A month ago, I sat at my kitchen table fumbling with tin foil, cotton balls, and acetone, attempting to remove my gel manicure at home. It was a process I’d watched nail technicians perform countless times before but never one I’d tried myself. If you’ve ever had a gel manicure, you know the removal process is meticulous and time-consuming—which is exactly why most people pay someone else to do it.
Normally, I would have headed straight to the nail salon. But I had just lost my job, and suddenly even a routine manicure removal felt like an unnecessary expense. After hours of filing, soaking, and scraping away flakes, I finally arrived at the sight of my bare nails.
Technically, my break from the nail salon had started months earlier. In January, I decided to take a hiatus from gels after a season of holiday nail art left my nails weak and brittle. But what began as a temporary reset quickly became something more permanent when rumors of operational changes began circulating at the company where I worked. With my job in jeopardy, I cut out all unnecessary expenses.
Ironically, I made my first and only exception of the year for a work event. Breaking my four-month bare-nail streak, I got a gel manicure. A week later, I got laid off. I took the cruel timing as a sign: It was time to quit the nail salon for good.
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Clear my schedule for June.
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Check twin XL sheets, a mini fridge, Command strips, and elevated decor off your shopping list.
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These expert-backed apps prioritize inclusivity, self-expression, safety, and connection.
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Pinning all of this to my moodboard (I currently have zero romantic prospects).
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If Bella Hadid is on board, so am I.
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