Get salon-quality manicures without the professional price

By Kelsey Shubert

Special to the Herald

My mother is very thrifty, meaning she does whatever it takes to save a few bucks. Naturally, some of that wore off on me.

I made it all the way to high school without having had a professional manicure — because why pay someone for something you can do yourself?

As a kid, I remember getting pretty creative with my nail polish: Fourth of July called for American flags on each nail, Halloween a different spooky decal on each digit. One week in fourth grade, I changed my nail polish seven times to coordinate with each day’s outfit.

Yes, I was that kid.

Most of the time, however, I was too impatient to wait for the polish to dry, so my cute creations were too often smudged or I would wake up with bedsheet prints stuck to them.

So when I received my first gel manicure for my friend’s wedding a few years ago, I was hooked. With gel, there is no waiting for the polish to dry and no chips for two weeks. It’s incredible.

Except my newfound love would cost me quite the pretty penny if I wanted perfect nails 24/7. So I asked myself, “WWMD?” (What Would Mom Do?) The answer? “Do it yourself!”

I set out to research what I needed to do my own shellac nails at home, looking for the best products and techniques.

YouTube videos with tutorials and product reviews are a great source. I paid very close attention to the products and techniques used while I was getting my nails done at an actual salon. Pinterest also is an awesome site for inspiration for nail designs.

My next step was to find great deals (read: thrifty!) on Amazon and eBay, at Target, the Dollar Store and Costco. I also received access to Cosmoprof merchandise through a cosmetology friend with a membership card to the professional supply store.

Here’s what you’ll need for a DIY nail salon: An LED light to set the polish, the gel nail polish set — primer, base coat, color and top coat — and basic nail-care items like files, clippers, polish remover and rubbing alcohol.

I found an LED light as part of a gel starter kit at Target. The SensatioNail brand starter kit with LED light, base and top coat and one shellac color is $24.99. (It ran me about $21 because mine was on clearance.)

The Dollar Store became my new favorite store. That’s where I found cotton balls, nail files and other basic nail necessities for only $1 each. Score!

I found tiny glass bowls, nail brushes and small pump containers that were labeled “Alcohol” and “Acetone” on eBay, ranging in price from just a few cents to a few dollars. While delivery took a bit longer because it was shipped internationally, it was totally worth the wait. Those same products sell for 10 times as much at beauty supply stores.

One of my favorite finds was loose glitter pots at Cosmoprof on clearance for only $2 each. They are perfect for creating a party nail. I also bought a pack of white hand towels from Costco for $10 for a “spa” feel.

My advice: Do research to find out which products you want, check what the average price is, and then shop around for sales or look for them in clearance.

A bottle of shellac nail polish usually runs about $10-$15 depending on the brand, which I haven’t been able to notice a big difference between.

I found a deal on Amazon for 12 Yaoshun nail polishes for $24. The polish is an off-brand, so I was a bit skeptical, but to my surprise the color and quality is pretty comparable to OPI and CND polishes.

Think of it this way: A basic gel manicure can cost you around $30 at the salon. If one bottle costs $10 and you can get an estimated 10 two-coat applications from that same bottle, that’s a $1 manicure. Sounds like a good deal to me.

With all my supplies, I was excited to create beautiful nails! I started with just doing my own nails and soon enough people noticed my super-shiny, flawless nails. Before long, my mom, sister and friends were begging me to do their nails, too.

With all my practice creating new designs, I’ve gotten pretty good at it, if I do say so myself.

My mom stops by the house to get her nails done every few weeks. We make a day of it. We love coming up with new designs — we’ll add a bit of glitter or stamp a nail for a holiday theme. She has fun showing off her nails at work.

I’m no professional and my “nail salon” is not a real salon, but I have a hobby that allows me to be creative, spend some quality time with my friends and family and make them feel good about themselves.

Here’s to salon-quality gel manicures without breaking the bank.