Avoid at all costs!
I chanced upon Lavender Nails while looking for prices for nail services at other beauty salons. The manicurists waved me over and were very pushy. I wanted chrome nails (see inspo pic).
First, the price I negotiated with the lady boss was $30 for a classic manicure. When I sat down, the manicurist asked if I wanted to top up for the classic manicure, as it would be an additional fee. I was quite appalled, and I stood my ground because I had just negotiated for $30. After some tense exchange in Vietnamese, she reluctantly agreed.
When it came to the chrome nails, she asked me which powder I wanted. All the powder looked the same to me, so I said whichever was closest to the inspo pic, bearing in mind they had guaranteed they would do it. I ended up with holographic nails, not chrome nails. But I thought that it was just the salon lighting and left. To my horror, it was even worse in daylight, and the whites of my nails could still be seen.
When I went back, I told them: (1) it didn't match the picture at all; (2) the layer was so thin you could see my whites. The manicurist and the lady boss were so rude. The lady boss even took her spectacles and looked very closely, as if it couldn't be seen. Mind you, the lighting in the shop showed it even more obviously. They then tried to gaslight me by saying, "So pretty, you still want to take off, waste our effort?" Please!!! I then asked them to put a solid color because I was tired of arguing. The manicurist was so upset that she rough-handled my nail beds and plucked some skin, such that I have abrasions (most prominently to my thumb) that can be seen in the picture. By the way, you can still see the holographic underneath the gel layer (lol).
For the service, the attitude, and the quality, I would rate this 0 stars if I could. Avoid at all costs!
Mia Chelliah
5
Today, the lady in blue did my gel extension nails. It was affordable, and she was very meticulous in her work. I strongly recommend coming to Lavender Nails. The whole procedure took about 3 hours. I ended the session with a cup of tea.
Hennie
4
Paid $68 for a classic mani and pedi, with an additional $5 top-up for a hard gel coat. Service was okay! They gave a foot scrub, foot massage, and arm massage once everything was done. Upon checkout, they did try to sell a package, but once I declined their offer, they stopped. Overall, not too bad.
Wenkai
1
Can't wait to finish my package, and I won't ever do my nails here again. Every time I get my gel manicure, my fingers hurt! The manicurists there are so limited and always rush to get their job done. They are always in a rush and do it so unprofessionally. And my gel nails chip super easily; they can't even last for two weeks. It's a waste of my effort to travel all the way to Bugis for such nasty treatment.
Moon Kway
1
Here's the edited review:
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[Honest & Real Review]
I honestly rarely give reviews for a store unless my experience was really upsetting. Anyway, after 8 PM, I was looking to do express manicure and pedicure removal. One of the staff approached me, and I asked if there was a student price; she said yes. Everything was going well, and they were friendly at first, even having small talks with my boyfriend and me.
I showed the lady the nails I wanted (from a photo for reference). She just painted gel color and applied normal glitter on the nails.😭 Then I stopped her before she cured the gel nails because it did not remotely look like the nails I wanted. (To help you visualize better, just imagine there's a circle of normal glitter on top of your gel color nails.) I told them I wanted the one that looked like the nails in the photo. The staff then told me, "Oh, if you want to do that kind, you need to use a special powder which will cost $20 extra since it's hard to do." Like, girl, you could have just told me from the start instead of doing nails your way, and I would have considered it. Anyway, I told them I didn't like the glitter and asked them to remove it. They did. I politely asked if it was possible to remove one layer of gel color since it was a bit too dark for my liking. (Note: I was just asking if it was impossible for them to do it; I wouldn't force it.) They told me they'd have to redo it if they removed it because it was already cured. So I understood and went with another design.
The lady suggested French tips and said to try it on one pinky nail first. But I wasn't really feeling the French tips, and I wanted to change to cat-eye. That's when things started to go south. I was really upset, as I had been patient enough as a paying customer; I just wanted to get my nails done, but they couldn't do it well, so I asked to change the design. The staff member with the mole on her nose/forehead started to be impatient and even berated me in front of my boyfriend, keeping her gaze on him while speaking to me. One of the things she said to me was, "Aunty, 真的很难做design，不要浪费我们的时间eh，现在已经9点了你知道吗" (meaning: "Aunty, this design is really difficult to do, don't waste our time, it's already 9 PM, you know"). I was literally holding back my tears the whole time after that because I also hadn't eaten dinner, but was it my fault that you did my nails *your* way/design? If you can't do it, then just tell me straight up when I show you the designs. Don't approach people to come into your store to do nails if you know you have a limit to doing nails.
Anyway, while she was doing my nails, I wanted to leave them with half French tips because the *entire time*, she was passive-aggressively asking me to check my nails each time and not change them anymore because I was wasting her time. I don't know how they could file my nails until the side of my flesh started to bleed, and yes, it was painful. The lady with the mole saw the wound and still wiped an alcohol tissue on it. Jeez, thank God my pain tolerance was still okay. When they removed my previous nails, they also filed too deep inside my nails, and there was literally a hole. Ouch, yes, it was painful.
**DO VISIT THEIR STORE AT YOUR OWN RISK.** They're the *exact* reason why I always have anxiety to speak up about my own nails. Anyway, the other two staff members were pretty nice, except for the lady with the mole on her nose bridge. Oh, and also, my French tips were *tilted to the side*, with unwanted *glitter* on my nails. I only realized it after it was cured. I didn't dare tell them, fearing I'd get scolded again. And the lady with the mole on her nose also forgot to do my thumb with a French tip and just *walked away* after putting my nails in the UV light. She proceeded to talk to the staff and ignored my boyfriend as well when he told her she had forgotten to do my thumbs. She just laughed. She only laughed when my boyfriend told her, but if I were to ask her, she'd be mad. While doing my nails, she also said "very ugly" multiple times loudly in front of other stores and customers. Unprofessional, and I wish I had *seen* the reviews before going in. LADIES, PLEASE. AVOID THIS STORE AT ALL COSTS. IF YOU'RE SEEING THIS, JUST HALT ALL, GET OUT OF THE CHAIR, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, AND GO TO OTHER STORES. Thanks.
