Your nails look rough and you've got about half an hour. You don't need a full spa treatment. You need someone to sort your cuticles and shape your nails properly so your hands look presentable again.
You've got a meeting tomorrow and your cuticles look rough. Or you're between gel appointments and the grow-out is starting to bother you. Maybe you just like having neat nails and don't need the hand massage and all the extras that come with a luxury appointment. That's what the express manicure is for. Professional e-file cuticle work, shaping, buffing. Twenty-five minutes. Not a rushed version of something bigger. A focused service that does exactly what it says.
You don't need anything fancy. Your nails just need a tidy. Cuticles cleaned up, shape sorted, and you're out the door. No polish, no fuss, no hour-long appointment.
That's what an express manicure is for. It's the quick, no-nonsense nail maintenance service. Professional e-file cuticle work, nail shaping, buffing, and a cuticle oil finish. Your nails go from scruffy to sorted in around 25 minutes.
At Aesthete Beauty in Dundee, every express manicure is carried out by Radina Ignatova, a professional nail expert with over 11 years of experience whose work has been featured in Scratch Magazine and Who What Wear UK. All preparation is done dry with an e-file, not water soaking. Express Manicure starts from £25. Book online any time or call us on 01382 217888.
An express manicure is the essential nail maintenance service. No extras, no add-ons, just the basics done properly.
Your cuticles get cleaned up with a dry e-file. Your nails get shaped to whatever style you want. The surface gets buffed smooth. And the treatment finishes with cuticle oil to nourish the nail and cuticle area.
Precise e-file cuticle work: quick, controlled, professional
There's no polish included in the express service. It's designed to be quick. If you want colour, you can upgrade to OPI polish or gel polish as an add-on, or book a regular manicure or gel polish manicure instead.
It's a good service to book between gel or BIAB sets when your nails just need a maintenance tidy. It's also the one for clients who prefer their nails natural but still want them looking groomed and presentable. And it fits easily into a lunch break if you work in the city centre.
A lot of people hear "express" and assume it means corners get cut. That's how it works at most places. The express option at a chain nail bar usually means a quick file and a coat of polish with zero cuticle work. You sit down, they paint your nails, you leave. Looks fine for about three days. Then the rough cuticles and hangnails start showing up because nobody actually dealt with them.
That's not what happens here. The express manicure at Aesthete Beauty uses the same professional e-file for cuticle preparation that Radina uses in every other nail service. Same bits. Same technique. Same level of care around the cuticle area. The difference between this and the luxury manicure isn't the quality of the nail work. It's the extras. No hand soak. No scrub. No mask. No massage. You're not paying for the pampering. You're paying for precision cuticle work and shaping from someone who does this all day every day with professional equipment. Radina has over 11 years of experience as a nail technician. The express manicure might be the shortest appointment on the list but it gets the same trained hands as everything else.
It's the same preparation technique used in the Russian manicure and BIAB appointments.
The appointment starts with shaping. Whatever style you prefer. Square, round, almond, whatever you like. Radina uses a professional nail file and checks the symmetry across all ten nails so they match.
Then comes the cuticle work. This is where the express at Aesthete differs from most. Instead of just pushing cuticles back with an orange stick, Radina uses the e-file with fine diamond bits to clean up the dead skin around the cuticle area. Same dry technique used in the Russian manicure and BIAB appointments. No water soak. No cutting with nippers. Precise removal of the dead keratinised tissue sitting on the nail plate. The result is a cleaner cuticle line than you'd get from a standard manicure that takes twice as long.
After cuticle work, the nails get buffed smooth. If you booked the express on its own you leave with natural, clean, tidy nails and a neat cuticle line. Want colour? Upgrade to OPI regular polish for £35 or a full gel polish manicure for £43 at the time of booking. The OPI range includes over 200 shades. If you go with the gel polish upgrade, the full Lecente and OPI gel range is available with over 230 HEMA-free colours on display in the salon.
Great service and a lovely manicure/hand treatment. Would thoroughly recommend the treatment. Very soft hands and lovely nails.
Not sure which level of manicure you need?
Express Manicure (from £25) is the quick tidy. Cuticle work, shaping, buffing, cuticle oil. No polish, no hand treatment. In and out. For clients who just want neat nails fast.
Luxury Manicure (from £40/£55) adds a full hand treatment on top of the nail work. Exfoliating scrub, nourishing butter, hydrating mask. For clients who want pampering as well as nail care.
