Noticed in Singapore that acrylic extensions is catching on, as some of the bigger salons are doing it -- like Dashing Diva in Suntec. The prices they charge usually range from $100 to $180 (depending on how posh your nail salon is, and also, the SKILLS of the nail technician).
For me, I choose to offer my acrylic extensions at $75, not cos my skills are bad (any manicurists who graduated from a $4k Japanese recognised diploma course in The Pink Room Int'l Nail Academy are very good...and I'm not blowing my own trumpet).
The reason why I price it low is cos I'm operating a home salon, and I don't have overheads. Moreover, I frankly think the pricings for extensions is over-priced in Singapore, cos not many manicurists know how to do it well.
So, what are extensions?
Currently in the market, we have Acrylic, UV Gel and Fiberglass/Silkwrap extensions.
There are 2 main approaches to creating acrylic extensions. They are:
- Extension tips
- Acrylic forms
Extension tips: they are made of lightweight plastic, shaped in the form of a nail tip. These tips are glued onto nails, then acrylic is applied over the remaining nail plate to "fix" and hold the tip in place. Usually nail tips (cos they are so soft) snaps easily, and if you are not careful, it won't last a week.)
Example of extension tips application
Acrylic forms: the forms are fitted under the fingers/nails and acrylic is applied over and beyond the length of the natural nail. After 30-40 secs, the acrylic hardens and the form is removed from the fingers.
Example of acrylic extensions using forms
Another type of extensions is Gel Extension. The approach is similar to acrylic forms extension. Instead of acrylic powder, a UV Gel is used. Previously, gel extensions cannot be removed by soaking, but now, we have gel soak-offs. (Prior to gel soak offs, gel extensions would have to be "grown out" from the nail or filed off, the latter is pretty damaging to the nail).
The last two types of extensions are Fibreglass Wraps or Silk Wraps. A piece of fibreglass/ silk fabric is cut out to fit the surface of the nail then held in place with resin/ glue.
Fibreglass/ silk wraps are the most impermanent. But, they are suitable for those who are allergic to Acrylic/ UV Gel.
