Matte manicure from a salon? *Updated with pics

Just ask them to use a matte topcoat. Honestly, I recommend buying your own matte topcoat and applying the morning of the wedding. They (matte topcoats) don't take long to dry, but matte nails tend to be MUCH more delicate than nails with a glossy topcoat and they show wear very obviously. They also tend to get "dirty" because they don't have the gloss to protect them.

I agree with above comment ^^^ I collect nail polish. I guess I have to disagree with them drying fast. They dry slower than regular top coat. I suggest you talk to your manicurist and ask if they have the matte top coat. It would be good to put your nails under a dryer.

I get my nails done every two weeks (gel) and do a matte finish often. I don’t notice a difference in the wear… I had mine done this past Saturday and they still look the same as they did then. I got blue and black matte for Halloween.

Just let the nail tech know that you want a matte finish and show them an inspiration photo.

Show the pic

Thanks everyone!

@Taco - A manicure can be matte AND gel? I had it in my head that they were two separate kinds of top coats. If I could get both, that would be amazing!

Oh yes! If you get gel do not apply another coat day of the wedding! Also, you won't need it. It dries just like the gel polish.

I honestly love matte nails... I get black matte a lot.

I will see if I can find pics of them... mine now are pretty halloween looking so I don't like them. I was a dead bride and my nails are blue with a fade into black lol.

These were my favorite.... I may do this again when I get them redone :-)

I also like to go the tips shiny and the bed matte ... like a manicure. All the same color though.

I loveeee doing matte gel! Any good salon will be able to do this.

Yes, I'd say do the gel manicure with a matte finish. It will last. I especially love the picture with the gold accents.

Yas all the purdy nails! Sounds like matte gel is the way to go, I didn't even know it was an option

@Taco - So pretty!!!!

Thanks again everyone! I'll come back later today to update

Oh yay! you are getting married Saturday!! Can't wait for pictures!

Final product! And boy did it take a while to get there. First, they told me you can't do matte gel. Then, it was they could do it, but it wouldn't look nice. They kept telling me it wasn't what I wanted even though I specifically said so. When all was said and done, it was messier than I prefer, but I'm just going to clean the edges on my own.

*Please excuse the lack of e-ring. I just had it cleaned and don't want to smudge it before the big day!

Double

Looks like they did a satin finish. Same thing for @Taco's mani, they're a satin/gloss combo.

@Amanda: Ideally, a matte topcoat should be applied after the nails are dry. Therefore, dry time is much, much faster. I personally like to use Seche Vite quick dry topcoat, which is dry and resistant to dings within 7-10 minutes (like, I can literally hop in the shower after a full nailart mani, including 2-3 layers of polish, stamping, and topcoat). After the polish is dry (or dry to the touch), a layer of matte topcoat should take no more than 5 minutes to dry unless it's applied thick, which is completely unnecessary if it was shaken well before application.

I'm also not sure why, @Taco, you said not to use a matte topcoat over gel. It will work just as well, and has the added bonus of being able to be removed with non-acetone remover to keep the shiny gel finish as well. It will also give a *true* matte finish rather than a satin finish. It will not damage the gel polish in any way. In fact, I have several friends in the nail art community who will do at-home gel manis specifically so they can keep the base color and "swap out" the stamping and art on top, by doing the nail art with regular polish and removing as they choose until it's time to redo the gel base.

You can even sandwich a regular polish between a gel base and topcoat, to get gel-type strength and longevity, assuming the person applying the polish wraps the tips properly before curing the top coat.

Mine is a matte finish... ugly as all get out since they were for Halloween. The above picture was matte as well with gloss added to the corners. Not satin. Maybe the picture isn't clear.

Either way.... DC yours look beautiful!

I was under the impression that adding polish over gel nails would make them not dry well. I just asked my friend that does my nails and she said it should be fine. If you want to add another layer of matte (although I don't think it is needed but come Saturday you could make that call) you should be good.

I just come in to admire all of your nails and wealth of knowledge WW can provide! Have a great wedding week DC!!

Even with the Seche Vite, the matte coat could just soften the underneath layers if you don't have a high quality matte top coat.

LoveinDC: love the color and hope it lasts but omg it would drive me INSANE that they didn't clean up the edges! Enjoy your special day!

Just a heads up that some shops charge you a bit more to do matte, like $5 or so. Not all, but some.