nail bars tend to be very popular amongst Asian and Oceanic clients and as such, it is common to find that such acrylic bars are also run by nail technicians from this part of the world. You will find that many are incredibly gifted, however, as with all lines of business there are always a few bad apples. If you want acrylics, great. If you want gels be extra vigilant in salons and bars where it appears that acrylics are generally applied.
I hope this helps everyone with what is quite obviously confusion for many people.
I was let down at the last minute by a local nail technician and called Pinkies. Kirsty changed her day to accomodate us and we now have THE MOST AMAZING NAILS! I realise now that I should certainly do more research in future. Pinkies really are the best, thank goodness I googled you! My nails look perfect for my wedding tomorrow.
Claire xxx