Kay Joo
1
This is one of the most horrible places I have been to in Singapore. They beg you to come in by providing a discount, then push you for a package. They did a gel manicure in under 10 mins, with only 1 layer of paint unlike other places which do 2-3 coats, and it started chipping out in 4 days. When I went to them asking for a refund or a redo, the lady started screaming. I gave them 3 chances to fix their job. This is a scam nail salon. An absolute fraud. Don't pay them a single cent. I truly wish that their karma comes back to them. Ruined my mood, time, money. Such rude cheaters.
Natasha Ng
1
This is the worst shop ever. Don't ever patronize this place. Their service is terrible, and the employees can't communicate well in Chinese or English. They purposely charged me an additional $10 when I had only agreed to the classic mani gel for $23. She tried to pull a fast one on me, claiming I had agreed to the special nail strengthener she added – a freaking scam. On top of that, they made us wait a very long time, despite giving us the impression that there were enough employees to provide their service. Attitude and service suck. If I could, I would rate this place a 0.
Isabel Lum
1
I had a really disappointing experience at this nail salon. When I first asked about the price for a gel classic manicure and pedicure, I was told that everything was included. However, halfway through the session, they asked if I wanted to add a soak for $15 — something that should’ve been clarified from the start.
The service itself was uncomfortable. When they were cutting my cuticles, it was so painful that I had to ask them to stop. While choosing a nail color, I was told one shade would cost an extra $5, so I picked another one without the surcharge. But when it came time to pay, they still tried to charge me the extra amount — which I refused, especially considering the poor quality of the job.
The polish was uneven and patchy, and when I pointed it out, the staff said it was because the color was difficult to apply because it was a light shade. That’s not an excuse for subpar work. Overall, the experience felt unprofessional and uncomfortable, and I definitely won’t be returning.
Lim Jun
1
This place was appalling. I am angry at myself for not checking the reviews here before I entered the salon. I was blinded by the low cost a staff member quoted me...
Initially, I booked an appointment at Victoria Beauty, which was just opposite Lavender Nails. But I was late for my appointment, and Victoria Beauty told me I had to wait 40-60 minutes for my turn. So I left, thinking I could go elsewhere easily. I had a few other stores I'd seen on Lemon8 with good reviews. But on my way to another store, a lady from Lavender stopped me and asked me what I wanted to do. I showed her my existing manicure and said I wanted soak off/removal and a classic manicure with no colour. She took a look and quoted me $26 all-in, and I was very taken aback because it typically would have been $40-50 given the hard gel. The lady looked nice, and I immediately agreed because I was thinking, "Wow, so cheap!"
When I got into the store, I quickly realised how empty it was compared to the other stores.
I sat down, and another nail technician tended to me. From their accent, I reckoned they were Vietnamese. The nail technician started using the auto nail filer/nail drill machine. This is standard for hard gels. But she started filing my nail, and I felt my nail getting hot from the friction. I started perspiring, sensing this place might be terrible. I get my nails done consistently, so I know! But because I wanted to let my nails rest, I didn't go back to my regular manicurist, as it's hard to book her.
I quickly told the lady it was warm and asked her to be careful.
She started filing my other nail, and it popped out easily because it had been almost 8 weeks, and some bottom part of the manicure was coming loose. So she decided to use her finger to try and pry the manicure off my nails?! She was really going at it, and I told her NOT to do that. Any nail technician should know not to forcefully peel the gel-ish part off the nail?! It was damaging, and she could have broken my nail badly. I told her a total of four times, and each time she smiled and said, "Let her try." I realised she didn't understand me. I spoke in plain, simple English. In the end, I said, "Pain." She eased a little and started using acetone or some kind of solution, which made it easier.
By this time, I was watching like a hawk, perspiring, and waiting for her to hurt me so I could give it to her verbally. But of course, I didn't want anything to happen to my nails?!
Thank God my regular manicurist really takes care of my nails, so they aren't brittle or broken off easily.
The nail technician finally completed my manicure, and I'm so glad I didn't want any colours from them. Looking at the reviews here, I have been "lucky." But boy, was it a terrifying experience. They really did charge me only $26, but I would have paid $40-50 for a better experience.
Do not recommend.
Joy Yap
1
TLDR; VISIT IF YOU WANT TO BE SUBJECTED TO RUDE STAFF, BEING GANGED UP ON, AND A PAINFUL EXPERIENCE.
I have been to this place 8 times (package) and have seen this uncultured and disrespectful woman argue with customers countless times (the boss). Her tone is extremely condescending, and she does not care to understand issues from the customer’s perspective. When I visited this time, a lady beside me had some miscommunication with the nail tech who was doing her nails. All three women ganged up and scolded her when she tried to talk things out???
Furthermore, when I was doing a removal, the ladyboss filed the skin around my nail. When I told her it hurt, she blamed it on my nail being thin. WHAT??? I do nails home-based and I know for a fact that my nails are not thin. And blaming it on my nail when she filed my skin????
I genuinely don't know how this place is still in operation. With the way their business is being run, I hope nobody visits this place without keeping the consequences in mind.