My obsession with nail art.
Kill two birds with one stone by boosting your mood and femininity!

Hello, this is Ikeda from headquarters.

This may come as a surprise, but I love nail art and I always go to the nail salon.
When my nails are cute, I get really excited, and just looking at them cheers me up. In this article, I would like to talk about my relationship with nail art and my obsession with nails.

Since my previous job was in clothing sales, I always had gel nails done at the nail salon. Gel nails are characterized by their feminine shine and long-lasting properties. They are more expensive than nail polish and the process of removing them is a lot of work, but I'm a lazy person, so I prefer to get gel nails done at the nail salon rather than nail polish, which requires frequent reapplication.

It took a lot of twists and turns before I finally settled on getting gel nails done at a salon.

Easy to do-it-yourself manicures and professional gel nails at a salon. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Here is a simple comparison table.

There was a time when I would get manicures without going to a nail salon.
The advantage of nail polish is that it is easy to remove, so you can frequently change the color and design to suit your taste, but I still like the shine of gel nails, so I bought a gel nail kit and did my own gel nails.

I looked up how to do it on the internet and in books and tried to do it by copying what I saw, but since there are qualifications to be called nail technicians, it still requires skill.

If you go to a nail salon, you will see that the work of nail technicians is very detailed and they are truly skilled craftsmen. If I try to do it as an amateur, it takes a long time to remove the nail polish, I end up damaging my nails, and even if I use nail stickers, there is a limit to the designs I can make.
On my days off, it takes me a whole day to finish up my work, and I end up exhausted (laughs).

I could go to a nail salon, but a proper treatment would take at least 2-3 hours. When I changed jobs and got busy at work, I didn't have the time, so I stopped going to the nail salon for a while.

However, I had a fateful encounter that reminded me of the joy of going to the nail salon.

A fateful encounter with a nail salon

After that, I had the opportunity to go to a nail salon for the first time in a while.
I was going to get my nails done for a once in a lifetime event, and I looked into a few nail salons, but I still couldn't decide.

At that time, a certain salon introduced me to a certain nail salon, saying, "This salon has good color and good design sense." The salon said that there were several people who frequented the salon.

On a whim, I decided to have my nails done there for the event.
As the event was held at the sea, she suggested Swarovski crystals for nails that would sparkle in the sunlight, creating once-in-a-lifetime (?!) and very cute nails.

The conversation with the owner who did the treatment was fun and he has great taste.
I thought the relaxed atmosphere of a private nail salon suited me.
Best of all, the owner's highly skilled skills allow me to continue getting my nails done without damaging my nails, and by going to this salon I've also been able to start "nail care" to make my nails stronger and healthier.
For the first time in a long time, I found a nail salon that I wanted to go to again and again.

Since then, I have been requesting this service once every 3 to 4 weeks.

My favorite nail designs of all time. When I pick them out, I notice that a lot of them are pink.

A blissful time watching the craftsmanship from gel nail removal to completion

At the salon I go to, I always have fun conversations with the owner while getting my nails done.

We talk about anything from recent topics to trivial matters, and before we know it, we're laughing and the time has flown by. He's also a senior in life, so he gives me a lot of advice.
It's not just a matter of getting nail art done; it's also a blissful experience for me, as I can relax while having beautiful nails completed.

Usually I just watch in awe as the nails are completed while I chat, but this time I made a special request to let me show you the process.

We'll walk you through the detailed steps!

1 Fill-in

First, remove (=peel off) the color that has grown and is now visible on your natural nails.
The "base" layer of gel is left behind, and the surface color and parts are removed using a special machine.

When women put on makeup, they apply a primer, and ``base'' is the same thing.
The machine looks and sounds very similar to the teeth grinding machines you find at the dentist.
If you leave the base, your natural nails will not be filed down, so they will not be damaged.
After that, another machine is used to treat the cuticles.
(The cuticle is a membrane-like layer at the base of the nail.)
By removing this, your nails will be clearly visible.

They will use a machine like the ones used by dentists to remove the previous art.

In the rare case that the base does come off your nails, soak a cotton ball in gel remover and wrap your finger in aluminum foil to dissolve and remove the base and then reapply it.

Wrap each finger in aluminum foil and remove it.

2 Adjusting the nail length

Next, the nails are filed to the correct length. This requires fine adjustment, so it is done by hand rather than by machine.
If your nails have become short due to cracking or other reasons, there is a technique to lengthen them to match the other long nails.

This is a skilled filing technique that will bring your nails into a neat, even shape.

Once the length has been adjusted, the oil and moisture on the nails will be thoroughly removed so that the gel can be applied more easily. Any gaps between the gel and the nail can lead to mold, so this is something to be careful of.

3. Create a base with transparent gel

Next, apply a clear gel.
This is where you decide the shape of your nails, so check them from various angles.
Proceed carefully.

The process of applying the base gel to the nails is a very serious one. While one hand is working, the other hand is using an LED lamp to harden the gel. They alternate between hardening the gel over and over again until the work is complete.

Once the transparent gel has been applied, it is cured (=hardened) using an LED lamp.
This uses the latest machine, so it hardens in 20 seconds. It's incredibly fast compared to nail polish. Technology is constantly evolving...

