If I've never had my nails done before and I want to get them done for christmas

[Christmasmuppet]

What is the process? What do I ask for? How much does it cost?

That all depends on what you want, do you want gel nails, do you want extensions, do you want builder gel etc.

Each nail salon has their own pricing so no idea how much it will cost.

To get answers you will need to be more specific with what you want, and where abouts in the country you are

Gel nails cost me £30 two weeks ago.

Well I don't know because I've never had them done before. The most I've ever done is buy a bottle of nail polish I am flying blind.

What are your nails like? Do they have length or do you need extensions?

My usual salon has been all booked up for weeks - firstly you need to find somewhere to fit you in! I'd go for gels, they cost £30 here

Not great. Short and peeling.

Everywhere round here is walk in so I'm fairly confident I'll find somewhere. £30 seems standard though, thanks.

I think this is a totally sensible question. I have no idea either and now have two teenage girls, both wanting their nails 'done'. I have not got a clue where to start.
Anyone know how long the process takes? Half an hour?

@MarogFromMars

more like two hours

I'd get gel nails, they should last you up to two weeks if you look after them - don't put your hands in water unless you have to, wear rubber gloves for washing up and cleaning, don't pick at anything, if you need a ring pull opened asked someone to do it for you, no scrubbing baking tins, ask someone else to do that (DP knows he's doing the washing up after Christmas dinner because I can't ruin my nails!).

When you've had enough of them you can go back to the salon to have it removed or do it yourself for a whole lot cheaper, Google will tell you how. Superdrug Artificial Nail Polish Remover is good for removing gel.

At my local salon you get a 45 minute appointment for gel nails. Sometimes you can get them done cheaper if you let a trainee do them, in that case they allow an hour.

I'm a nail newbie too and had them done for the first time yesterday.
I got BIAB (build in a bottle) gel nails. £38 in London and took less than an hour. I got those as they're supposed to be quite strong and hard wearing. My nails are short and fairly brittle but I didn't add extensions or anything which is why it didn't take longer.

Forgot to add pic!

They'll be a damn sight worse by the time you've put gel or whatever on them. Save yourself - tidy them up and buy a bottle of some sort of Nail Glow to make them look respectable.

Get Builder/BIAB gel and you'll get more like 4 weeks out of them (growth dependent) - I've never had a chip!

Allow 30-45 mins if not having old gel removed. Depends if you want any nail art.

Tell them it's your first time and they'll talk you through it. I'd avoid the walk in/cheap places that scream human trafficking and wreck your nails

Yes I normally get gel but was told by one of the 'youngsters' at work that BIAB is the way to go so I did that last time. It's the same nail polish as gel and a little more expensive (only a few quid) .. as far as I could tell it's the same but there was a definite extra layer before the polish - presumably the 'builder'

The other thing to remember is that with Gel you have to go there to get it taken off. It costs next to nothing but if you like it then you normally get it taken off in the same appt you have your next appointment.

If you don't want to venture into that world then you can just get a normal manicure. So a shape and polish. Cheaper by some way but chips s lot more easily - it also depends on how much 'heavy lifting' you do around the house or at work - that's the good thing about Gel / BIAB. They really don't chip

Builder/BIAB, i use this when my nails are short/broken, it hard wearing and strong and your nails grow underneath and just get refills and then replaced on like your third appointment I think it is.

Once you've had it done a few times and watch the process it's really easy to do at home. You can buy the kits online.

This

I'm never this gentle with mine and my current gels are 4 weeks old with no chips or lifting! They're very grown out, but otherwise fine :) It's good advice though OP, generally you should look after them, but what I mean is don't worry that you need to be super light handed with them as they'll probably be okay.

Same, I take no care over mine done with builder gel and they have yet to chip (other than once, but I’ve had them done permanently for the last 2+ years). They last me 4+ weeks but just look grown out by that point so I get them redone every 3 weeks

I would go for a decent basic manicure, it’s amazing how much better your nails look when someone else has shaped them for you. I wouldn’t want to be worried about chipping an expensive gel Polish over Christmas. If you have a decent shape then it is easy enough to redo a rogue nail with standard polish.

You'll be lucky to find anywhere good that has space this close to Xmas.

I would be booking my Xmas nails in Nov usually.

Why don't you find somewhere for new year - salons will be quieter

You've had lots of good advice on this thread I just want to say I've been getting my nails done every three weeks for three years and the first time I did not expect to have painful nailbeds day after

It's like the nail bed isn't used to the pressure or maybe other work done to it and the weight

So the next day they might feel a little uncomfortable

It should be only at worst a minor feeling of sensitivity or discomfort on pressure

If you are in a lot of pain and there's any inflammation or redness, the next day, then that is not right

I've never had a problem except that first time I was surprised my nail beds were a little tender

I had my Christmas nails done two weeks ago and my nails have grown so much then need doing again. My salon can't fit me in this week not until 28th so I'll have to make do. New nails for NYE it is then

These are mine, acrylic with gel paint on top. £30 and around 40mins. As others have said this is nail techies busiest time so get booked in quick!