I've been wanting to get nail art for a while, but have had trouble finding a place in Toronto that…read moreoffers it (Japanese style 3D nail art is what I was going for).
I searched 3D nail art on Yelp and this place came up. I had errands to run in Vaughan so I booked an appointment.
I was the only non-Russian in this place, but that didn't bother me, as everyone spoke English and the Russian music videos they had on were pretty entertaining. The salon was clean, bright, and modern-looking. They did not use new tools on me, nor did anything look sanitized or sterilized, but the place also didn't feel unclean, if you know what I mean. If you find a place that does good nail art that also has the cleanliness of a place like nailsense, please tell me, because I don't think they actually exist.
I went in with a design in mind (very Japanese-y) but when I got there, I was given 2 thick photo books of pics of nails to choose from. I asked if I had to choose from the designs in the book and the girl sort of nodded, so I quickly abandoned my own ideas. The designs in the book were much like the ones in the pics on yelp and on their website - more euro-feminine than kawaii. But they were VERY impressive, and I was okay with giving the girl a vague idea of what I wanted and letting her do her thing. I'd asked for 3D flowers on the ring fingers, but since they lay the gel nail OVER the design (super neat process that results in a finished mani that is instantly dry, and no chipping/wear of the color/design), the end result was not 3D. Once again, wasn't what I'd had in mind, but I was cool with the end result, which was like a swirly, watercolory pink, purple, white, with pink and white glitter and the aforementioned flowers on ring fingers.
The process took 2 hours and wasn't cheap ($100+ tax + tip), but it really did feel like I was getting ART on my nails. She designed and sculpted each one individually. And because the design is under the nail, I know it will last until I want it to go away, which helps ease the pain of spending so much on my nails.
I'd definitely recommend a trip out to this place if you're looking to get some truly unique nails and willing to spend $$$ to get it.