Tip Top Nails

What I love most about getting my nails done by someone else is that hour of rest and relaxation. Sure I could do them by myself, but manicures and pedicures have always been a special treat. I long for those gossip mags and chair back massages, calf squeezes and finger rubs :) I don’t however, like to feel like a machine getting worked on which is sort of the experience I received at Tip Top Nails.
I was the only one in there so a young girl worked on my nails while, perhaps it was her mother? scrubbed my little piggies. I didn’t get to read those gossip magazines and it wasn’t very pleasant holding my arms up for that length of time.
The salon itself is incredibly clean and the ladies were very sweet and vigilant!
I can’t believe I’m going to post this picture, but in under 24 hours my nails started chipping which is a first for me in all the years they’ve been painted. I know there are great reviews of this salon but I paid $ 48 for a regular manicure and pedicure and wished I would have spent it elsewhere.

I’ve had my nails done in many a place, ranging from fancy schmancy NYC salons to slightly grubby, run-​of-​the-​mill, run-​by-​Asians joints focusing almost exclusively on nails and waxing. This place looks like the latter, but the quality of nail care and the end product is the former.
First of all, the place is clean, clean, clean. The ladies are very friendly but don’t chat your ear off either. Most nail joints have «manicures» and «pedicures» that are little more than a soak and a polish, but Tip Top Nails really goes the extra mile and does some serious nail maintenance.
A pedicure and shellac manicure today set me back $ 65, which is quite reasonable given the quality of the work. When I’ve gone in there it’s always been busy, so I’m learning to call ahead for an appt.
Cash only!

Whenever I talk about waxing places, the overwhelming desire to be punny takes over. I’ll try to indulge myself but once.
Tip Top Nails is a little ripper (there we go).
The ladies here are always busy, but can still manage to fit you in if you just rock up without an appointment. They’re smiley, seem genuinely pleased to see you every time you go there, and I am yet to have any of the awkward waxing experiences I’ve encountered elsewhere (Waxer: «You want me to do your upper-​lip?» Me: «No thanks.» Waxer: «Are you sure?»)
The waxing is fast, wasting no time on polite pretences and modesty procedures associated with taking your clothes off (NB: taking your clothes off is not necessary for an eyebrow wax). And what’s even better, it’s not a rip-​off (I couldn’t help myself).

Even though I live on a modest budget and prefer to keep my indulgences to a minimum, I always insist on keeping up with monthly pedicures. There’s no sooner way to scare off future friends and partners than with mangled looking feet that suggest you’ve been walking barefoot through India for the last month and half.
Tip Top Nails does the trick. They charge $ 30 for a pedi and can usually get me right in without needing an appointment. What’s more, they are a delightful group of ladies who always seem pleased to see me when I walk through the door.
Most recently I tried the Shallac on my nails ($ 35). That technique involves painting and heat setting a gel on your nails. It looks like polish, if not even shiner, and lasts about two weeks without a single chip. I mean you could probably hand wash 500 dishes and 50 loads of clothes and your nails would still emerge as beautiful as before. The only downside is that you have to go back to the shop to get Shellac removed ($ 10). I was able to talk them down to $ 5 because I didn’t wish for a file or clear polish treatment.