My new manicure: hand painted squishy bows with faux gems on it!
I think they are darling (:
My idea of a manicure is more nail art. I went with a dear friend of mine on our weekend getaway and as an afterthought, she told me that manicures should be more of a pamper treatment for your hands, including the removal of dead skin which us mere mortals aren’t so capable of doing…
…which got me thinking! I’m always admiring the manicures of my friends, with rainbows or marble-effects on their nails and perhaps beautiful nail shapes, but I do not take note of their cuticles at all.
Do you even bother looking at the nail ’standards’ of your own hands? Are you particular or anal about it? I know for a fact that its definitely cheaper in Asian cities such as Batam (Indonesia), Bangkok (Thailand) and Guangzhou (China). The exchange rates are also really favourable for us Singaporeans to do manicures in these areas!
If you’re in Europe, Australia, Japan, USA, are manicures cheap or do you consider it to be a luxury? I’d never do manicures in Singapore because they are so darn expensive. It costs about USD35 SGD35 (whoops typo!) for a good manicure in Singapore: I can buy several pairs of shoes for the price of a manicure session!
Tell me tell me tell me! (:
Hope your weekend’s good so far!
Stephie
18 Comments
July 4, 2009, 4:31 pm, at 4:31 pm
manicures (even good ones) in Singapore certainly don’t cost USD35… more like SGD35!
was that a typo?
July 4, 2009, 5:26 pm, at 5:26 pm
You can do a mani + pedi at Nails+ at Excelsior for $35 if you buy a package. It’s one the cheapest around and it’s run by just 1 manicurist/owner, Shirley who used to work in Vegas. She does a great job!
Pearlin
Chief Guinea Pig
ReviewAntiAging.com
July 4, 2009, 5:46 pm, at 5:46 pm
Yep, vyong is right. Manis in Singapore cost only about SGD$35 generally. Certainly not as expensive as you made it sound, Stephie!
July 4, 2009, 9:36 pm, at 9:36 pm
Manicures are definitely a luxury here in Ireland. They can be very expensive, anything from €20 for a file and polish up to €50 for the longest treatments, so generally around €30-40 for a standard manicure. So only for special occasions or a treat.
Your nails are very cute!
July 4, 2009, 10:13 pm, at 10:13 pm
Hello
I’m from Perth. Spore mani and pedi are so cheap and good!
In Australia, the express pedi and mani already cost AUD75…
When in spore, my nails are never naked. I usually sign on a package and do my nails every week.
Love
July 4, 2009, 10:33 pm, at 10:33 pm
getting super cheap pedis are one thing i miss about my hometown (manila) since i moved here. i used to get them at the neighborhood salon for the equivalent of S$4! i learned to do my own pedis at home but the pampering is something only a salon can provide.
July 4, 2009, 11:36 pm, at 11:36 pm
Manicure is gettting more popular in Germany but it’s not consider as luxury good. It’s more like an extra beauty treatment.
Manicure is so cheap in HK! I can’t believe it but I’m not into all this beauty stuff at all.
July 4, 2009, 11:45 pm, at 11:45 pm
Bow manicures?? SO CUTE!!!
July 5, 2009, 12:00 am, at 12:00 am
vyong, pearlin, cindy: thanks girls! yes it’s a typo, thanks for spotting it!
fruchtzwerg, missmilki, sharene, currystrumpet: somehow I think its cheaper in Asia to do manicures/pedicures, it could be the exchange rates or the fact that Asians may not want to pay so much for beauty treatments? Either way it is still very interesting for me, this trend in price differences.
July 5, 2009, 7:37 am, at 7:37 am
In my part of the US you can get a mani/pedi for a price of anywhere from $35 to $65 dollars. There’s not a huge difference in quality for the price, the expensive ones are more spa like. I know that it is cheaper for these services in new york city because people tend to get them more often..
July 5, 2009, 7:58 am, at 7:58 am
It depends on where you get there — at a spa (in Queensland) I paid A$300 for a mani/pedi, but it was a crazy sort of spa with crazy expensive products and it was a present from my boy.
But generally in the malls here in Sydney you can get a decent mani/pedi for A$45. I only get my nails done once every six months or so, the rest of the time I do my own nails (on a weekly basis), just with hand cream, cuticle oil, orange stick, strengthening base coat, colour and top coat. My tip is to invest in quality products like OPI so they do less damage to your nails if you’re a polish addict like me.
July 5, 2009, 8:01 am, at 8:01 am
Also, Stephie, I think the cost of the mani/pedi is directly related to labour costs, as it’s very labour-intensive from a business point of view.
In Asia it’s much cheaper to hire (and train) people to perform such services whereas in places like Australia and the U.S. there is such a thing as minimum labour costs. I know for a fact that the mani/pedi lady at my local nail place gets paid A$16 an hour or more.
July 5, 2009, 11:17 am, at 11:17 am
it’s probably manpower overheads more than anything else that affects the pricing of cost in such services… i’m not into doing my nails but i hear you can get them done for as little as $9 for a basic file, buff and paint at some nail salons, maybe in the heartlands
July 5, 2009, 11:58 am, at 11:58 am
Oh yeah… manicures are super expensive in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand… the only place where I could afford getting a manicure every week was Brazil. In Brazil every single woman gets their nails done very week, religiously, and when I say everyone I mean even the poorest!!!!!
July 5, 2009, 3:57 pm, at 3:57 pm
grazielabrenno: same with manila, i’ve seen fish vendors at wet markets with full mani+pedi-ed nails!
July 5, 2009, 4:22 pm, at 4:22 pm
ooooh love your pretty in pink manicure with bows to boot.
July 6, 2009, 12:19 am, at 12:19 am
so cuttteee! where did u get them done and how much?
July 8, 2009, 11:54 pm, at 11:54 pm
I think even if a girl doesn’t have pretty extensions and beautiful nail art, a decent pedicure and manicure is a must. Imagine someone who dresses to kill with ugly nails and unsightly overload of cuticle. Eeks!