Minx It Up

A few weeks ago, while dining with my gal Meg, she mentioned that she was dying to get something called a "Minx manicure". She described it to me as kind of like a car wrap, only for your nails. A sticker that is heated and "wraps" onto your nail, looks more intense and comes in way more colors/patterns than traditional nail polish, and was better for your nails than acrylics or any other kind of faux nail. Some celebrities have recently been into it as well.

I was immediately intrigued. As I have mentioned before, I always always have my nails polished. I detest the look of my bare nails, probably because they are short nubs that belong on the paw of rodent and not on the hand of a lady, but I digress. The Minx manicure piqued my interest and so the next day I hit Google in search of more information. Which in turn, brought me to the Minx website.

According to the website, a Minx is defined as "...a sexy, confident, naughty but fun individual who lives every day like it is a big, ripe juicy apple ready to be bitten. "

Ok, so far so good.

And to get technical, the actual product is "... a solid film with an adhesive back that is heat activated. The heat gives Minx the conformability to fit over the compound curves of nails and seals it onto the nail bed"

Ok sounds easy enough! I was sold. After consulting the website further I learned that Minx manicures are offered at local spa chain "Miniluxe". After checking out their website I learned that the Mix manicure sets you back $50. That, to me, was a little steep for a manicure. But it IS a novelty, something to do for fun. And my birthday was fast approaching. So I decided to treat myself. Why not?


I consulted with Meaghan and we decided the best plan of action was to make simultaneous appointments in the Back Bay Miniluxe (for Meaghan, who works in town) and the Newton Corner Miniluxe (for me, who works in Newton) and then meet for dinner in Quincy after. Since only one Minx technician works at each establishment, and the service takes an hour at least per person, we decided that was the best use of our time. Aren't we efficient? So we made our appointments for February 24th after work and were both psyched.

In the interim, Meg gave me a gift card to Miniluxe for my birthday so the Minx, in essence, was her gift to me! Thanks Meg!

I arrived at Miniluxe a full half hour before my appointment hoping they would take me, and they did! I was presented with a drawer of Minx "stickers" to choose from. They come in sheets like below (not a photo I took)

(IMG FROM HERE)


I had previously been on the Minx website looking at their hundreds of colors/patterns and was a little disappointed the selection at Miniluxe was sparse in comparison - maybe only 10 or 15 to choose from there. However I was in luck because the color I had most liked on the website, was available.



I was not yet mentally prepared for a crazy pattern...thought if they had this one I would have been severely tempted.

After picking my Minx we set down to business. Now, a Minx manicure is a dry manicure. no soaking, no scrubbing. Just some filing, some cuticle removal and some buffing and you are ready to get Minxed. The technician held each sticker up to each fingernail to deduce the right size, then peeled an individual sticker off and held it under a heat lamp until it began to curl, then immediately pressed it onto my fingernail, smoothing and pressing down for a moment or two between bending the excess onto your fingertip and moving on to the next nail.



After applying the Minx to each finger on one hand, the technician went back with a heavy duty nail file and filed off the remaining sticker, leaving a smooth edge that looked and felt like a polish manicure! The whole process took about 90 minutes (it took longer for me than it would for someone who actually takes care of their nails....this poor woman had a lot of pre-con work to do!) and it also takes less time if you have longer nails. It was an enjoyable time though, we chatted throughout and I was intrigued watching the whole process. I asked approximately one hundred questions. I= a joy!

After both hands were done, she sealed the tip of each nail with a dab of nail glue and I was good to go. It was odd to get a manicure and immediately be able to root around in your bag for your keys without fear of smudging.

After my appointment I met Meg and we went to Blue 22 for dinner, trivia*, and nail comparison.



We both picked the same color but, though you can't really tell in this photo, Meg got a black and silver polka dot pattern on her pinky nails which I thought was ADORABLE! We both love our manicures though! The color is so intense and metallic, it is not something you could achive with a nail polish and even better it won't chip. It will just peel off in about 2 weeks. Easy peasy!



I'm obsessed. And already a handful of people have asked me what nail polish color I'm wearing and I am having fun telling them all about Minx. Mostly because I really just like saying the word "minx".


Minx!

So if you are looking to try something different and don't mind spending the $50 I would recommend trying it out! It would be great for a special occasion or just a little pick me up to spoil yourself during a rough week. Click here to find a salon near you that offers them.

And if you live in the area, I would definitely recommend Miniluxe. Though their collection of Minx stickers was not as extensive as I would have hoped, they did have quite a few that I liked and the one I ultimately wanted so it worked out. The staff there could not be nicer or more friendly and the atmosphere is warm and chic! Even though I can't swing a Minx every week. I will definitely be back for one of their regular manicures once I grow these nubs out some more.

In other news today I am 30. Holla!

*We named our Trivia Team "Minx" (wicked original!) and came in third to last. I think we would have been dead last had there not been two teams of severely wasted people. Holla!