It was one of those rare rainy, humid days in New York City, the kind that makes your hair look like a frizzy hot mess. I was meeting Refinery29’s beauty editor for a manicure at TenOverTen in TriBeCa, and trying not to melt into the sidewalk. Being the first to arrive I would have loved to have been greeted with a glass of chilled champagne, but settled instead for friendly staff who joked with me about the crazy weather creating havoc with our outfit choices. My manicure buddy arrived, and after spending a few minutes choosing the perfect color, we were escorted into the buzzing salon. As an aside, does anyone else get overwhelmed and struggle to make a choice when faced with the wall of polishes? All of a sudden, the 15 different shades of red to pick from seem like a life or death decision.
Sitting side by side, we chatted and laughed as our manicurists shaped and painted our nails to perfection, their cheeky grins giving way to the fact that they were also intently listening to our conversation. My deep maroon polish (TenOverTen Church, a cult classic) was finished within 25 minutes, which was great for my guest who apologized that she had to leave as she was having a great time. Naturally, only I could bump and ruin one of my nails as I was leaving – hot mess! After apologizing to my manicurist for the millionth time, she quickly fixed the smudge with an extra layer of top coat. That’s service.
Until next time,
Ruth
Ambience: There was a buzz in the air – not a salon to unwind in, but perfect for the socialite that needs a quick mani/pedi while meeting friends or clients
Cleanliness of salon: For a clean freak like me this salon ticked all the boxes – clean, organized and beautiful
Polish: Church by TenOverTen (3 free – dibutyl phthalate (dbp) + formaldehyde + toluene) + cruelty free, camphor + resin free – Retails $18
Polish job & chip factor: Smooth polish job that lasted for 6 days
Brands They Stock: TenOverTen stocks their own range, as well as Chanel, RGB, essie, USLU airlines, and Rococo
Color range: They have an extensive color range of high quality polishes
Customer engagement: Friendly and professional, their service was fabulous
Price range: Manis – $15 – $40 and Pedis – $40 -$65
As the office pampered princess, there is no one better to be out reviewing salons for pedicure.com. Trust us, if it’s a hot mess, Ruth Shelling is going to tell you. She’s sassy and irreverent, and we’re thrilled to welcome our newest columnist.
