Neither — it's a prep method. Your cuticle area is worked dry with an e-file instead of soaked and clipped. That's what creates the clean, paint-to-the-skin line. Any color, shape or length can sit on top of it.

Two different things get confused here. Your eponychium — the living skin fold that seals your nail — stays. The cuticle is dead tissue stuck to the nail plate, and that's what's removed. Leaving it is exactly why gel lifts at the base. Nothing living is taken off.

Two things decide this — one is on us, one is on you.

On our side. With correct speed, angle and pressure, the bit works on dead tissue and old product — your natural nail only gets a light buff. The technique does have a real learning curve, and untrained hands can over-file or burn, which is why opinions online are mixed. Ask any salon about their training. Your nails should feel normal afterward, never raw or stinging.

On your side. How you use your hands between visits matters just as much. Using nails as tools, knocking them, or skipping cuticle oil lets the natural nail crack underneath, or forces the gel to separate from the plate. When you arrive at week 4 with a break under the product or a set that's lifting, we can't do a gentle fill — everything has to come off and be rebuilt. A full removal every visit means far more filing over a year than a fill ever would.

Nails that thin over time usually trace back to that cycle, not to any single appointment. Oil twice a day, and treat your nails as jewelry rather than tools — that's what keeps you on fills instead of full rebuilds.

No. Expect light pressure, warmth and vibration — nothing sharp. Pain, bleeding or soreness afterward aren't "part of it," they're a sign of a heavy hand. Speak up immediately if anything feels off.

They do different jobs:

• Russian manicure = the prep. Controls how long your set lasts before lifting, and how sharp the cuticle line looks.

• Structured gel = the build. Controls strength, so nails survive week three.

Most clients get both — that's our Signature and Premium Gel Manicure

You're not paying for a manicure. You're paying to not think about your nails for four weeks.

A cheaper set isn't cheaper — it's paid later. Prep that isn't precise lifts at week two. Lifting gets picked. Picking takes nail plate with it. Then you're paying someone to repair your nails before they can do anything pretty with them.

You're paying for a set that doesn't need to be undone.

You can, but that's when damage happens. As the nail grows, the apex — the strongest point of the structure — travels forward, away from your stress point. That's when nails snap or crack starting at week 3-4.

Book your set at week 3–4. If you go longer, just come in — file the length shorter, don’t pick at it yourself.

Bulk comes from product in the wrong place, not too much product. Correct structure is thin at the cuticle, arched at the apex, tapered thin at the tip — from above it just looks like a naturally strong nail. Tell us at consultation if you want a lower profile.

Usually you're the ideal candidate. Structure protects a thin nail while your own grows out, and gives bitten nails a surface that isn't satisfying to pick. Dual-forms add length with suited hard gel.

Let's talk first if you have: redness, swelling or infection around a nail; eczema or psoriasis at the nail fold; a recent nail injury; or reduced sensation in your hands. Send a photo before booking.

Removal is where most nail damage actually happens — rarely the set itself. Done safely, product is reduced with an e-file to a thin layer, then soaked off in minutes instead of an hour.

What really damages nails: peeling a set off, prying it, or long acetone soaks. If a set lifts at home, don't pull — come in.

Removal is free with a new set within 4 weeks for our own clients.

Every metal implement and e-file bit is cleaned, disinfected and auto-clave sterilized between clients. Files and buffers that can't be sterilized are single-use. Ask to see anything opened in front of you.

Nails don't breathe — keratin gets nutrients from the matrix, not air. A healthy nail under a properly applied and removed set needs no recovery period. What it needs is cuticle oil minimum twice daily. If your nails feel like they need a break, the cause is over-filing or rough removal — worth fixing, not waiting out.