Nails

Whether you are after a classic gel manicure, the strength and natural look of BIAB, or a full set of extensions for added length, I take pride in delivering a clean, careful finish every time.

I use high-quality gel products that give lasting colour and shine without damaging your natural nails. Hands, toes, or both together at a discounted rate. Based at my salon in Whitefield, Manchester.

Gel, BIAB or extensions?

A gel manicure is colour cured under a lamp. It stays glossy and chip-free for around two to three weeks, far beyond what normal polish manages, and it is the right choice if your natural nails are already in decent shape and you just want them to look good.

BIAB, or Builder In A Bottle, is the one worth understanding, because it is not really about colour. It is a flexible gel overlay applied over your own nail to add strength. If your nails bend, peel or snap the moment they grow past your fingertip, BIAB is what lets them grow. It supports the nail while it does so, which is why clients who have never been able to grow their nails often can with it.

Extensions add length that is not there. If you want a longer nail now, for a wedding or a holiday, that is the one. BIAB grows your own; extensions give you length today.

Why removal matters more than application

Almost every damaged nail I see was not damaged by gel. It was damaged by having gel picked or peeled off. When you peel a gel off, it does not come away cleanly. It takes layers of your natural nail plate with it, and that thin, bendy, sore nail underneath is the result.

Gel should always be soaked off properly, and if you have a set on that needs removing, book in and let me take it off rather than picking at it through a boring meeting. It takes a few minutes and it is the single biggest thing standing between you and healthy nails underneath.

Making a set last

Cuticle oil, daily, is unglamorous advice that genuinely works. Gel is rigid and your nail bends; oil keeps the nail flexible enough to move with it rather than lifting away at the edges. Nails that lift early are almost always dry nails.

Wear gloves for washing up and cleaning, since prolonged hot water and detergent are what loosen the seal at the free edge. And treat them as nails rather than tools. Every set has met its end opening a fizzy drink. Infills every two to three weeks keep everything looking fresh, and hands and toes done in the same appointment come at a discounted rate.