I was very excited about this place after having read reviews on a number of platforms. It fulfilled my expectations in some aspects, but was surprisingly disappointing in others. I did a dip manicure with nail art, and chose this salon specifically because of the nail art pictured on their website and in reviews online. I included perhaps too much detail about my visit, in the hopes it can help someone make a decision about whether to try Nailtique. I have a summary in the end.
The Good:
Booking an appointment was a breeze. The salon is very clean and cute, and the staff members were friendly. There was a lively and conversational atmosphere. My nail artist (I believe her name was Mariah) was incredibly nice and fun to talk with. She loved my inspiration picture and seemed excited to do it. She did a good job with the dip powder application. It lasted over a week before the first chip. One of the cuticles was a little flooded, leaving a ridge of material as my nail grew out, but nothing terrible. The other cuticles were fine.
The Bad:
Online, it lists that the dip manicure comes with cuticle care, lotion or scrub, and massage. When it looked like none of that was going to happen, I asked about it. Mariah seemed surprised I wanted that and said that's normally only included with a regular polish manicure. She did do a massage with lotion at that point, but the massage was very light. Like, applying lotion to a 100 year old woman who bruises when looked at kind of light. She then offered scrub, and gave me a good amount to rub in and wash off myself. That was really nice of her, since it's only supposed to come with lotion or scrub and not both.
The Ugly:
When I booked my nail art appointment I was offered a next day appointment with a manicurist who was less experienced, and I chose to wait over a week longer for one who was more experienced. Although Mariah did a good job with the dip powder, she really struggled with the nail art, which was very simple with just dots and a couple of leaves. She had trouble placing the dots in a manner similar to the inspiration picture. When trying to find the right shade of green for the leaves, she apologized and said they don't have a lighter one. I was the one who suggested mixing it with white, as that hadn't occurred to her as being an option. Another nail artist came over and provided her a tutorial about how to paint the leaves, but she wasn't able to paint them even after several attempts. She ended up asking that nail artist to come over and help her, and that nail artist painted the leaves for her.
At the end of the appointment, there was dark green staining on my fingertip skin, and Mariah said that was unavoidable because my nails aren't long. (I've had dip manicures in other salons and that has never been a problem.) She said not to worry, as it would come off after a few days. I asked if anything could be done to clean it up before leaving the salon, as I had a party that night. She said it would require acetone, but didn't offer to help with it. So then I directly asked her if she could help with that or provide the acetone, and she got out a paper towel and acetone. I asked if it was a bad idea of me to ask and whether she was sure she could do it without wrecking the nails, and she said "I mean, I'll try my best..." which didn't inspire confidence. I decided I was being too high maintenance and ended up saying it's okay, I don't think anyone will notice it anyway.
When checking out, I was charged $5 more than what it said on the website, and she and the more experienced artist both said the $5 nail art charge listed online is just the starting price, and is only for the most basic nail art possible. Mariah said they set their own prices, and it all kind of depends. They handed me a brochure that has their prices, and in the brochure it does indeed say the nail art is starting at $5. The website has it listed as a flat rate. Mariah said she charged $5 for her own work, plus $5 for the other artist's work, as she's more experienced. She said that the $10 I was charged for nail art is only $2 per nail, and she probably should have charged more.
Summary:
This seems like a very good salon overall, and I think most people will be happy with their service. In my case, although I asked for an experienced nail artist, the one I was booked with really struggled with very basic nail art skills. Then I was charged more than the price listed on their website. read more
