Discovering a Love for Manicured Nails

I never liked manicured nails. On me, that is.

First of all, my nails are fine as they are. They never really needed cleaning, cuticle removal or pushing. I tried applying different colors on it every now and then but they always seem to get chipped off so easily. I type a lot every single day, I text, I fiddle with my hands and so many things. Used to do much laundry, too! The fact that I used to do household chores {I have a penchant for cleaning the bathroom} more then may be a factor {yes, I don't do them as much now}, but really it all boils down to me being extremely talentless with nail polish application. True story.

Reading through Shen's, Jane's and Caby's Nailaholic experiences nudged me to bring my lazy ass to the Mall of Asia to give manicure {and pedicure, always my must-dos} a go.

The first thing I noticed upon entering the Nailaholics MOA branch was that it was so understatedly girly. The interiors were Tiffany blue{not pink, or salmon or yellow, which is common with newer nail spas}. It felt like I was in a nail shack along a beach shore, plus I had been wearing a white dress then, so I felt super summery all over. There was a bit of a crowd inside, I figured that I was in for a lovely experience, clearly Nailaholics Spa had their fair share of fans and patrons.

I was right!

My first stop {as always in every spa, or boutique} is the menu. Nailaholics has a wide array of services, all of which sounded yummy to me!

I finally chose Seasurf Manicure, Pedicure with Algae Wrap.

My feet were in dire need of a foot spa from all the heels-wearing over the last few months and I wanted to have my legs softened and massaged.

The Good:

Like most foot spa treatments/pedicures, my feet were soaked in warm water, sea salt and VCO. Already, I was in heaven and ready to drift off to sleep.

Next, the nail technicians {who were warm and courteous and insightful!} proceeded to go on with the essential cleaning, buffing, smoothing parts of the mani-pedi. I also had the pleasure of choosing {always my favorite part} which nail polish to have. I chose OPI in Pink Flamingo, a very nice polish version of my signature color, #FF0066.

Do you find fun in tinkering with different bottles of nail polishes, too?

It took me about 5 shots before I arrived to this decently focused shot. I was using an Apple iPhone and I was wonderfully surprised the camera can do focusing. YAY!

Two nail techs working. I love it! Saves me time.And can you see the walls? Looking at the color reminds me of my room. I was trying so hard not to fall asleep at this point.

The expertly-applied nail polish. The main and biggest reason why I have not been in love with manicures before is because when it gets chipped, I am forced to reapply some minor repair and always, I ended up ruining my manicure. And I can't get a decent application on my nails even if I try real hard. In my experience, there had been a bunch of salons I've tried before that doesn't apply polish with as much expertise. Thankfully, the nail techs at Nailaholics were very much adept at this very important skill.

The Algae Wrap and Massage. As if the interiors, sounds, lush chairs were not enough to lull me into sleep, the nail tech started giving me a foot and leg massage to go well with the algae wrap and I had to fight my sleepiness! I walked out of Nailaholics with the softest legs and feet, I can even feel it to this day.

Now my nails are very pretty! {and pretty vein-y, too, darn}and it makes doing things more fun! Over the week, I realized how much better everything seems to be when you see your polished hands painted in your favorite color. Now I think I'll be going back to the habit of having it painted, too, every time I get myself a treat from the salons.

Nailaholics offers more than just nail/hand/foot pampering! The one seated beside me was having her eyelashes permed, too while she had her mani-pedi. Aside from that, they also have waxing and massaging services which makes them almost a one-stop-shop for girls!

The Bad:

While my hands and feet were ultra-soft after the treatment, I barely felt my ingrown/cuticles/dry skin removed from my toenails. Unlike most girls, I want a lot of action done on my feet and as long as they don't bleed, I like the pain that comes with it. If you're into the no-pushing/clipping side, then this salon is perfect for you!
The Extra Price. Opting for the better nail polishes like OPI and Orly would cost you an additional Php 40. I have not tried out their house polishes but if they turned out to be just as great, then that's fine I guess.
The nail polishes are in one lonely huge basket. I presumed that while they do have a lot of colors, what if I wanted to try this particular color, and someone else is having it that very minute, would I have to settle for my next best choice? I hope not.
Nothing much, really. I had a great time at Nailaholics Nail Spa, talking to the nail techs and chilling out. A glass of wine would have made a difference :P

Nailaholics Nail Salon and Spa is located at the following: