by William McAllister | Jun 12, 2020 | nails, News
The Newest South Beach Trend in Nails
As holiday season strikes, the need for a trusty, long-lasting lacquer is at an all-time high in nail salons in Miami Beach. Until now, most of us have defaulted to the ever-reliable gel manicure. While gel polish does have substantially more staying-power than the traditional variety, it doesn’t always last the touted full two weeks as promised. Between family affairs, office parties and friendly get togethers, your busy holiday social schedule leaves little time for doctoring up unsightly chipping or peeling. Meet the SNS manicure, a non-damaging option able to withstand even the most compulsive polish-peeling tendencies.
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More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
by William McAllister | Jan 16, 2020 | nails, News
January is here and it’s time to make some changes. It’s time to get rid of last year’s polish and transform your nails into something new to match the new you. Also, what better way to start the New Year than with a fresh manicure that reflects how you’ve changed?
I know you’re excited, but before you jump right into a new manicure, there’s some things to consider. While there are plenty of nail salons in Miami Beach, not all of them have your best interests in mind. Whether it’s the cleanliness of their salon or their accessibility, you should think about certain aspects first. Here are four things you should know before your next manicure to ensure it goes as perfectly as you want 2020 to!
1. How do you communicate with the salon?
It can be a bit overwhelming to choose between all the nail salons available. How can you know which one will provide the manicure you want? Fortunately, here at McAllister Spa, we aim to be as accessible as possible. We understand that prior communication is essential to making sure you get the perfect manicure!
Clients can text, call, or email us to make an appointment and discuss their nail goals. McAllister Spa appointments have two options: You can set it up in person and go visit our salon or do an online appointment.
These online consultations are an innovative feature we’ve implemented at our salon with your comfort in mind. Gone are the days when you had to drive down to the salon to discuss with the stylists, before realizing you weren’t interested anymore! Fortunately, you can stop wasting time travelling for consultations. Now, you can decide if you want to work with us or not without ever leaving your home! These consultations can occur over live-streaming video, which can be on FaceTime, Periscope, etc.
Through either appointment option, we can discuss your visions for your manicure and the best way to get it done. We are readily available to you through many different communication options. Don’t hesitate to reach out for a quick consultation!
2. How is the salon’s sterilization?
Sterilization is an important aspect to salons, one that maybe some nail salons in Miami Beach might overlook. You never know how many clients have passed by that same salon, sat in that chair, and had their nails done with the same tools currently being used on you. Sterilization ensures a safe, professional environment for you and your health.
At McAllister Spa, we consider tool sterilization to be of utmost importance. We know you deserve hygienic tools during each of our services and work hard to provide that. Our nail technicians use a research-grade autoclave to sterilize all of our tools. These autoclave pouches are commonly used in dental offices to fight any possible contamination before and after use. These pouches have a dual process indicator, allowing us to know when the correct sterilization temperature has been reached. Thanks to these internal and external indicators, we can make sure the sterilization process is done correctly for ultimate cleanliness.
Not only do we ensure that our tools are always 100% sanitized before coming into contact with your body, but our nail technicians also wear nitrile gloves during nail services. We combat contamination along every step of the way to provide a pleasant manicure experience for all of our clients.
3. How clean is the salon?
A clean environment is necessary for good hygiene, which is crucial for any nail salon. During nail services, it’s super important to provide the cleanest environment possible for clients, making sure to sanitize every tool between each one to achieve it.
McAllister Spa’s number-one priority is allowing you to have the perfect salon experience. A sterilized environment is essential for this and we take the appropriate steps to provide healthy services.
Our pedicure basins are pipeless and sanitized after each use, which means your feet will be touching a sterilized basin during every pedicure. To further ensure cleanliness, our nail technicians sanitize each pedicure tool between clients to avoid cross-contamination.
For manicures, our tables are stainless steel, providing the cleanest surface possible. They are sanitized between each client, as well as each manicure tool. All containers on the manicure tables are made from stainless steel or scientific-grade amber glass vessels, each chosen with the intent to keep your environment sanitary.
The floors at McAllister Spa are mopped each evening with hospital-grade disinfectants to eliminate any bacteria that might come in to such a delicate space. Your nails deserve nothing less than perfect hygiene and we aim to provide a healthy, safe environment to allow that.
4. What chemicals are they using on you?
Every nail salon has its own way of working, which means each one uses different products on your nails. While some nail salons in Miami Beach are perfectly fine with using harsh chemicals that might damage your nails, the nail technicians at McAllister Spa look for healthier alternatives. We save the harsh chemicals for our work environment to ensure a germ-free salon, but believe our clients deserve a more gentle treatment with our nail services.
Our most popular service, the Classic 2.0, is a manicure and pedicure service that comes with a customized salt scrub just for you. This salt scrub mixes dually-certified, 100% pure essential oils (Oregon-Tilth & USDA) with six naturally harvested salts from all around the world. This natural salt scrub will be gentle on your skin, as opposed to other rougher scrubs you might find in other nail salons.
After this scrub, the nail technicians will groom and oil your cuticles exclusively with organic 100% fractionated coconut oil, as well as shape and buff your nails. To top it all off, the nail technicians will finish with an application of your favorite Essie or OPI nail lacquer. If you want a different manicure service, check out each option we have to offer. Every service uses natural, gentle products to ensure your nails remain healthy and you stay happy with your nail salon experience.
