What is the best thing to do when you get a bad manicure?

It happens to the best of us: you go in for a standard mani-pedi and end up with less-than-perfect nails as a result. Whether your technician was inexperienced or in a rush, it’s no fun to have not-so-great nails. So what can you do?

1. Give Yourself a DIY Manicure or Pedicure

It’s not ideal, but if you’re at home and need your polish fixed, it’s an option. If the polish is just chipped, then you can usually fix that without starting over. But if there are big gaps because your nails grew out or the polish is flaking off, then it might be time for a fresh coat of polish.

2. Apply Nail Polish Correctly

You could take matters into your own hands and apply the nail polish yourself. A lot of people think doing their own nails is easier than going to get them done professionally, but it’s actually harder. There are plenty of tutorials online that will show you how to apply nail polish correctly so that there aren’t any major mistakes (such as polish on your skin).

3. Call Your Technician Right

If your manicure is truly awful, then you should speak up. You might say something like, “I will go ahead and pay for this manicure because I don’t want to make a big deal about it, but please give me a discount so that I can get my nails redone somewhere else.” If a salon is unwilling to give you some type of discount on your next visit, then try to get some sort of compensation from the salon. You could ask for free nail polish or free cuticle oil, or a gift certificate. Remember that you are the customer and you deserve to be compensated when there is a genuine mistake at the salon.

If your nails look really bad and you do not feel comfortable dealing with the problem yourself, then bring along a friend who can help you to negotiate with the salon. A second opinion from your friend may help you to determine whether or not the service you received was acceptable.

If it is a minor mistake, such as a small chip in your polish or slight unevenness in the length of your nails, then it may be best for you to just let it go. A bad manicure doesn’t have to ruin your day! If it’s just a small mistake, then ignore it and move on with

The best thing to do is to go back and talk to the nail technician about fixing it. They may be able to fix the problem. If not, most nail salons will give you a refund for your service. If the problem is that you did not like the color, it is your fault for not letting them know or bringing in a photo of what you wanted. The safest way to get your nails done is to bring in a picture of what you want done and/or let them know if you don’t like how it looks as they are doing it.

If you’re not happy with your manicure, don’t leave the salon without saying something. “If you’ve already paid, ask for a discount or for them to fix it,” says manicurist Elle Gerstein. “You can also ask for a credit on your next visit.”

If you notice the mistake immediately, say something before leaving the salon. Either way, the experts agree that it’s best to be specific about what you want done to rectify the situation: Do you want them to take it off and redo it? Do you just want one nail fixed?

“Sometimes people are afraid to speak up,” says Herrera. “They want to avoid conflict. But I’m happy when people ask me to fix things.”

The first rule is to not panic. It’s not the end of the world if your nails look bad. You have options.

If you have time, get the manicurist fix it while you are still there. If they made mistakes, they should be willing to correct them at no additional charge.

If you don’t have time to get the manicurist fix it, paint over what they did with one solid color of nail polish. This helps hide their mistakes and makes your nails look less pathetic.

The salon will most likely fix the problem for you. They should be willing to do this at no cost to you. If they are not, I would look for a different salon.

I had this happen once and I called the salon and they said just come in and we will fix it for you no problem.

Another time I had a chip in my manicure the day after I got it done. The salon fixed it with no problem and then told me that if it happened again within a week they would change out the polish color so that it would match better or not chip as easily.

I have been to salons where they say that they have to charge me again because there is such little product on my nails (even though I have only been there one time) that re-doing my nails will use up too much product and its cheaper to do a whole new set than to add more product onto the ones that were already done. This is total bs!! Just go somewhere else!

If your nails are horribly messed up, the best thing to do is let them grow out. The longer you wait, the easier it is to fix them. If you try to fix them right away, they’ll probably just get messed up again.

Once they’re almost grown out, then you can shape them and paint them yourself. If you want a professional finish, use a buffing block or a file to smooth out the edges of your nails so that they’re straight across and all the same length. Then you can use a base coat and polish if you like. If you have problems with your nails breaking, there’s also a product called nail strengthener which can help protect them.