Most people booking a nail appointment are not choosing between four systems. They are choosing between a vague memory of what they had last time and whatever the salon recommends. That usually works out, but it also means a lot of people end up in a system that is not really built for their nails.
Here is the plain version of what each one does.
Classic gel
A cured colour coat on your natural nail. No added structure and no added length. It is the right answer when your nails are already in reasonable condition and you want colour that survives a working week without chipping.
With us a classic gel manicure is $40 and a classic gel pedicure is $50. There is a non-gel version of both if you prefer a traditional polish finish, at $20 and $30. If you are short on time, express versions are on the price list too.
Choose it if: your nails are healthy, you want colour, and you are not trying to solve a problem.
BIAB
A flexible builder gel applied as an overlay on your own nail. It adds reinforcement rather than length, which makes it the usual recommendation for nails that bend, peel or break before they get anywhere.
BIAB manicure is $68 and BIAB pedicure is $78. We have written about what that price covers and why BIAB quotes vary so widely if you want the detail.
Choose it if: your natural nails are thin or flexible, or you are growing out damage and want protection while you do it.
Extensions, gel or acrylic
This is where length actually comes from. A tip or form extends past your natural free edge and is then built over. Acrylic is the firmer of the two and gel extensions are slightly more flexible, but both are doing the same structural job.
Extensions in either gel or acrylic are $88. Once you are in a set, maintenance is an overlay or infill at $60 rather than a full rebuild each time.
Choose it if: you want noticeable added length, or a shape your natural nail will not reach on its own.
SNS
A dipping powder system. The nail is dipped into a coloured powder and sealed, which gives a hard-wearing finish without a UV cure for the colour itself.
SNS with us is $80.
Choose it if: you like a durable finish and prefer a dip system to a gel one.
A quick way to decide
If you strip out the product names, there are really only three questions.
- Do you need length? If yes, you are looking at extensions. If no, you are looking at gel or BIAB.
- Do your nails need protecting? If they bend, peel or split, BIAB. If they are fine as they are, classic gel.
- How often will you come back? Overlay systems are built around infills at $60. If you would rather not maintain anything, a classic gel manicure is the lower-commitment option.
Removal matters more than people expect
Whatever you choose, the way it comes off matters as much as the way it goes on. Picking or peeling a set off takes layers of your natural nail with it, and that damage is what people are usually trying to fix when they arrive asking for something stronger.
Soft gel removal is $15 and hard gel removal is $25. If you want a strengthening treatment while your nails recover, that is $25. Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority publishes general guidance on cosmetic product safety if you want to read more broadly about what goes on your nails.
More on timing and aftercare in infills, removal and nail health between appointments.
Seeing it in person
Colour is genuinely hard to choose from a screen. Our shade wall sits next to the design boards, so you can hold a colour up in the same light you will be wearing it in. You can browse the nail designs gallery first if you want to arrive with an idea.
We are on Level 5 of Far East Plaza at #05-127A. Bring a photo, or bring nothing, and we will work it out from there.