More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
by William McAllister | Feb 18, 2016 | nails
This Generation’s Beauty Breakthrough
It’s no secret that style is king along the sandy shores of South Beach. From Lincoln Road to Miami’s bustling Design District, the women of South Florida never fail to maintain a polished appearance from fingers to toes. For the busy moms and boss babes that run this town – we get it! – hectic schedules simply aren’t agreeable with consistently polished pointers…until now.
Arguably one of the most exciting beauty innovations of the last few years, gel polishes like Gelish! and durable nail polishes like Vinylux offer a low-maintenance solution for those unable to carve out time for a weekly mani/pedi. These high-tech hues offer shiny, glossy, chip-resistant pigment, guaranteed to stay put for at least two weeks.
So, how do these high-tech hues work? After cleaning, shaping and prepping nails with base coat, McAllister’s highly-trained nail technicians go to work applying several coats of brilliantly-colored, gel-like varnish from our broad selection of Vinylux and Gelish polishes. After each layer is painted on, nails are flashed with a small Ultra Violet (UV) lamp for several seconds to cure the polish. The nail technician ends by applying a clear top coat to seal and protect the nails.
The Benefits of Durable Nail Polishes
Gel polishes boast benefits that standard nail polishes (even chip-resistant and fast-drying formulas) simply do not. As if you need additional convincing, here’s a few of our favorite features:
Reduced Drying Time
A scenario we all know too well: You’ve carved out “me time” for a lunch-hour mani/pedi, but a mid-lacquer work call, babysitting SOS, etc. leaves you rushing for the door – wet nails in tow. Enter gel polish, the fast-drying solution to end the days of what we less than fondly refer to as the “half-dry and dip.” Thanks to powerful UV technology, gel manicures and pedicures dry as you go. Nails are treated to a 30-second UV zap between each layer to instantly harden lacquer and prep for the following coat. Upon the nail technicians last swipe of top coat, guests are able to get up and go directly from their service. No more 15-minute drying sessions post-polish!
Improved Staying Power
As much as we love to see our client’s smiling faces back in our Miami Beach salon on a weekly basis, we recognize that busy schedules make this a difficult reality. Professional gel manicures and pedicures provide flawless, glossy coverage for a minimum of 14 days, with most applications lasting upwards of three weeks.
Bye Bye Breakage
Whether you’re a mom chasing around toddlers, a student toting books to class or a business woman constantly pounding away on a keyboard, there’s no escaping the fact that nails take a fairly brutal beating on a regular basis. Constant trauma to nail beds makes it hard (if not impossible) to grow digits out to your desired length. Fret no more, busy bees. Gel varnish offers fingers a lasting breakage barrier, allowing nails to grow naturally throughout the duration of polish life. A bi-weekly gel manicure is a guaranteed way to achieve the elegant, natural nails you’ve been lusting after.
Have we piqued your interest? Here’s a few of our recent gel nail polishes done by some of Miami’s best nail technicians….OURS!
[instawp hashtag=”m1301gelish” count=”15″ header=”false” columns=”5″]
More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
by William McAllister | Jul 22, 2015 | nails
“Mani Minimalism” is Back, Baby!
With the gaudy 3D embellishments and ostentatiously patterned tips finally making their grand exit from the nail art spotlight, mani minimalism – by stark contrast – is having a moment in the beauty-sphere.
Major fashion houses including Erin Fetherston, Naeem Khan, Tibi, Rachel Zoe, Jason Wu and more, paraded a series of nude color palates, seemingly bare nails and super-simple designs (think: a single line) down the NYFW runways alongside Spring/Summer 2015 collections. As the ultimate incubator for all things fashion and beauty, these subdued, understated styles have subsequently taken over the beauty world, gracing the nails of fashionistas from Miami to Milan.
Our newest nail tech extraordinaire Nafsika K. has rounded up three of the most popular designs for summer. These less design-heavy, more classically chic styles will effortlessly complement airy ensembles all season long. Request an appointment or schedule a live stream consultation with our nail team today.
Negative Space
Easily summer 2015’s hottest, must-try trend in nail art, the negative space manicure proves that sometimes less really is more. The style is achieved by painting a graphic nail design over a naked nail bed. I love designing a negative space manicure with white polish, as it compliments a summer tan and the contrast with the natural nail is simplistic, yet undeniably striking.
Clean With Gleam
Models on the Erin Fetherston Spring/Summer runway brought the clean white manicure with a single gold strip to the mainstream, but the style has since proved to have serious staying power. The ladylike look offers the opportunity to go glam without going over the top. The simple gold strip provides subtle shimmer, while the white base stuns against sun-kissed summer skin.
Half Moon
Popular in the 1930s, the half-moon mani is making its comeback for summer 2015. Seen on celebrities and catwalks worldwide, the half-moon coats the nail in a solid color and leaves the lunula (the small crescent-shaped area at the base of the fingernail) unpainted. Mix it up by inverting colors on one finger for a fun twist.
More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
by William McAllister | Oct 26, 2013 | nails
Looking for the latest nail polish colors?
We have them!
OPI introduced the “San Francisco Collection” while Essie rolled out its Winter 2013 Collection under the banner heading “Shearling Darling…”
More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
