We love Christmas nail art, but with the festive season spanning several weeks, when should we be booking our manis to keep them in peak condition? ‘Nail math’ is taking off on TikTok to solve exactly this problem.
With over 626k views on TikTok, it seems a lot of us are trying to do some mental arithmetic before lining up our next nail appointment
One user, @lifeofken22, took to TikTok to strategise – taking into account the date of her nail appointments and how long they’d need to last to see her through Christmas and New Year’s. She revealed her most recent mani (6th December) would need to see her through to 27th December, when she’d switch in a New Year’s mani to take her to 17th Jan.
Commenters were impressed with the foresight of ‘nail math’, with one writing: “This is the most advanced branches of Girl Math,” and others shared details of their nail schedule. However, one user wrote, “But girl I’m STRESSING with that schedule because I want my Christmas nails to look PERF on Christmas, not grown out.”
TikTok content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
If you haven’t booked yet, salon booking system Fresha has run the numbers to work out the optimal date to put in your calendar – naming 12:30pm on 14 December as the most tactical time and day to book a pre-Christmas nail appointment, for nails that will last across the whole festive period.
You’ll have to be quick though, since the app’s data shows that Thursday is the UK’s favourite day for a beauty treatment – with the majority (21%) of all bookings falling on a Thursday.
Why Thursday, 14 December?
Your nails will be fresh for social events
“Traditionally, office Christmas parties fall on the Thursday or Friday of the second week in December (14 and 15 December 2023). With this in mind, a manicure will be fresh for your office party if done on Thursday, 14 December this year,” say the experts at Fresha. And even if your party’s been and gone, most of us will have catch-ups planned in with friends and family in the week or so before Christmas.
Your nails will last for Christmas and New Year
“By getting your nails done on 14 December, they’ll be fresh for Christmas shopping, festive days out and also the big day itself. Additionally, nails will even last for New Year’s Eve celebrations, too,” the Fresha experts say.
You’ll time it ready for when salons re-open
“Gel and acrylic nails can last up to three weeks, and Biab can stretch up until the fourth week. Three weeks following 14 December will take you to 4 January, in time for when the salons reopen following the bank holiday,” say the Fresha pros. “Booking your next nail appointment on 4 January also means you can remove the festive nails as soon as the new year begins,” they add.
Why 12:30 pm?
You can make good use of your lunch break
Steve Rodgers, CMO at Fresha explains: “with most people allowed an hour-long lunch break, we have found that 12pm to 2pm is proving to be a popular time for beauty treatments this year, whether it’s for nails, facials or massages. We all know trying to get an appointment before Christmas can be a struggle as everyone gets ready for party season. That is why it’s important to optimise the extra hour in your day and be flexible with your bookings. Since the pandemic, many industries have seen a shift towards employee wellbeing ensuring people have the time in the day to rest, reset and refuel. As a result, we have seen a rise in lunchtime appointments as people make the most of this enhanced flexibility, especially in the busy pre-Christmas period.”
What to get?
As for what to choose for such an important period, Tina Michael, founder and owner of Shoreditch Nails, has some recommendations. “Last year, the biggest trend was twinkle stars, but gems and chrome were also quite popular. This year, it’ll be chrome again, because of Hailey Bieber. Gems again will likely be asked for, and of course Christmas colours like red, dark green, silvers and anything with glitter. So much glitter,” she advises.