The manicure that changed my life

About a month-and-a-half ago, I saw a friend I hadn’t seen in a while, and I immediately noticed how long and amazing her nails were. She told me it was a NexGen manicure—and raved about it to the point that I was like, How do I not know about this? Three weeks with no chipping, no dullness and nails that are almost as strong as nails. Then I started asking other friends if they had heard of it, and most of them had, so naturally I had to try this ASAP.

I’ve been going to the same manicurist for about 10 years, but alas, she doesn’t do NexGen, and since I’m reluctant to try a new salon, I started asking for recos. My Pilates instructor pointed me to her girl, and I literally booked her next available appointment. When I sat down with Rose, I had no idea what to expect, and when I said it was my first NexGen the ladies on both sides of me, too, began to extol its virtues.

This was about 4 days in... I forgot to take a photo earlier! (Oops.)

Here’s how it works… First, I had to choose a color, and there are so many it was almost overwhelming. You have to go by those little nail swatches because the actual powder used on your nails doesn’t look like the final results. I decided on a shade identical to OPI’s “Funny Bunny,” and my nails were buffed with one of those electric files. Then, Rose used a clear polish (that smells very much like Krazy Glue) and dipped my fingers into the tub of powder—and repeated this two more times. She then started shaping my nails and filing the actual surface to reduce the thickness until they looked like my natural nails (but better). I was a bit confused because the color was dull but a coat of topcoat took care of that. And perhaps the best part: My nails were completely dry before I walked out of the salon.

The whole process took about 45 minutes, and I’m hooked. first NexGen lasted for 18 days and I totally could have gone a few days longer but I had to pre-plan the timing of my next few manis due to two trips in March. I was nervous before my second NexGen because I was afraid it would wreck my nails like gel manicures—but after soaking off the first one I was astonished at how long and strong my polish-free nails were.

My nails have NEVER been this long. (I'm learning how to type again.)

Beyond saving me the time associated with weekly manicures, NexGen actually saves me money, too. I’ve literally been begging my usual manicurist to start offering this service because I may never go back to regular manicures. And if you try NexGen, you probably won’t either!