Please can you answer some basic manicure questions

[flipperdoda]

Hi! I think I had a manicure once in my teens - I'm now nearly 30 and want to try but have no idea what I'm doing 🙂i will ask the salon questions if I'm not sure on the day/don't get answers here but I was hoping for some friendly people who didnt mind answering some possibly silly questions!

I'm not going full manicure - likely just file and polish, and it will be basic polish not acrylics or anything like that.

1 I've currently got nail polish on, do I remove that before I go to the salon or will they remove it?
2 if I got e.g. one finger nail on each hand a different colour to the rest, does that still count as a basic polish or is it more likely to go towards being nail art i.e. higher prices? (I recognise this may differ between salons)
3 do they dry them somehow? I'm terrible at not smudging/knocking them when I paint my nails at home and have to try to be careful for an hour or two

Thank you in advance. I may have more questions but can't think of any at the moment!

As someone who gets regular acrilyics

1. Quicker for you to just remove it before but they'll take it off for you
2. If all block colours then shouldn't be much more than a basic set but ask when you go
3. They have a nail drying machine thing so you'll be fine

If you're still worried about smudging, make sure you have your card/phone/cash out before you start.

Thank you both! Makes sense on having payment method out beforehand, that's what I was partially worried about.

Does the nail drying machine fully dry them or is it like when you do your own and after about half an hour they're dry to the touch but actually still easy to smudge?

I will remove current polish beforehand and ask about prices when I'm there (I'll just get a basic set, but good to ask about anything else I might want if I go back!)

I find my nails are fine after, think they use a UV light but you can always have the money ready - most places here only want cash as well so you might want to check that

Would you consider a gel manicure? Lasts loads longer and is dry instantly. MN not generally a fan of gel but I always have it and think it looks lovely when applied by a professional.

I'll check on payment methods, thanks!

I've not heard great things about how healthy fingernails stay under gel nails and you need those removed by a salon, right? Never say never, but I'm very much just wanting to try something out so wouldn't look to go for gels at this point. Thanks though!

About #3, I’m the same. I usually pay for the manicure beforehand, that way I can just leave without doing anything fiddly with my hands afterwards. And if I’m having toenails done I wear/bring flip flops.

At my salon, they apply something like this: https://www.opi.com/en-GB/products/drying-agents-finishers-drip-dry?, but I still like to be careful.

I have gels done for when I’m going on holiday for a week or two, or to a work conference for a week — so around two or three times in a year, not continuously. Looks great and stays on no matter what. I bought a kit to remove gels at home but was never very successful; I think getting the salon to remove them is better.

If you are worried about smudging them you could have a gel manicure. The polish is cured with a light so it’s completely dry instantly. It’s also likely to last longer (I get 3 weeks from my polish before it’s looking a bit grown out at the base).