As a Fashion Publicist, I am constantly in and out of meetings, dinners, lunches, events etc., and as someone who speaks with their hands I need to make sure my nails aren’t chipped. The upkeep with regular polish is difficult, to say the least. I would literally polish my nails one night and then by the end of the next day – chipped. One day I decided to just bite the bullet and start getting gel polish every two weeks. I’ve mentioned time and time again that I’m frugal, so I’m going to say it again – I’m cheap. So the fact that I had to go from my normal $15 manicures to $30 was a big deal! However, it has been SO worth it – I don’t think I’ll ever go back.
I live in Harlem, NY, so my go-to nail salon is Coco Young Nail Salon on Frederick Douglass Boulevard. They’re friendly, professional, have a huge assortment of colors and the shop is very clean. I’m usually in and out within an hour, with or without an appointment. This last visit, I decided to go with a plum color from ESSIE’s gel polish collection called Flowerista, which I absolutely love. The color pops but is also versatile enough to go with any look I have on.
Sidenote, though the risk of developing skin cancer from the UV light when getting a gel manicure is low, I still suggest applying a small amount of sunscreen to your hands before inserting them. Just a tip a girlfriend of mine gave once!
(photos by Steve Jackson)
