Please explain manicure options to me!

[ilovecherries]

Smatrning myself up. Love nice nails but they need to be kept short, and my own nails are strong and healthy, so don't really want extensions anyway. And I'm a bit neurotic about the UV lamp - wouldn't use a sunbed so not sure how the lamp is different. Plus (yes, I'm that pita person), I need to be able to remove polish easily and quickly myself, potentially at short notice. So am I stuck with a basic file and normal polish or is there something else I can have?

You're pretty much stuck with a file and polish. I've had suggested shellac but if you need it off at a moments notice that's not an option. (DP is a nail technician)

I feared that :(. I was a bit disappointed though, having just had a file and polish st lunchtime today, and she didn't even push my cuticles back, or trim them. She literally ran an emery board over the ends then painted them, so they look a bit shit and one has chipped already. Wondered if there was something else I should have asked for.

That's the case in most places not unless you ask for a manicure then they'll do a file and polish. My DP shop is run very quickly. Full set acrylics done in 30 mins and out. They don't do manicures as its not a big money maker and takes up too much time

If I could suggest to you though, but an electric nail file. You can get them on the likes of Amazon. Then you'd be able to get shellac and file it off quickly if need be. The polish can last up to 2 weeks, no chipping and looks 1000 times better than polish

That would work. Thanks. Does shellac need cured?

To be fair a file and polish is just that. If you want cuticles dealt with that's a manicure (plus a hand massage usually).

Otherwise with the state of some people's cuticles (biting, splitting, overgrowing etc) you'd be there ages for the cost of a polish change. And usually cuticles need to be soaked to soften before you can do them properly. (Used to be a beautician/nail tech.)

Yes, as more than happy to pay though. It was just when I made the appointment I asked for s manicure, she asked if I was having acrylics and I said no, explained the above, and she said 'so it's a file and polish, then'. Given I had asked for a manicure, I'd thought she was offering me the equivalent.

PS. If you love your natural nails I wouldn't go down the road of Shellac or any kind of gel. It has to be soaked off with acetone and your nails will be affected. Lots of people don't mind (and if you wear short nails they recover more quickly) but if you enjoy the natural state of your nails be aware they may feel and look different after removal.

Ah, fair enough. How odd. A manicure is a full treatment in itself (varnish is just the optional end of it) but if a shop makes its money off extensions they may want to discourage manicure services as the margin is not high enough.
So you didn't get a manicure because they didn't offer that service. I agree, they should have spelled it out.

And like you I'd find it annoying to have fresh varnish applied to nails where the cuticle had just been left! This is why I procrastinate when it comes to doing my own, I know the cuticle will take a while to get right.

Suspect you are right, and I'm a bit of a beauty virgin so it's like a different language. Did cost a lot less than I had expected.

You need a full manicure, with normal polish. If they don't understand it go somewhere else! Having said that, look for somewhere that stocks Vinylux polish, it lasts a bit longer and can be taken off like normal polish.