NYC Beauty Tour – Dashing Diva

My first night in Manhattan started off with a stop at the newest Dashing Diva salon at 149 3rd Ave. for a manicure and cosmos. Ever since I read about their fab Girl’s Night Out experience I’ve been wanting to witness it for myself so, you can imagine my excitement when I found out we were going.

Walking into a Dashing Diva salon is like entering girlie heaven. You can’t help but feel like a giggly princess inside the pink, modern but inviting decor. Being the giant polish hound that I am, I immediately zeroed in on the color wheel of lacquer. Can you guess what caught my eye? That’s right, blues and greens and they have quite a good range. Not all the colors are listed on the Dashing Diva website but I hope that it’s just because they are new because all my green and blue lovers should be able to snag a bottle for themselves. One color in particular, C347, really sparked my interest with it’s olive green shimmery goodness but a steely blue gray (C350) ended up being my polish of choice. Dark gray is a great neutral with a chic edgy feel.

What really impressed me was the cleanliness and pristine condition of the salon. I know it’s a new location but we’ve all walked into those nail shops that have dust on anything standing still and in my opinion Dashing Diva could never become that. They are most definitely on their A game.Each nail station has room for two customers so you can gab with your best pal or make a new friend while your hands are pampered and polished. Now I watch every manicurist like a hawk; to pick up their tricks, techniques and the occasional mistake and two things really stood out about their process.

1. There was not a cuticle nipper in sight. Color me wowed. I can’t stand having my cuticles cut. I don’t agree with the technique so being in a shop where I didn’t have to fight to keep mine intact was a major bonus.

2. You can choose the scent for your hand treatments. I chose orange. What a great personalized touch. Many people are sensitive to scent or hate certain ones, like my aversion to all things coconut, so giving their customers a choice was a wise decision.
The Basic Diva Manicure touts a “Flash Dry” finish that keeps you from smudging your nails as you “dash” out the door. So as I sat at the drying table, outfitted with flat screen monitors to keep me occupied, I couldn’t help but be skeptical about this top coat claim. Way too many times I’ve reached into my purse for money, keys, rings, etc and wrecked a perfectly good manicure. It’s one of the reasons I prefer to do my own nails. So when I was told that I could move safely about the salon, I was just waiting for the wreckage as I grabbed for my rings. And as you can see below, I survived smudge and dent free.

I wish we had the time to indulge in a pedicure but considering the cold weather and my lack of open toed footwear, it would have been a waste. Next time I’m in the city I’ll have to find time to cozy up on the big pink couch with a cosmo.And for gals in a super hurry, Dashing Diva carries an assortment of ready-to-go tips for your last minute nail needs.OK so now it’s time for Dashing Diva to open a salon in Cleveland. Please, please, please!! And all you Cleveland nail shops out there, take a page from the Dashing Diva playbook and step up your game. Not only do they deliver a top shelf nail experience, the price is uber-reasonable at only $15. So until I get a Dashing Diva here, I’ll continue to hate on all you gals that have ‘em.