5.0· 38 Google reviews

Builder gel in Coral Gables.

A reinforcing layer over your own nail — not an extension. Manicure, builder gel and colour, all in, from $55.

280 Alhambra Cir, Suite 23, Coral Gables · Around 1h15 · From $55

Nude gel manicure with a glossy finish on natural-length nails
What it actually is

Your own nail, made to stop breaking.

If your nails peel, bend or split at the same length every time, colour alone won't fix it. Builder gel is a layer of gel built over your natural nail to hold it together while it grows.

1

It isn't an extension

Nothing gets stuck on and nothing gets sculpted past your fingertip. It's your nail, reinforced. If you want length now, that's soft gel from $70.

2

What $55 covers

The full manicure — shaping and cuticle work — plus the builder gel and your colour, cured under lamp. Design and art are separate, from $10.

3

Around an hour and a quarter

Longer than a gel manicure, because the gel goes on in thin layers and each one cures. I'll tell you the time before we start, and it takes exactly that.

Where it sits

Between a manicure and an extension.

Most people who ask me for extensions don't actually want length — they want their nails to stop breaking. This is the step in between, and it's usually the honest answer.

Nude almond nails with a natural finish
Nude almond
Classic French finish on short natural nails
Classic French
Soft lilac gel colour on short nails
Soft lilac
Solid red gel colour with a glossy finish
Solid red

The four, in order

Gel manicure $40 — colour on your own nail. Builder gel $55 — the same, reinforced. Soft gel $70 — length, light. Poly gel $80 — length, strongest.

Your nail comes first

Cuticles pushed, not cut. Thin coats, sealed free edge. Nothing filed down to make something stick. It's the part nobody photographs and the part that decides whether your nails are fine in a year.

Before you book

Builder gel, the questions.

Is builder gel an extension?

No. It goes over your natural nail and stops where your nail stops. If you want length, soft gel starts at $70 and poly gel at $80.

Is there a refill?

No. Builder gel doesn't have a refill price — when it's grown out, it's a fresh application, from $55. Extensions are the ones with refills, from $50.

Is the colour included?

Yes. The $55 covers the manicure, the builder gel and your colour. Nail art and design are separate, from $10 — French and chrome included in that.

Is it for me?

If your nails peel in layers, bend when they get past your fingertip, or break in the same spot every time — yes. If they're strong already and you just want colour, a gel manicure from $40 is the cheaper answer, and I'll tell you so.

Do you do acrylic instead?

No. Gel only — builder gel, soft gel, poly gel and gel manicures.

Other services

Not what you were after?

Gel manicure →

Colour on your own nail, no reinforcement. Around an hour. From $40.

Soft gel →

Also sold as Gel-X. Length, and the lightest of the extensions. From $70.

Poly gel →

Sculpted, strongest, holds real length. From $80.

Book your chair

One chair, one pair of hands. Book the time that's yours.

Booksy shows my live availability. The phone gets you me — no receptionist in between.

I answer these myself, usually the same day. For instant confirmation, use Booksy.

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