Nail Salon Speak - What are acrylic nails, sculptured nails, overlays, UV gel, shellac, gelish and tips?

Nail salon price lists can be confusing. They offer a range of different nail treatment at high and very high prices! The situation is becoming more bewildering with the introduction of gel polishes, and with the CND Vinylux polishes shortly to hit the salons it's likely to get worse still. Here is your salon dictionary to help you understand which treatment you want and which treatment will offer you value for money.

The Basic

Standard polish - This could also be called a polish change or a file & polish. It's likely to be what is included in the manicures / mini manicures detailed below. It will include a base coat, 2 to 3 coats of a standard polish followed by a top coat. Some nail tidying such as filing, dry cuticle removal and hand moisturising may also be included. You'd be wise to schedule in time to wait in the salon for a while afterwards to avoid smudging the paint. Take flip flops if you're having a pedicure as the polish doesn't fully set for an hour plus. 

Talons

Acrylics - Acrylic nails are very strong and thick, but don't always look very natural. A powder and a liquid are combined and brushed onto the natural nail. The mixture hardens (no heat/light is required) and then standard polish is applied. Tips or sculpting techniques can be used with the acrylic to lengthen the nail. Acrylics can be removed by soaking in acetone, but this is incredibly difficult to do properly on your own without damaging the nail. They should be filed professionally every 2/3 weeks along with refilling at the base. 

UV gel nails - Not to be confused with shellac/gel polishes which are more similar to the standard polish, these are very strong and can be used in conjunction with tips or sculpting. A gel is painted onto the natural nail, moulded and set under a UV light. The resulting nails are flexible and non-yellowing (acrylic nails can yellow over time). The nails have to be removed professionally by filing. Similarly to acrylics, they require refilling at the base every few weeks. 

Pink and White - These refer to acrylic or UV gel nails applied in such a way as to give a similar effect to a french manicure. A white tip or lengthening material is added to the natural nail and then overlaid with pale gel or acrylic. No polish is required and as such they cannot chip.

Sculptured Nails - This refers to lengthening nails by applying gel or acrylic over a form that is temporarily inserted under the end of the nail whilst the gel/acrylic is setting. Once the gel/acrylic is nearly set, the form will be removed leaving you with lengthened nails.

Overlays - This refers to applying the UV gel/ acrylic over the natural nail. 

The non-chip

Gel polish/ Shellac / gelish - This is somewhere between an ordinary polish and UV gel. A special base coat is painted on the nail followed by 2 layers of your choice of gel polish and finally a top coat. Each layer is set under a UV lamp for around a minute. The manicure instantly dries and should remain shiny and chip free for weeks. Lengthening techniques cannot be incorporated. See my full post on gel polishes for more details. 

The jazzy

Nail art - This does what it says on the tin and transforms your nails into little pictures! More spectacular results may be obtained is this is combined with one of  'talon' options.

Manicure / Mini Manicure / Luxury Manicure - This should be a start to finish pamper for the hands and nails. It may include soaking for enhanced cuticle removal, dry cuticle removal, snipping away hang nails, filing and buffing the nails, moisturising, massage and an ordinary polish.  It's worth asking at the individual salon to find out exactly what is included in each type of manicure they offer. This varies quite a lot and you can assess whether you'd like to pay £15 extra for a bit more cuticle removal and a hand massage. 

Tip

Lots of salons charge different prices for a polish change, file and polish, manicure and luxury manicure. Consider how much you have to pay for the various options and which bit of the process you most value being performed by the salon. For me, I'm quite happy to do the basic nail maintenance at home and just go to the salon for a shellac polish. I go bi-monthly for full pedicures and give myself mini-pedicures in between, as I find that my home pedicures just do not cut it in terms of cuticle removal.  

What I can't understand

Why do we have to pay so much for pedicures compared to manicures, even just for a polish change?! The extra work involves appears minimal!