Review: Nails Inc 3 week manicure

From Elle.co.uk

I don’t often get my nails done professionally as I tend to prefer to do them myself, despite being not that great at it.  However for special occasions such as weddings and holidays, I do like to pamper myself and now that Long Lasting Gel Manicures are widely available, these are my manicure of choice.

I first tried the Nail’s Inc Champagne Nail Bar at Harvey Nichols when I was given a gift voucher for it and consequently, had no idea how much it cost!  I also chose to have a 3 Week Manicure for my wedding as I knew I would chip or smudge my polish if I had a regular manicure.  As I am going on holiday for a couple of weeks, I wanted to have my nails done properly so that I didn’t have to worry about touching up the polish or changing it whilst I was away.  I always wear nail polish and I very rarely have no polish on my fingernails, so  the sound of having perfect nails for a few weeks sounded fantastic!

The Nails Inc Bar at Harvey Nichols is situated slap bang in the middle of the Beauty Hall and it isn’t really the most relaxing place for a spot of pampering.  However it is a champagne bar and therefore champagne is part of the experience so a glass or two does help to relax you a little.  If you prefer, they also have water or orange juice but really, when Champagne is on offer, what are you going to choose?!!

The manicure begins as usual with any residue polish being removed and your cuticles and nails being tidied and shaped.  I have quite short nails through choice as otherwise the click of them on the keyboard drives me mad  - I have no idea how anyone manages to do anything when they have long nails!  A base coat is then applied and then the gel is applied.  3 coats are required and after each hand and coat is completed it is put under a UV lamp to set.  A topcoat is applied and set and then you are ready to go with no worries about sitting around for hours waiting for your nails to dry.  It was a revelation the first time I tried it!

I went for this gorgeous metalic purple colour, The Mall, which is also available to buy as a regular polish.  They have a good range of colours in the Nails Inc range which is why I tend to prefer them to simlar products such as Gellish and Shellac whose ranges I find are rather limited in colour, but fine if you just want a normal red or pink.  Nails Inc do, the whole spectrum from green, blue, nude to a lovely ‘Rouge Noir’ type colour which I have had before and which looks very polished and professional. 

The manicure lasts about an hour, which is a good amount of time to manage a couple of glasses of champagne.  I went with my bridesmaids the day before my wedding and as they were having regular, non-gel manicures, they had to sit in the ‘drying area’ drinking champagne for quite some time and between us we managed to finish off 2 bottles!  Well it was my wedding weekend!

Verdict

Although not a particularly relaxing experience, it is much better than a regular manicure and did I mention the price includes champagne?!  It is, however, not cheap and not something I cold afford on a regular basis, although I think they do a loyalty card  which gives you a manicure free if you go regularly and you also get free soak offs which are usually £20.  For a one off every so often, or a special occasion it is worth shelling out for and it would make a good gift, as you can buy vouchers on the Nail’s Inc website.   

4/5

Price - £65 - ouch!

Where to purchase – Harvey Nichols, Some Debenhams stores