10/20/2025
Salon nails are real-world nails. They’re built on natural nails, shaped around unique growth patterns, and designed to last through daily life. They’re beautiful, durable, and wearable because they’re made for living hands, not photo shoots.
Most nails you see on Pinterest and Instagram are often show nails: built on plastic tips, perfected over hours, and polished again through photo editing. They are incredible artistry but they are not salon nails.
The pressure for salon tech to do this work is immense and unfair on both the client and the tech. People cannot expect an average nail tech to sit at her desk for 4 hours for $100 to do these nails. Nobody can live on so little money.
Clients deserve to know the difference. If you want nails crafted for a photo, seek out an artist and pay artist pricing. If you want nails that carry you through real life, respect salon work for what it is: skilled, functional, professional craft.
