As I walked into Chic Nails, I was met with the familiar smell of nail polish and nail polish remover. Being someone who doesn’t normally get their nails done at a nail salon, I was overwhelmed by all of my different options.

There were hundreds of color choices between gel, regular nail polish, and the choice between a French manicure or a colored polish. Thinking I would be adventurous and try something new, I tried the gel nail polish for the first time. I chose a sky blue color.

The lady who did my nails was extremely kind. She talked to me the entire time she did my nails, which was about 30 minutes.

First, she painted a clear bottom coat on my nails. Then came the color layer, followed by a top coat. After each layer I had to stick my hands under a UV light. During my second coat of the colored layer I brushed my hand against the side of the light and messed up the polish. Fortunately, the nail lady was very understanding and fixed it right away for me.

At Chic Nails, it cost me $30 to get the gel polish done. Even though it was a bit pricey, it was worth it. I normally chip my nails within a day of painting them. The gel’s promise of “no chip” polish stood true because within an hour of leaving the salon I banged my hand and should’ve chipped my nail, but the nail polish stayed. So far a week has gone by and the polish hasn’t chipped at all. My nails look smooth, fun, and professionally done without looking fake, just the way I wanted them to look.

I was impressed overall with the cleanliness of Chic Nails. There were sinks and soaps for all customers to clean their hands before their manicures. Most of the employees also wore plastic gloves and surgeon masks while giving the manicures and pedicures.

Chic Nails offers manicures, pedicures, gel nails, acrylic nails, and different types of waxes. They had baskets full of nail design choices and shelves filled with hundreds of color choices.

Chic Nails is a great place to get your nails done because they provide tons of options and wonderful service.

Emily Clarke is the Print Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.