After scouring online sources, from Instagram to Vogue articles, I came across Nail Club Paris, a New York-inspired salon that offers services including Gel-X and nail art.

Of all the ones I clicked through, I thought this salon’s website was the easiest to navigate, and I particularly liked the aesthetic based on the photos.

I made my appointment online two weeks ahead of time. With the help of Google Translate (my grade-school French is quite rusty), I booked a spot for gel extensions and gel polish with a tortoiseshell French-manicure design.

Before getting into the review, I must admit to committing multiple nail offensives before and during this appointment.

I can blame my cold, the stress of traveling, or the confusion of acclimating to a new area, but I definitely should’ve known better.

My first sin was being about 15 minutes late. Usually, salons offer a grace period for tardiness, but I wasn’t sure what timeframe applied to this salon.

I arrived with “Je suis désolé” (“I’m sorry”) bubbling up my throat and explained, in English, how the traffic delayed me. Maëlle, my nail tech and the only employee in the salon when I arrived, reassured me and guided me to my seat.

The second sin was not booking a nail removal with my appointment. At the time, I was wearing professional press-on nails and assumed they would pop or fall off easily like the store-bought ones I’m used to.

Not booking the appropriate services can throw off a nail tech’s entire schedule and create delays for future appointments.

Maëlle gave my press-ons a small tug and immediately reached for her nail drill. Though she was impressed by how sturdy they were, she was worried about how long the removal process would take because she had another appointment after mine.

Even with the language barrier, the anxiety was evident. I felt guilty for putting her in this position.

Maëlle’s English was far better than my French, so we intermittently spoke about the politics in our respective countries and our admiration for nail art.

She proudly talked about the salon’s New York loft theme, and I agreed that I saw the vision. The exposed brick and funky color palette felt like a subtle love letter to my home state.

As we settled in, Maëlle put on a Kali Uchis playlist and fell into a deep focus as she sang along to the Colombian artist’s lyrics. Her hypnotic trance signaled to me that she was about to lock in, and I was prepared to witness absolute magic.

The manicure technique felt no different than the ones I’ve gotten in the US. After filing and soaking off my press-on nails, Maëlle prepped my nails and cuticles.

We settled on Aprés gel as a base, a softer extension that covers the entire nail bed. Compared to acrylics, it’s supposed to cause less damage to the natural nail as it grows out.

The durable gel should last anywhere from three to six weeks, depending on your nail care. I’m used to getting Aprés in the US, and the process didn’t differ just because I was overseas.

After nail prep, Maëlle found the best-fitting extensions for each finger and applied an adhesive before curing them onto my natural nails. She then shaped them into pointed almonds and tested out the best base color to match my nail tone.

Though the manicure process wasn’t unique, I was so impressed with Maëlle’s prowess.

She told me she had eight years of experience under her belt — and her expertise was evident in her light touch and speed. Though my tardiness and nail removal set us back, Maëlle’s ability to breeze through the manicure was borderline mind-blowing.

Instead of applying extensions and art one nail at a time and switching between hands, Maëlle did the process one hand at a time. This meant she didn’t cure the gel polish until she was done with the entire hand, which can be risky as she could accidentally smudge a previous nail along the way.

Much to my surprise, no nails were smudged, nicked, or impacted by the technique.

I opted for tortoiseshell crescents on every nail. The design had to be done in layers, starting with a base of very light brown and eventually creating a pattern with darker shades of brown and black on top.

Maëlle meticulously followed the reference picture I showed her — right down to the charms that she miraculously had in stock.

Most of the manicure was filled with Maëlle quietly singing — and me silently holding my breath, hoping I wouldn’t delay the next appointment.

However, the conversations we were able to have were fun and lighthearted. We bonded over our love for certain manicure techniques and preferences for almond and stiletto shapes. Even with a limited shared language, our passion for nails bridged the gap.

At the end, I paid 150 euros, about $162. My original appointment was listed as 125 euros, but the nail removal cost an additional 25 euros.

I also left a cash tip of 30 euros because of how incredible and accommodating Maëlle was.

This appointment was in the same time and price range that I’m used to in the US, so I was interested to see how the manicure would hold up. My usual sets sometimes lift by the third week.

In the days following my manicure, I noticed a few air bubbles under the extensions, which can be caused by a number of things. Since the bubbles were toward the center of the nail and not the sides, they were sealed in and didn’t affect the set’s longevity.

Over the next few weeks, I was definitely more rough than I usually am with my manicures. After Paris, I was on a quick trip to Maine, where I hiked and climbed rocky terrain at Acadia National Park.

The fact that no nails broke or even loosened was incredible, and I could only hope they’d fair just as well for the rest of the month.

After four weeks, I was still receiving compliments about how fresh the design looked.

Because of the simple and elegant French tip, I could barely see my natural nails growing under the nude base. Despite the initial bubbles, I also didn’t experience any chipping or lifting.

It was beyond evident that this manicure could last both physically and aesthetically, and that’s always worth the money for me.