I was recently asked where I like to go get manicures here in New York and thought that I'd share a few of my favorite spas/salons in the city. If I'm in a rush or just need a quick and convenient polish before a shoot, I'll pop in pretty much anywhere but I just ask that they don't cut my cuticles. Cuticle oil and pushing back the cuticles will do the trick 99% of the time. I really only ever get my cuticles cut when I'm with a manicurist I completely trust and there is actually something to cut off - I find that people love to cut into cuticles that really don't need to be cut. Anyways, as for my actual recommendations, here are a few of my favorite (and hand model approved!) nail salons: For a basic manicure and an amazing spa pedicure - Polaris (20 E. 22nd St.) Polaris is great for standard manicures; they are really careful and make sure your nails look perfect. They take their time and the end result is always consistently good. They have a solid assortment of colors to choose from and their polishes don't chip off right away. If you want to treat yourself to a great pedicure, I highly recommend their spa pedicure! For a luxurious hand and foot treatment - Jin Soon (56 E. 4th St. and additional locations) I have had the pleasure of working with Jin Soon on various hand shoots, not to mention for her own line of nail polishes, so it was fun for me to check out her salon. I have long been a fan of her polishes - from the packaging to the formula, it truly is great polish! Her salon is equally nice. I love the milk and honey hand and foot treatment. Complimented with your choice of essential oil, the milk and honey treatment is ultra hydrating and relaxing. There is wide selection of designer polishes and Jin Soon's namesake polishes to choose from. As I said, I am a huge fan of Jin Soon's polish, I love the colors and that it last so long! Pro tip: make sure you get the citrus tea, its so delicious! For nail art - Paintbox (17 Crosby St.)
Paintbox is a curated nail art salon in SoHo that does exclusively manicures. I have also had the pleasure of working with the Paintbox team as a hand model so I have personally tried a variety of their nail art looks - I'm partial to anything with negative space but they offer seasonal looks so there is always something new to try! I really appreciate the quality products that they use like the Deborah Lippmann cuticle cream. The paintbox salon itself is just a lovely place to be in, they offer great coffee or prosecco to make your experience even better and the staff are some of the nicest people in New York! It's a great experience and the paintbox mani cam is the perfect way to take a "nailfie" after your manicure!
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Just like regular modeling, parts modeling can get you a wide range of jobs so I never really know what I'm in for until I get to set. Sometimes I am chopping food, pouring a drink, holding beauty products, wearing jewelry, showing off nail art, or a lot of other random things. It is always a fun surprise to see what exactly I'll be doing for a shoot but unexpected issues can definetly come up from time to time.
For example, I did an engagement ring shoot last year and when I showed up on set I saw a rack full of wedding gowns. I assumed there might be a real model who would wear the dresses and I would be doing a close up hand shot with the rings in addition to pictures of the gowns. This wasn't the case - the dresses were for the hand models! We were going to be wearing the dresses and holding bouquets of flowers or handbags in front of ourselves so the dresses would serve as the background. I was surprised and not prepared for wearing a gossamer gown; I just happened to be wearing bright neon pink undergarments. There also happened to be a lot of security guards on set because of all the expensive engagement rings we were using. So I had to walk out of the changing room in the see-through dress in front of five enormous security guards. The team behind the shoot ended up having to send their intern out to fetch me nude underthings so that mine wouldn't show through. It was embarrassing and awkward but the team was nice about the whole thing and the end result turned out very pretty. Nonetheless, I certainly never expected my first time trying on wedding dresses to be quite like this. Check out the final images below and here! Painting your nails is one of the easiest ways to express yourself and change up your look without committing to something permanent. As a self diagnosed commitment-phobe this has always been one of the most appealing things to me - if I don't like the color I paint my nails, I can live with it for a day or two and take it off when I get sick of looking at it. My sister is even worse than I am; she is borderline obsessive about her nail polish looking perfect - one little nick on one nail and they all have to go. Even before I began hand modeling nail polish was always important to me. My sister and I have quite the collection of polishes and nail lacquers. But I've noticed a pattern in our nail hoarding tendencies - we certainly have a few tried and true favorites. So I thought I'd go through and list a few of my personal picks: Floss Gloss - Mrs. Tony MontanaFloss Gloss has, in my opinion, mastered the perfect white - Mrs. Tony Montana is a crisp white that is completely opaque. I love the look of all white nails but I really can't stand it when white polishes are too translucent; thankfully, this is absolutely not an issue here! Jin Soon - Tea RoseI always get complimented on my nails when I wear this shade from Jin Soon called Tea Rose! It is my favorite pinky/coral color, the name aptly represents the color. I think it looks great with my skin tone being so pale but it is the kind of color that would work on everyone. Smith and Cult - Stockholm SyndromeThis gray color made by Smith and Cult is one of my preferred more neutral colors and is great for using as base to nail art. As much as I love the polish itself, I really like the bottle. These bottles look like little works of art on display on my vanity. The name Stockholm Syndrome is just one of the many hilarious names their polishes have. Essie - Penny TalkMetallic nails are one of my go to looks for when I feel like doing something a little more interesting with my nails while still keeping them nice and subtle. I love anything that looks like precious metal so this rose gold toned polish by Essie is right up my alley. It is called Penny Talk because of it's great copper-ish color.
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AuthorSusan Schell is a working hand model in Paris and NYC. Archives
September 2020
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