16 Girls Who Wanted to Have Gorgeous Nails, but Things Took a Turn for the Worse

Beautiful nails are a must for some women. Some like them more colorful, others stick to classic styles. Some girls prefer to do things themselves, and others choose to turn to professionals. But sometimes, trying to make them look unique backfires. Unfortunately, it can be hard to avoid a manicure tragedy.

At Bright Side, we prefer to laugh rather than cry. That’s why we want to share with you stories of girls who were so disappointed when they tried to get their nails done that they had no other option but to laugh. Don’t miss the bonus at the end, where you can read the stories how the manicure turned into a terrifying experience.

1. “I went to get my nails done for the first time ever, but I was pretty disappointed... Are they supposed to look like this?”

2. “Manicure before my wedding. The first set almost had me Bridezillaing, but TBH I just cried a bit in my car.”

3. “Mom tried press-ons and glued them on upside down 😭”

4. “Paid $55 for my wedding nails. I feel stupid for literally crying in the salon, but they wanted me to pay $30 more to fix it.”

5. “Are acrylics supposed to be this bent out? Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like these are really angled.”

6. “Can’t believe I actually paid money for this manicure.”

7. “Got the worst shellac manicure of my life, and my nails and cuticles ruined.”

8. “My attempt at cute valentine nails turned into more like meat texture nails.”

9. “Bad nails”

10. “I paid $55 for these nails.”

11. “Moment of silence for the worst acrylic set of my life... usual lady was sick and was going on holiday that eve. Could fit a BUS through the gap between my nail/tips!”

12. “I could have done them myself 10 times better, I think.”

13. “Decided to treat myself and go to a nail shop around the corner. I showed the nail tech a picture of a set I did so that she could see how I wanted my nails... Well, here’s what I got after failed attempts of explaining.”

14. “That one time I had to stop the nail tech mid a full set acrylic manicure. And I paid for it.”

15. “These are horrible, but it’s my first polygel set.”

16. “I paid $75 by a nail tech for these!”

Bonus: Manicurist visits that should win the award for “epic fail.”

• The first time I ever got acrylic nails was at the mall in the mid-’90s. I got a guy who never spoke to me and used his sharp thumbnail to clean up the skin around my nails, he cut me multiple times and then put nail polish remover in all my little cuts. It was awful. © Kamberley / Reddit
• For my birthday, my boyfriend, who was managing a spa at the time, thought it would be a good idea to offer me a manicure with one of the employees where he worked. I was super excited, I don’t usually splurge on spa experiences.
  When I get there, I realize that the spa really doesn’t get a lot of manicure requests. I chose a color, a dusty pink, and sat down. The young lady starts by cleaning my cuticles, which she made an absolute hack of. So, I was gritting my teeth already and kinda regretting this whole experience, and then with her shaking hands, she made an absolute mess of the polish application, which was very thick and gloopy. After the second coat of color, she sends me off on my way, no top coat. She had tears in her eyes as I was leaving. © unfoudecoudre / Reddit

Who do you trust with your makeovers? Tell us about that one beauty procedure you wouldn’t leave in the hands of strangers.