Sunday Nails - Is a Manicure Worth Paying For?

I have never had my nails done professionally before, well that was until yesterday when I went and got a gel manicure done with my sister. But is it really worth the money paying someone else to do your nails for you? I thought I'd write a post on the pros and cons of getting your nails done professionally based on my first experience yesterday to answer that question.

Pros

Not very good at painting your nails? The easiest way to get great looking nails sometimes is to just give in and get someone else to do them for you, it is their job and highly unlikely that they will make a mess.

Gel nail polish is dried in the salon using a UV or LED light and the process is very quick. This means that you leave the salon with completely dry nails and don't have to wait around for hours for your nails to dry constantly in fear that you may smudge them.

A gel manicure lasts on average 2-3 weeks without chipping, peeling or cracking, so if you find painting your nails a chore it can save you a lot of time because you are getting them done less frequently.

In my opinion they always look a lot better because of the glossy finish they lasts until you have the polish removed.

Cons 

Getting a gel manicure can be expensive with prices starting from around £20 if your getting it done every 3 weeks it equates to nearly £350 a year compared to a bottle of Barry M nail polish which cost £3.99 each or a home gel kit that can cost around £100 and can be used over and over again.

If you love to change your nail colour frequently getting a gel manicure may not be for you because if you're getting them done every 2-3 weeks that's how often you will be changing the colour.

Taking off the nail polish can be a nightmare as you have to soak them in pure acetone which you can either do at home or pay for the salon to do that for you.

They can damage your nails if you have them frequently over a long period of time because the acetone used to remove them is a strong chemical. There is also the argument that the UV light can cause UV damage which may lead to cancer so you need to find a salon that uses an LED light to set the polish.

Overall I think that whether you get a manicure done at a salon is down to personal preference, there isn't a right or wrong answer as there are both pros and cons to paying for a professional to do your nails. Personally I do like getting my nails done but I also like doing my own nails so I'd only ever go to the salon for a special occasion.

Do you pay to get your nails done at a salon?

Eleanor xx