Notes on nails, worth your time.
Practical guides for people who love their sets — and the artists who make them. Written by us, useful with or without the app.
Red Flags and Green Flags When Choosing a Nail Salon
Most of us choose a salon by proximity and vibes, in a decision that is simultaneously cosmetic and medical. Here is the sharper checklist.
Care & booking · July 20, 2026 · 7 minWhat to Bring to Your First Appointment With a New Nail Artist
Most first-appointment disasters are not talent problems on either side of the table. They are preparation problems — and preparation is entirely yours to control.
Care & booking · July 19, 2026 · 6 minHow to Make a Gel Set Last Past Week Three
Whether your set clears week three gracefully is decided by a handful of small habits — none of which cost money, most of which take seconds.
Care & booking · July 18, 2026 · 7 minHow Nail Artists Can Get More Clients Without Posting Every Day
The most reliable growth channel in this industry is not the algorithm. It is the client already sitting in your chair — kept, reminded and rebooked.
Trends & finishes · July 16, 2026 · 6 minChrome, Glazed, Milky, Matte: Nail Finishes Explained (and How to Choose)
Two sets with identical colours can look completely different — because finish, not colour, is what your eye reads first.
Shapes & sets · July 14, 2026 · 6 minNail Design Ideas You Can Actually Try On Before Committing
You would never buy lipstick without trying the shade. Yet most of us commit two hours and a set of extensions to a screenshot of someone else's hand.
Care & booking · July 12, 2026 · 6 minHow Long Does a Gel Set Really Last (and When to Book Your Refill)
Gel does not fail all at once — it ages on a schedule your nails set. Understanding that schedule is the difference between refills and rescues.
Trends & finishes · July 10, 2026 · 5 minGlazed Donut Nails: What They Are and How to Ask for Them
The most requested look of the decade is also one of the most mis-made. Here is what "glazed" really means and how to order it precisely.
Shapes & sets · July 8, 2026 · 7 minAlmond vs. Coffin vs. Square: Choosing a Nail Shape for Your Hands
Shape is the single biggest decision in a set — it changes how your hands look, how long the set lasts, and how it feels to type. A practical guide.
Care & booking · July 6, 2026 · 6 minHow to Describe a Nail Design to Your Nail Tech (So It Comes Out Right)
The gap between the set you imagined and the set you walked out with is almost always a translation problem. Here is how to close it.
Care & booking · July 4, 2026 · 7 minGel, Acrylic, BIAB, Press-Ons: Which Set Type Is Right for You
Before any of the fun decisions comes a structural one most people let the salon make for them: what the set is actually built from.
Trends & finishes · July 2, 2026 · 5 minWhy Speckle and Dot Art Is the Easiest First Design
A wobbly line ruins a french tip; a slightly imperfect dot is just a dot. The rare art style where the beginner version and the expert version live on the same street.
Trends & finishes · June 29, 2026 · 6 minSeasonal Sets: Planning Your Nails Around the Moments That Matter
People who always have perfect nails for everything are not lucky. They are counting backwards from the moments that matter.
Trends & finishes · June 25, 2026 · 6 minCat-Eye, Aura, Tortoise: 2026's Biggest Nail Trends Explained
This year's big looks share a theme: depth. Light moving through the nail, glowing under it, suspended within it — here is how each illusion works.
Trends & finishes · June 22, 2026 · 6 minChrome, Glazed, Milky, Matte: A Plain-English Guide to Nail Finishes
Everyone nods when the finish words fly around the salon, and half the room is guessing. This is the kitchen-table English version.
Shapes & sets · June 18, 2026 · 6 minFrench Tips Aren't One Thing: 7 Ways to Wear Them
The french tip attends every one of its own funerals wearing something new. Change the line's colour, weight or position and you get a different manicure entirely.
Shapes & sets · June 15, 2026 · 7 minMixed Manis: How to Design a Set Where Every Finger Is Different
Every finger different is either the most sophisticated look in nails or a swatch wheel. The difference is not talent — it is structure.
Shapes & sets · June 11, 2026 · 6 minShort Nails, Big Impact: Designs That Work Under 5mm
Five millimetres is where nails stop negotiating with your life. Small canvases do not end design — they change what good design is.
Shapes & sets · June 8, 2026 · 7 minThe Complete Nail Shape Guide: All 8 Shapes and Who They Flatter
Most people wear their shape by momentum. Here is the entire menu at once — what each of the eight shapes does to a hand, and who each one genuinely flatters.
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The best nail advice is seeing the design on your own hand before you book. That is what Nailly is for.