Gel and acrylic nails

They are two materials for the same thing: building an extension on your own nail. Gel is more flexible and natural; acrylic, more rigid and hard-wearing. Which one suits you depends on how you use your hands, and we decide it together at the appointment before starting.

The extension does not fall off: it grows out with you. What sets the pace is the infill, every three or four weeks. It holds up to what gel polish cannot, like typing all day, housework or the gym.

Every three or four weeks. Beyond that, the nail becomes unbalanced because the grown-out product shifts the weight towards the tip, and the risk of it lifting goes up.

A full set of extensions is €75.90 and the appointment takes 120 min, because each nail is shaped one by one. An infill is €46.90 and takes 90 min.

What damages the nail is pulling the product off, not wearing it. That is why removal is done with product and patience, never by pulling. After months of extensions the nail plate takes a few weeks to regain its thickness, and during that time it is best not to file it at home.

We repair it on its own, without touching the rest: the broken area is rebuilt with the same product and the shape and colour are matched to the others. It is €5.00 per nail and takes 15 min. Come in as soon as it happens, because a break that catches gets worse.

Better not. Pulling the product off takes layers of your own nail with it. Removal at the salon is €36.90 and includes an express manicure, so your natural nail leaves with its shape and cuticle tidy.

At Calle de José Ortega y Gasset, 94, a few minutes from Manuel Becerra and Lista metro stations. An extension needs a 120 min appointment, so it is worth booking ahead.