We're loving all the new beauty blogs popping up in Ireland in the last year or so. I've got tons in my reader I check out daily (visit our Links page for lots of great local sites to browse) and one of my current faves is Nailish Ramblings.
Obviously nails are very close to Beaut.ie's heart and while this gal's blog is fairly new, it's already packed full of swatches, looks and comparisons so it's a great read. I noticed Ms Nailish grumbling on her blog recently about the crap salon service she'd noticed upon moving back to Ireland from the UK. That's a topic close to our hearts too, so I decided to ask her a few questions about how our nail bars stack up against their international counterparts.
What makes nail salons in the UK so good?
The salons there were professional, they had a wide range of colours and would carry different brands if it helped them stay on-trend. My favorite salon was also known to carry a range of accessories - bags, shoes and jewellery, and on top of that they had the majority of their nail products for sale. They sold base and topcoats, including Seche Vite and cuticle treatments, such as solar oil.
They'd finish the mani off with a quick-dry topcoat and as you were leaving apply a layer of cuticle oil, with the reasoning that if you hit off anything you'd take the oil off and not your polish. I still do this everytime I paint my nails!
How much did a typical manicure cost?
Just a file and polish was around £8. A mini-mani which included cuticle work was between around £14, and the whole shooting match inclusing massage, masques etc was around £30.
When you moved back, what struck you about Irish salons?
For the six years I lived away from Ireland, I would still end up having manicures here. I noticed though that I'd try and fit the mani in in London instead of saving it for when I was home: I reasoned to myself that this was because I didn't have a usual place. But in the main, I find salons here overcharge for a not great service. I found that I was leaving with about 10 layers of polish on that would never dry, I'd spend a couple of hours doing nothing and still wreck it.
Generally I find that salons here have a few gloopy bottles of polish. I was recently in a brand-new beauty salon for another treatment and I could only see six or seven. I probably had more than that on my coffee table in the sitting room. I think part of it is the Celtic Tiger attitude that still prevails today with regards to terrible service accross the board - not just in salons.
Is price a big issue here?
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I think prices are coming down but I think €30 or more for what is basically a file and polish is a bit much. Add in a hand massage and I'd be happy to pay that.
What could Irish salons learn from their foreign counterparts?
I think price, customer service and choice are probably better in other countries. When I go for any treatment I want the feeling of being pampered, a couple of magazines and a coffee. I want to come out relaxed, not on edge for hours afterwards in case I ruin my nails. Particularly since nails seem to be the new black as witnessed by the frenzy over the Chanel limited editions etc, Irish salons are missing a trick.
This is definitely a treat that people can still afford in these post-Tiger times.
Have you found anywhere good to go in Ireland for nails?
One place that is solely a nail salon is actually quite good. It's called New York City Nails in Galway, and if I was going anywhere I'd go here - and still do for pedicures. Last time I had a voucher but having had a dreaded mani that wouldn't dry the last time, I brought along my bottle of Seche Vite.
When doing a French manicure they slap the white on all over the place and then fix it by removing the excess with a brush. This actually gives a great line but seems a little weird to me - and it also means no base coat. So I said to the girl, "by any chance would you have a fast dry top coat?" "Yes," says she "but it's crap!" So I asked would she use mine and that was fine.
They have a great selection of polish and have swatches of it all so you can choose, and it's definitely the best I've been to and I'll go back. Recently they've brought their prices down too. So, the strange way of painting the French and crap fast dry topcoat aside, they're the best.
In the interests of fairness, did you ever have bad service in the UK?
The worst manicure I ever had was in London, in a now closed counter in a large shop on Oxford Street. I had some friends over to stay and if I spent another minute wandering around the shops I was going to spontaneously combust, when I spied the nail counter. Over I marched, "can you fit me in," says I. "Yes," says they, "but only for a file and polish."
Grand!
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So when we were finished, I looked down at my nails, and instead of beautiful clean French, I had a wibbly line. I pointed this out. "I guess it's a bit wibbly," says she, "but I can't fix it!" Long story short, someone else tried to fix it, it was still wobbly and because I'm useless at complaining I left with wibbly French tips!
What do you all think? Is salon service better at home or abroad?