Apparently LED lamps can feel quite hot to people who are sensitive to them, but I guess I'm just insensitive; they don't feel that hot, just a little bit.
After this, each time a color or part is placed, it will be hardened using an LED lamp.

4. Decide on the design

Now it's time to create the design!
Being an indecisive person, I always find myself struggling to decide what design to go for.
It's a very happy problem.

On this day, I had already thought about the design I wanted, so I showed them some photos and they went ahead with it.

This time, I decided from the beginning that I absolutely wanted to use red.
I had a bit of an ambitious image in mind: I wanted nails that were autumnal, sophisticated, and photogenic, which is the current trend for this article (laughs).

When it comes to nail design, I like to keep it minimal.
Choose a few nails with an accent colour as the focal point and keep the remaining nails simple.

This time, the base is see-through black with red holograms scattered ^throughout ...
With that in mind, we asked them to create the design.

I wanted to make a cool design with a black see-through color and a red heart hologram as the main color, but...

But what colours would go well with this design on the other nails?

In the sample image, all the nails were black,
I wanted to have a different color for all the nails except the tips.
But I don't know what colour would go well with it...

Black is a color that poses a challenge for me.
We decided to first make the main nails and then think about the design for the rest of the nails.

※hologram

Along with the gel color, the holograms give the nails an accent shine. Every time, she uses various techniques to create art from her dream drawer (lol) filled with many colors and countless parts.

5 The fun design process continues

However, something unexpected happened at this point!

After having a design made on each nail on both hands, I thought to myself, "Hmm, something doesn't seem to be quite what I had in mind...", and it seemed the owner was thinking the same thing, saying, "It doesn't really have the feel of Mr. Ikeda."
"Let's start again! Let's forget what just happened!"
And they agreed to try again.
This was the first time I'd ever experienced something like this.
It's like trying on clothes, but when you actually try it on your nails, you think, "It's not what I imagined."
That's what happens... I was surprised myself, because I usually don't redo a design once it's been decided.
And I'm grateful to the owner for starting over from scratch.

It seems that this kind of hard-looking nail design doesn't suit me.
I really admire cool women who can pull off nails like these, but I don't think I'll ever be able to do that, even in my lifetime (laughs).

We decided on the design from scratch, so we started thinking while looking at the owner's original samples.

Since my previous nails were super cute for summer, I thought, "It's autumn, so I'd like to get a cool look," and consulted the owner.

"After all, it's hard to throw away red."

When autumn comes, I want to have red nails.
However, now that it's early autumn, it would feel oppressive if it didn't have a bit of lightness.
(This article was written in early September.)

Even though it's the same color red, there are many different kinds of red, such as wine red, bright red, and sheer red.

If you pick out a few reds and try them on your nails, it's easy to see how they go with your skin tone.

After much deliberation, I chose "Royal Rouge", which has a hint of magenta.
The colour is burgundy.

The main color is "Royal Rouge." We will decide on a design that matches this red.

6 Finally, nail art

I had a gold glitter line added to my "Royal Rouge" colored nails.
Only the middle and little fingers have line tape, Swarovski crystals and gold holograms.

Parts that are glued with gel, such as Swarovski crystals, tend to come off easily.
I don't want them to come off during normal daily activities like housework, so I use a gel to attach them so firmly that I don't feel any unevenness. I don't usually get them caught on anything, so I don't feel any discomfort at all.

Next, we decided to make a simple nail design based on white to highlight the "Royal Rouge" point color. We added big shells (large shells) to the color "White Onyx" and gold leaf as an accent!
The nails have a mature feel to them, with a hint of summer, but also some autumn colours.

Finally, lightly file only the "white onyx" nails.
This completely removes any unevenness and enhances the shell's shine and depth.

The finished nails are wiped off and then oil used for nail care is applied to finish off the experience!!

7 Finished!

The perfect nail design for the start of autumn.

I'm indecisive, so I had a lot of doubts before I got to this point,
Based on my particular preference for the color red, the designers created a design that captured the image I had in mind.
The owner worked closely with me and we were able to create some lovely autumn nails.
As always, these are my favorite nail designs!!

Gel nails strengthen your nails, making them less likely to break and helping you maintain their length.
The treatment doesn't involve filing my natural nails, which makes them stronger. My nails were originally quite short, but now I can grow them to this length.

Why do I do nail art?

Nail art is not a necessity in life.
So why do I always have nail art?

There is definitely a difference in my mood whether I have nails done or not.
After all, hands are a part of the body that is easily visible.
Even when I'm doing something, if I suddenly catch a glimpse of my cute hands, it's soothing, it lifts my spirits, and gives me motivation.
It's not about how other people see me, it's just for my own satisfaction (laughs).

I got my cute nails done and enjoyed casual conversation with the owner...
The nail salon has become my monthly retreat.
It's a reward for myself for working hard every day!

You can enjoy your treatment on the soft sofa.

On the way home after getting my nails done, I was so happy! (laughs)
He looks at his nails and grins to himself, and from the outside he probably looks like a dangerous person.
When I'm soaking in the bath, I can't help but stare at my nails.

One of my secret pleasures is checking out cute nail designs on Instagram and nail apps on the train on my way to work.

I would like to continue going to the nail salon in order to help me do my best every day.
I wonder what design I should make next time.