Photos by: Sofia Alcala
For someone who learned to apply makeup only when she turned 18, has had her nails colored for only a handful of times (five times to be exact), and never had a spa treatment, a trip to a nail salon is nothing short of a new experience. I was always the plain Jane who got away with going to school without combing my hair. Neither was I a fan of putting beauty products on my face.
To sum things up, anything that falls under the category “beauty” is relatively alien to me.
I’ve never visited a nail salon, so you can definitely tell how much of a noob I am when it comes to nails and cuticles. So when I had the chance to visit a nail salon myself, and try and check out Beauty and Butter and their latest nail care service, I was excited more than anxious.
RELATED: Ooh La Lash! For Quality, Natural-Looking Eyelash Extensions
As soon as we stepped foot inside the salon, my friend Sofia and I were greeted with warm welcomes. We passed through a wall display of the type of cuticle they were about to apply on our nails—the gelish dip. Joel Quizon, who let us into this relaxing treat, walked us through a bit of the procedure and the ABC’s of their newest offering.
Here are some takeaways from the brief walk through we had about the difference between traditional gel polish vs. the gelish dip.
For the standard gel polish, it would cost you about 700 pesos to keep the color of your nails for up to three weeks. The whole process is kinda draggy because of how long it takes to finish the whole procedure. The process usually takes a while because your nails have to be subjected to light to make the cuticle durable.
For the gelish dip, on the other hand, the whole process was a breeze. The applicator puts a thin coat of prep on the surface of your nails, then a layer of base will be put on top of the prep layer. Immediately, your nails get dipped in the dip powder jar (this is where your nails get the color). At this stage, the color on your nails would still be cloudy, but that’s normal because when the applicator puts on another layer of base, the color becomes a bit clearer and brighter.
After another round of dipping, your nails finally get a layer of the activator—this makes it look matte and the color more vibrant. Your nails are smoothed out after another layer of base. Finally, the last round of activator is applied plus a top seal is spread over all the layers.
Applying the prep coat.
This is the dipping part! To remove excess, they brush off the remaining powder before continuing with the coating.
Beauty and Butter means serious business when it comes to nail care. They even let you sign this notice informing you that the sterilized tools they are about to use on you are clean and safe.
It only took less than 30 minutes to achieve picture-ready nails that span for up to 2 weeks. And it only took me one session to fall in love, not only with gelish dip but with nail care in general! I didn’t have to try the traditional gel polish to tell how easy the gelish dip application is, and how it looks better and feels more durable.
If someone like me could walk out of the nail salon with perfect nails and a new take on nail care, then no doubt—both beauty gurus and even inexperts are going to love this new trend even more.
Beauty and Butter
www.facebook.com/BeautyandButter
