Let me preface this review by stating that I am writing this hesitantly as I am selfish and don't want to make my most favorite Chicago nail salon busier than it already is, because I hate to wait.
Alright, on to the review. I get a no-chip every two weeks and Tony is AMAZING. He is the absolute best nail tech I've ever had, and I've gone through a number in my day. Not a single one of my Tony no-chips has EVER chipped. He also did me some super cute nail art around Christmastime so I would have festive, cute nails! Tony is thorough and gentle and FAST. I'm always amazed how quickly my three coats go by! He's talented. And a super nice guy to boot.
Allure carries all your typical brands of polish - Essie, OPI, China Glaze, and a few other brands I'm not familiar with. For No-Chip, you can choose from OPI GelColor, Shellac, Gelish, IBD, and drumroll please, the brand new ESSIE GEL!! (Which I am currently wearing and loving.) If you're into matching hands and feet, OPI makes it easy because their colors are the same. Essie has "similar" colors because they couldn't exactly replicate their regular polish colors into their gel line. But they are supposed to be close enough that you won't be able to tell since your fingers and toes are far enough apart!
The fifth star is reserved on account of a couple of things. First, the waiting. Oh, the agony. I get that this is a busy salon, especially on weekends, which is why I try my best to only go on weekdays. However, sometimes this just isn't possible for me. This past Saturday, I had a 2:30 appointment and arrived at 2:25 to see that Tony had literally just begun another client's manicure. I waited around for 35 minutes. What the hell is the point of an appointment if you're going to neglect to keep it? This isn't the first time this has happened, either. I never received an apology or even a "thanks for waiting." Disappointing, since I'm a regular and have referred A LOT of people here (I even have a few of their business cards in my purse in case people ask where I get my nails done).
Another little complaint is that my pedicures never seem to last more than 10 days without chipping because they use cheap base coat and top coat. I'm going to start bringing my own Essie stuff so that they will last longer.
So, the fifth star will most likely go unearned. But this is a great place for a very affordable mani-pedi ($30 special) or no-chip ($30 special). Cash is king here, so if you want the special, pay cash. Otherwise it's $3 extra. Also, they don't like/let you tip on your card. read more