Mani Monday here – your one and only source into the scandalous nail salons of Hoboken’s elite. OK Gossip Girl maybe not scandalous, but there’s a lot to cover in this small city.
When you think of holiday nails, what comes to mind? Glitter, glitter and more glitter. Unless you have an aunt that still gets acrylics and thinks it’s cute to get Rudolph’s portrait on her ring finger…then you should think about breaking it to her that the party nail no longer exists, even for Rudolph. This week I’m covering the grounds of Show Nail Spa located on 8th and Washington {804 Washington}. Located close to my old stomping grounds, I’ve been here before but decided to visit again to scope the latest and greatest on this midtown spot.
Set Up.
The salon is relatively new to town, and is very open. Their manicure bar is set in a high-boy style with built in hand dryers for efficient drying in between coats. This eliminates all of those stand-alone dryers that usually take up the space you usually have at your station! There is a coat closet, though who needs it in this 60 degree winter?
Polish Brands & Selection.
Show Nail Spa has a ton of polishes to choose from for both regular and gel. They almost schooled me on having the newest Essie collection {Luxe Effects}, but I knew better 🙂 I was happy to see these new jams fully stocked for the holidays!
Cleanliness.
The salon itself being commodious and new is very clean; the floors, counter tops and drying stations are always wiped down and kept tidy. They sanitize their tools and keep them in plastic wrap which as previously mentioned in my last post, is always comforting and nice to see!
Customer Service.
I made my appointment about an hour before and they were able to accommodate me on a busy Saturday. I mentioned I may work in some nail art and the manager said that there would be an additional fee which I was OK with. Upon arrival the salon was packed, but nonetheless, I didn’t wait any longer than picking out my polish. I was offered a beverage {H2O or tea} which after running errands all day, I of course appreciated. I should note, that I went into this appointment with a vision in mind. This wasn’t going to be just any manicure, this was going to be an HG Holiday Mani! Now depending on the manicurist, they sometimes become noticeably irked or anxious when you mention nail art. However, Ada was HAPPY to do what I showed her in my inspiration photo; which made me feel better about executing the design and my mani experience overall.
Pricing.
When I called to make my appointment, I had asked about what they charge for nail art and the gentleman advised me it would be between $5 and $10 depending on the intimacy of the design, which is standard. As expected, this particular design cost me $5 extra totaling to $17 for this holiday mani.
Product to try!
So if you’re anything like me, you have a love-hate relationship with gel manis. I love that they last so long, but I hate that I can’t change the color as often. What’s a mani lover to do? Well, I decided to try Essie’s new top coat ‘Gel Setter’ and brought it with me to my appointment to put this baby to the test! I am SO glad I spent the $10 on it. I will use this for all of my manicures moving forward. My mani lasted me over a week with no chipping or cracking. I was pleasantly surprised at how ‘normal’ the formula was after reading negative reviews that it was thick and difficult to remove. To me, the application is the same as any top coat it but it actually does what it was ‘set’ to do {see what I did there?}.
Now I love me some good nail art, don’t get me wrong – but nail art for the minimalist, is more my vibe. This holiday season, don’t be afraid to explore the {sparkly} side. You can do this with a metallic ‘French’ tip or a muted moon mani (small moons at the top of your nail, circles, triangles pick your poison). Take a look at the combo I put together here – I absolutely adore this pair!
^Pictured here, ‘Mademoselle’ by Essie as the base and ‘Fringe Factor’ by Essie for some swag 🙂
This particular request is simple, but has just enough holiday flare. Despite the simplicity of the design, I still think it is worth mentioning {nail art} when you making an appointment. There are some manicurists that are more comfortable than others {so they will schedule accordingly} and you also want to be clear on how much it will cost. No one likes a surprise when it comes to $$ {unless it is on sale or free}.
Wishing our beloved HG readers a happy and healthy holiday season! Here’s to many more Mani Mondays in 2018.
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