Beauty: February Nails

This is what my nails look like atm. It’s starting to get a bit warmer so I wanted to go with a more spring feel, hence the brighter colours and flowers this time. I struggled to choose colours just like always but in the end mint won the day. I really like this colour against my skin tone and I’ve bought a lot of clothes in similar shades lately.  The flowers are sculpted but they really don’t seem it after the top gel coat was applied. Though this makes the design lose some of it’s interest, I prefer it because I’m always catching my hands on things anyway.

I actually had a set of nails in between these and my last post but they were very boring because I　had to attend a conference and I’d like to keep my rule breaking as unnoticeable as possible at events like that. Bambi had revamped all it’s art with loads of cute designs that I’d wanted to try so I was really looking forward to this appointment but in the end was offered the same old art as before. This confused me but I went with one of the cute monthly options instead anyway. I think I’m going to change salons after this set. It’s a hassle but it might be worth it.

Beauty: “TIDY” nail salon in Kobe

I’ve talked about Bambi nail salon a lot and shown most of the art I’ve had done there but this time I wanted to talk about a different salon. TIDY was maybe the third nail salon I tried in Kobe and one of the only places I gave a second visit.

This is the first set I got done at TIDY. They had lots of really cute art selections and these actually looked really nice in person because they were subtle but really sparkly. They were however quite expensive which I did not like. As I mentioned in the BAMBI post, I like my nailists to be a bit talkative but both the nailists I saw at TIDY we silent with me. Even though I can speak Japanese… I found this a bit off putting but I entertained myself watching Japanese comedy shows on their small TV.

TIDY’s unique point for me would be the way they take off gel. Normally a salon will file the top layer off, place cotton soaked in remover on each nail and wrap them in foil. Here however they warm the remover in like…a bain-marie and then you place your nails in the bowl of remover like if you were getting a manicure. This was strange for me but not unpleasant. I imagine it would be quite painful if you have any cuts on your hands though. They claim it’s kinder on your hands but I can’t really see how.

These are the from the second and final time I went to TIDY. Because I was off from work for a while I could get a more flashy design but still got them done french style because I wouldn’t be able to get them re-done in a hurry. I loved their art selection but they were really rigid about editing them. Usually a salon will let you change colours and part (perhaps at extra cost) TIDY only let you change colours and the nailist was kinda rude when I asked if I could change the stars snowflakes. This is part of the reason I never went back. It’s fine if you’re silent since I can entertain myself in other ways but being snippy about me wanting some input into a design that I’m paying a lot for is not happening.

In general, the salon is nice and cozy with four stations and they have a big selection of colours, parts and designs for a variety of prices. The nail designs are photographed and kept in photo albums according to price unlike other salons that have boards with mock-up designs to see. This makes them a bit harder to peruse one handed but it was neatly laid out I guess.

One thing i would add is that when I first went to Bambi, directly after getting the pink nail design above, my nails were very damaged and two of them had greenish stains on them. I had no idea what it was but my nailist said whoever did my nails didn’t cure my base coast well enough so the gel had stained my natural nail. So yeah, all in all I would not recommend Tidy even though they had nice designs that got lots of compliments and lasted a long time. The pink star nails are some of my favourites that I’ve had done but I just cannot go back there.

http://beauty.hotpepper.jp/kr/slnH000220413/

Beauty: January nails

I haven’t posted any pictures of my nail art in a couple of months and I really like the design I just had done (at Bambi of course) so I wanted to show them off. My nails over the holiday season were trash imo and I almost didn’t want to go back to Bambi because the whole experience was just not as good as usual but I gave them another shot (after all I do have a point card) and they definitely impressed me. It was pretty expensive because this design is quite parts heavy and I also got nail care done because it’s a New Year and my hands needed some tlc.

I’m just really pleased because when i went in my nails were awful, all grown out and chipped but now they’re short and cute. I don’t like letting them get too long because they just get in the way at work tbh. Also my nailist had really nice art on her own nails which she told me was a possible design for next month so I will definitely go back to Bambi. I’ll just make sure to start actually requesting nailists I know are good from now on. I’m planning to go for more adult designs this year because even I’m getting sick of looking so girly and am changing my wardrobe to a more seiso/otona style too.

