The studio
Wet look. Dry wit.
Vernis Nail Atelier
114 Erb Street West
Four chairs. By appointment.
A manicure here takes the time it takes. We shape by eye, build colour in thin layers, and finish with a top coat you could check your lipstick in.
- i.
Four chairs.
Never more than four people in the room. Nobody is rushed, and nobody sits waiting for a table.
- ii.
Thin layers.
Colour goes on in thin coats, each one dried or cured on its own. It is slower, and it is why it lasts.
- iii.
Plain talk.
Tell us the shape and the shade. If it will not work on your nails, we will say so and suggest what will.
The shade library
Seven shades,
every one wet.
Press a shade and the whole page is dipped in it.
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Cassis
Blackcurrant. Reads black indoors, wine in daylight.
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Oxblood
A red that has stopped trying to be cheerful.
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Bare
Your own nail, only better. Milky, warm, a little beige.
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Ink
Navy so dark it behaves like black until it moves.
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Pistachio
Soft green with a little sunlight in it.
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Cobalt
Electric, saturated blue. Looks wet from across the room.
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Clementine
Orange with real juice in it. Best on short nails.
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Have a picture?
Bring it. If the shade is not on the shelf we will mix it, or tell you honestly how close we can get.
How we work
Clean is not a feature.
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Tools
Every tool, every client.
Metal tools are scrubbed, cleaned in an ultrasonic bath, sealed in a pouch and sterilized in an autoclave. The pouch is opened in front of you. Files and buffers are used once, then they are yours or the bin's.
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Air
Dust goes down, not up.
Every table has a ventilation pad that pulls dust and fumes down and out before you breathe them. The room's air system runs all day, and we open the window on mild ones.
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Products
Short labels. Read them.
Our lacquers and gels leave out toluene, formaldehyde and DBP. Every bottle we use sits on the shelf by the door. If you have a sensitivity, tell us when you book and we will plan the visit around it.
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Pedicures
Fresh basin, fresh liner.
Pedicure basins are drained, scrubbed and disinfected between every client, and each one gets a single-use liner. You can watch us do it.
Visit
Come in, or call.
Address
114 Erb Street WestUnit 2, Waterloo, Ontario
Hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday to Wednesday
- 10 am to 7 pm
- Thursday
- 10 am to 8 pm
- Friday
- 10 am to 7 pm
- Saturday
- 9 am to 5 pm
- Sunday
- Closed