Types of Manicures

A good manicure goes beyond simply changing up the color on your nails – it fosters healthy nails and can boost confidence!

However, nail salon menus may seem dauntingly large; how many types of manicures exist exactly? We consulted experts, such as Cardi B’s manicurist to learn more. According to their estimates, eight major manicure styles include basic, gel, hard gel, shellac, acrylic dip powder and sculpted.

Classic Manicure

Basic manicure services consist of nail cleaning, cuticle care, filing or shaping and hydration as well as polish application using base coat, colored polish and topcoat. This approach to the art is both cost-effective and minimally damaging to nails.

French manicures made their debut during the late ’90s and early 2000s, and remain an elegant classic today. A French Manicure typically involves painting light pink or nude nails with white tips resembling cuticle shapes for an eye-catching touch that adds some colour without looking overwhelming.

Nadine Abramcyk, co-founder of tenoverten, claims this manicure is gentle on nails and can be removed at home using cotton pads soaked with non-acetone polish remover. However, she recommends taking steps after seven days in order to prevent dryness in nails.

Gel Manicure

Gel manicures offer longer-term wear. With proper care, they may last as much as a month without chipping. Hot water and other activities that could damage them should be avoided to extend its longevity.

Gel polish offers many advantages over traditional nail polish, including long wear time and natural shine that’s less chip-prone, yet its UV light exposure could cause premature aging, skin cancer and dry out your nails over time. Experts warn that UV lights used to set gel polish may contribute to early skin cancer formation or premature aging while drying them out too rapidly – they advise wearing sunscreen between manicures as well as using cuticle oil to ensure healthy hands!

If you don’t like wearing gel polish but still desire the longevity of a manicure, consider opting for a Shellac Manicure instead. It follows a similar process to that used when doing Gel Manicures but requires using both base coat and topcoat separately and curing each coat under UV light before going forward with it.

Shellac Manicure

Shellac is a hybrid between nail polish and gel that offers high-gloss shine that resists chipping. Cures with LED lights emitting ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths reach deep within its formula to activate molecules quickly for drying, hardening and adhering to natural nails.

Shellac nail polish offers many advantages for its users, including lasting up to two weeks without chipping and needing less maintenance than traditional nail polish. Furthermore, its glossy manicure makes an eye-catching statement when worn as part of nail art projects and designs can be added on using various patterns and designs.

Shellac manicures offer clients who desire durable and long-term beauty a durable solution, but should be used sparingly if their natural nails are fragile or damaged as the curing process may further damage them. Shellac also takes longer than traditional manicures to apply and produces strong chemical-type odors during both application and removal procedures – not recommended if added length, strength or extensions are desired.

Acrylic Manicure

Acrylic nails were once an increasingly fashionable trend during the 90s and early 00s. Created using a mixture of liquid monomer and powder polymer, nails are coated in glue before being dipped into colored acrylic powder for coloring and then sealed with top coat for sealing purposes and nail art can even be added at an additional cost. While not as healthy as gel manicures or traditional manicures, acrylics may last six weeks without chipping.

Shellac manicures offer long-term solutions for people seeking long-lasting nail art solutions, however improper removal techniques could still cause damage to natural nails. That is why having an experienced technician handle this type of manicure will be invaluable: they will be able to dispel any myths about its less damaging nature than gel manicures and use non-damaging techniques when creating nail art designs that fit with your personal style and offer various colors and designs to choose from to compliment it all!