Beauty: November nails

For my nails this time I wanted to get something deep red because all I’ve been wearing lately are garnets and reds. Also because like I mentioned in my last post, it’s koyo season in Japan and I like seasonal nails. Unfortunately, the salon was out of the colour I originally wanted so these nails are more of a burgundy than a garnet but I love them anyway. The cream/jewel tone combo is clearly trending atm because I’ve seen like 3 other women in the last two days with similar nails to mine. That’s the kind of thing that would bother me if the nail art in this country wasn’t so varied. Like last month I went with something more understated than my heart called out for because….well work. They’re still very pretty though and I like how the light catches off the stones as I’m typing.  I can’t wait for next month though because I have time off work so I can get something a bit fancier done for Christmas. I’m thinking, reds and greens and gold and tartan and maybe snowflakes too.

Beauty: New nails! (｡•ㅅ•｡)♡

It was time to redo my nails so I went back to Bambi which I’ve blogged about previously. I originally wanted to get something Halloween themed and they actually had loads of cute themed art but alas I have a job and bright oranges and purples are a bit much.

They had loads of cute monthly art too so I went for a checked designed (before check well and truly goes out of style). My nailist was surprised I chose navy instead of the pinks I usually get (and I know she secretly judges me for) but I figure it’s a better colour for autumn. Also navy goes with basically everything.

Beauty : ‘Bambi’ Nail Salon in Kobe

Japan has some of the most beautiful nail art in the world in my opinion. Since nail art is so popular at also means you get a lot of options in regards to the materials you want to use or where you chose to get them done. When I lived in Tokyo I knew plenty of salons but when I first arrived in Kobe I wasn’t sure where was best to go so I turned to Hot Pepper. Hot Pepper is a magazine (and website) that offers coupons for everything from food to massages. It’s a bit like groupon I guess you could say. I’ve been to a few salons here now and I thought I’d review them.

Most people in Japan get soft gel nails done. Hard gel and acrylic is also popular but if you look around most people tend to have gel nails art done. When I was still a student I tended more towards the really glitzy 3D gal nails that you see splashed around tumblr but I try to keep it more muted for work now. Makes it easier to use my hand too tbh. Throughout the review I’ll put pictures of all the work I’ve gotten done here.

Everyone has different things they want from a nail salon but for me I care about price, art and the atmosphere.　I can’t stand it when nailists don’t make conversation.　We don’t have to talk a lot but if I’m gonna be sat there for 2 hours it can’t be in oppressive silence. Also I like a at least a few ‘trendy’ options to chose from. Some salons seem to have very stagnant art selections and even if well executed that is pretty boring imo.

Bambi is the salon I have been to most frequently.I don’t see any specific nailist at Bambi but I like all of the ones I have met so far. Usually it’s the owner that does my nails and she is super chatty! The other girls are quieter but it doesn’t ever feel awkward. In April this year they changed location so now they have super comfy chairs and a big tv so you can watch TV. Usually they show movies (last time I went it was Pirates of the Caribbean) so you don’t get bored. Since the summer they have started offering barley tea for refreshment (nicely covered with clingfilm to avoid anything gross getting in the glass) and in winter they give you blankets for your lap. The whole atmosphere is just really nice and welcoming which is probably why I keep going back. The new location is much closer to Sannomiya station and it’s quite easy to find.

They are fairly well priced and their flash art is nice. You can pay to change details and of course changing the colours is free. Recently they’ve started offering a couple of designs that change monthly. They’re also priced pretty well and tend to be really seasonally appropriate. If you book via Hot Pepper there’s also a small selection of other designs to chose from.

You may have noticed from the photographs that I tend to stick to french-tip style designs. This is partly because I don’t want super flashy nails at work and also partly because you don’t have to worry so much about regrowth. My nails actually grow pretty quickly which can be pretty harsh on my wallet when it comes to nail appointments.

In addition to gel nail art I have also gotten repairs and chips applied here. They’ve always been applied really well and aren’t that expensive. I have had their ‘care’ treatment before as well which left my cuticles looking really cute. I try to not do that too often though.

I’ll include links to their website and their Hot Pepper listing. You can book an appointment via either of these sites or by phone. Nobody at the salon speaks English so if you don’t speak Japanese well (or at all) I’d recommend booking through Hot Pepper. Also you can see other reviews on Hot Pepper (all positive that I can see) and access their blog via their main website.

Main website:
http://www.bambi-nail.com/

Hot Pepper listing:
http://beauty.hotpepper.jp/kr/slnH000170655/