Well, girls, it’s not like you need reminding or anything, but it’s almost time for prom!  We all know there’s a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.  I mean there’s finding the perfect dress, choosing the right hair style to go with the perfect dress, buying the right accessories, getting your nails done the proper color, and anything else you could possibly imagine.  To make at least one aspect a little easier, Niles West News decided to check out a local salon, Green T Nails, located at 5709 Dempster Street.

I called the place a couple days in advance at 847.581.1356 to make an appointment, and they easily set up a time for my friend and me to come in.  Their prices were similar to other salons in the area as well: $35 for a manicure and a pedicure.

When we arrived on Friday after school, we walked into the small salon decorated with green plants, yellow walls, and cute little cubes separated by white curtains.  The salon is located in a strip mall, so the building was very long, but not very wide; however, the layout completely worked because there was a long row of manicure tables and the opposite wall held a row of pedicure stations followed by another private cube for waxing.

I was, however, disappointed in the lack of upkeep for the facility.  The paint was chipping off the wall; a flaw that could have easily been fixed in a quick five minute touch-up.

On the other hand, the private cubes were very original and beneficial because it provides customers with an opportunity for privacy rather than having to listen to another annoying customer blabbing on about their life when you wouldn’t want to pretend to care.  If you came with a friend, they can remove the center curtain so you can easily discuss the latest gossip from the latest People magazine.

We were greeted and asked about our appointment.  Once the manager confirmed our appointment, she encouraged us to find a color off the shelves on the wall.  They carried mostly O.P.I. colors with a couple bottles of additional colors from other companies.  There was a huge selection if you wanted red or pink, the most common choices, but besides that the color selection was seriously lacking.

I wanted to get either a grey or purple color to match my outfit for a family event later that weekend, but they lacked the colors I really wanted.  I settled on a darker purple for my manicure and a light pink for my pedicure.  My friend chose a red for her toes and a bright green on her fingers.

We sat on the long bench waiting for our stations to be prepared and flipping through US and People magazines.  After a short wait, we were led to our pedicure stations and they removed the curtain between the stations so we could talk.

The chairs were really comfortable and it was easy to relax with the soft, quiet music playing throughout the salon as my nail technician began the salons pedicure routine.

I read through People magazine and caught up on some pointless celebrity drama and before I knew it, I was being ushered to the manicure tables.

The salon lacked accommodations about where to put my belongings.  In my previous experiences of getting a mani/pedi at other salons, the manicurist would move my belongings for me onto hooks or another designated area.  Here, my coat and purse were put on the not-so-clean floor instead.

I shrugged it off and my manicurist began the routine for a manicure.  I feel like it’s important to point out that she did a great job on my cuticles.  It’s really easy for manicurists to mess up with cuticles and then it hurts and it can quickly become infected.  Gross.  Green T Nails, on the other hand, did a pretty great job.

Once she finished up my nails and my friends manicurist finished hers, we were left sitting at the manicure tables.  At every other salon I’ve been to, there were ample seats by a machine that dries nails.  At Green T Nails, there was only one location and since there was another woman drying her nails there, my friend and I were left sitting at our manicure tables.  We were never moved to a nail drying location, so after a few minutes, we decided to leave.  It was really awkward to just be sitting in the middle of the salon as the nail technicians went in back for a break.

After we left, our nails looked fine the rest of the day and lasted through the night.  The next day, however, my manicure had already begun to chip.  It’d be understandable if I had been cleaning the house, doing dishes, or working with water, but I hadn’t.  I had only gone out to eat and gone out with friends, so there was no reason for my nails to be chipping already.  Imagine going to get your nails done on Friday after school and going to prom on Saturday with chips in your manicure.  Not good.

So, overall, Green T Nails was an adequate salon, but I’m not sure that it’s the best choice for prom because when it comes down to it, you’re going to want nails that last more than a day when you’re paying $35 for them.  I mean, I can buy an $8 bottle of nail polish and it’ll last at least a week without chipping, so if I’m getting my nails done professionally for more than four times the price, I think it should last at least as long.

Stay Tuned for more Nail Salon reviews…Just in time for Prom, including a chance to win a gift certificate for a FREE manicure!