Liz Nail & Spa: Flushing, Queens, NY
Classy Gatsby for Allison
design by: Nori Nail
technician: Alex
price: $$
Studios are rated in a 1-3 star system. To learn more see our studio list.
Overall:★
We were supposed to go to Yukie Nail in Midtown, but when we got there we were told that we never confirmed our appointment. They were kind of sassy about it, but I’ll rant about that when we go there officially. It was a Friday night and everyone was booked, so the next day we decided to go to Liz Nail & Spa in Flushing, because when you live in the outer boroughs going into the city on the weekends is “too much man.” Allison and the salon’s only nail artist, Alex, were chatting away, and it would have been a four star experience if it was not for a few crucial mistakes. It was a good price though; the bill came to $65 without tip. Then Allison panicked when she was adding tip on her card, and accidentally left a 40% tip, which I will be laughing about until the end of time.
STUDIO: ★
Liz’s decor seems to follow the strict rules of “all white everything.” The overwhelming white highlights the studio’s cleanliness, which includes their bathroom which was nice. The space is very narrow, almost like a wide hallway, and although it was clearly cramped it never felt clogged. If you’re a fan of bubble chandeliers, they have two, along with a built in pedicure bench that adds a boutique vibe.
The studio is located in a strip mall on Union Street, aka a 20 min walk from Flushing Main Street, which made me think, ‘Is this really still Flushing?’ We’ll just have to trust what their address says, but nevertheless we drove there. Right in front of the salon there is 2 hour metered street parking. We were able to get spot and quickly snap a pic of the storefront as we hurried inside. The salon was bustling and it did not let up the whole time we were there. Unfortunately, the prosperous vibe turned sour when it became apparent that the salon was busy because management overbooked. About halfway through Allison’s session, Alex was two appointments behind. The manager told him to hurry up in an irritated tone, which made everyone feel uncomfortable. Alex ended up rushing through the last steps, causing problems Allison and I would have to deal with later.
NAIL CARE: ★★
Alex and Allison were chatting away like two friends catching up. While Allison was telling Alex about our apartment, and Alex was telling Allison about his childhood, (it’s an interesting story, if you have him as a tech you should ask) he gently removed her polish, scraping lightly and taking his time. He was very courteous and helped Allison preserve the length on her nails. We were particularly impressed with Alex’s filing and shaping, finding the shape of the nail on her ring finger especially attractive. It was nice to see a nail tech really be meticulous even with short nails. Sadly, Alex cut Allison with the cuticle nipper near the base of her nail. It was a tiny cut, but we had to dock a star.
ART: ★
Allison works at the Center for Women’s History at the New York Historical Society Museum and Library. She has a big conference coming up themed "Ninety nine years Since prohibition," so she thought it would be funny to do Gatsby themed nails. We found this design on Instagram by Nori Nails for Alex to to replicate. Allison and I were originally very happy with the results, but only a few hours later the gold tape began to peel off! It was a crisis. We realized that because management was rushing him, Alex forgot to put a top coat on over the tape. As I looked closer at the damage I also noticed that the taping was not as precise as the original photo. Luckily we live super close to Royal Beauty, so we stopped by and had them put a top coat on.
By the time we got there, a number of her nails had been damaged, since exposed tape is very delicate. Most of the nails were salvageable, but one had to be redone. The total for the touch up was $16. We would have gone back to Alex, but the salon was so far away. If you look on Liz Nail and Spa’s Instagram, there are a number of well executed designs that do not involve taping. Not only may taping not be their strong suit, but I still believe that Alex is a very capable artist. It’s a shame that all can go awry over a little top coat!
LONGEVITY: ★
Now that Allison’s nails have a top coat I’m confident that they will last more than one day.
Update: While they did last more than one day, the foil really compromised the integrity of the polish. They made it through the conference, which was their primary purpose, but they started falling apart immediately after. The nails that were painted on still look perfect, so it’s just something with the foil that didn’t go quite right. Today it’s been two weeks on the dot, and the polish on one of her middle fingers has popped clean off. This also happened with her nails from MG Nail, it could be her nail type, or it could be the application. We’ll see when she gets her nails done again.