Gel Polish Manicure (from £43) is about colour that lasts. Cuticle prep, shaping, and gel polish cured under an LED lamp for two to three weeks of chip-free colour. For clients who want long-lasting colour.
If you're not sure, start with the express. You can always upgrade next time.
The way to think about it is what you actually need. Nails in decent shape and you just want them looking tidy? The express does the job. No product on the nails. No extras. In and out. Want the same nail work plus a proper hand treatment with scrub, mask, and massage? The luxury manicure gives you that full pampering experience. Want colour that lasts two to three weeks without chipping? The gel polish manicure is the one to book. The polish gets cured under an LED lamp and stays put until your next appointment.
Some clients rotate between all three. Express between gel appointments to keep cuticles tidy. Gel when they want colour. Luxury when they want to treat themselves. No wrong answer. Depends on what your nails need that week.
Natural buffed nails. Two to three weeks before your cuticles start growing back and the shaping needs refreshing. Your nails stay tidy longer than a home file because the e-file cuticle work is more precise. Less dead skin to grow back compared to a standard push-and-cut approach.
OPI regular polish. Five to seven days before the first chip. Regular polish sits on top of the nail and doesn't bond the way gel does. Hot water, cleaning products, and daily wear all shorten its life. Good option if you've got something coming up and want colour for a few days without committing to gel.
Gel polish upgrade. Two to three weeks of chip-free wear. The gel gets cured under the LED lamp so it hardens fully and bonds to the nail plate. Won't peel or chip from normal daily use. The main thing that affects it is nail growth. After two to three weeks you'll see a gap at the cuticle as your nail grows out. That's when it's time for the next appointment.
Express Manicure from £25.
Upgrades available: OPI polish, gel polish, BIAB, Russian manicure preparation.
Manicure with OPI Polish from £35. Luxury Manicure from £40. Gel Polish Manicure from £43.
All current pricing is in the online booking system. Pick your service, choose your time, done. You can also call us on 01382 217888 or message on WhatsApp.
Lovely salon, it is so clean! Had a beautiful manicure done by Radina, the customer service was great.
Quick and straightforward.
Even on a quick express appointment, the hygiene standard stays the same. Vodex dust extraction runs during the e-file work, fresh disposable files and buffers for every client, metal tools sterilised between appointments, gloves worn throughout. Same setup you'd get for a two-hour extension appointment.
First-time clients get a short digital consultation form by email before their appointment covering nail health and any concerns. Returning clients skip it unless something has changed.
Every tool sterilised and laid out fresh for your appointment
Your nails get filed to your preferred shape.
Dry e-file work to clean up the cuticle area. Precise, controlled, quick.
Nail surface buffed smooth for a natural shine.
Oil applied to nourish nails and cuticles. Done.
If any of these sound familiar, the express manicure is what you need:
If you want colour that lasts, book a gel polish manicure. If you want your hands pampered too, the luxury manicure is the one. The express is purely about getting your nails neat and done quickly.
Clients who book the express regularly tend to fall into a few groups. People who work with their hands and want their nails neat but don't want anything on them. People between gel or BIAB appointments who want a cuticle tidy-up in between. First-timers who want to try something quick and low commitment before booking a longer service. And people who are genuinely short on time but still care about how their nails look. Twenty-five minutes. That's a lunch break. If you work in the city centre or anywhere around the Overgate or Nethergate, you can walk to Bell Street, get your nails done, and be back at your desk.
Love love love coming here to get my nails done. Never disappointed.
Cuticle oil once a day. Takes ten seconds. Any cuticle oil will do. Keeps the skin around your nails hydrated and stops the dry peeling that makes hands look rough between appointments.
Natural nails? Nothing else to worry about.
OPI polish? Avoid soaking your hands in hot water for a few hours after. Do the dishes with gloves on if you want the colour to last. Don't peel or pick at the edges when it starts chipping. Take it off properly with remover or book your next appointment.
Gel upgrade? Same rules as any gel manicure. Cuticle oil daily. Gloves for cleaning. Don't pick or peel. If a nail lifts at the edge, book a repair rather than pulling it off yourself. That takes layers of your natural nail with it.
E-file cuticle preparation, nail shaping, buffing, and cuticle oil finish. No polish is included. It's the quick nail maintenance service.
From £25. All pricing is in the online booking system.
Around 25 minutes. It's designed to be quick.
No. The express service finishes with cuticle oil for a natural, groomed look. If you want polish, you can upgrade to OPI polish or book a manicure with polish from £35.
Yes. Gel polish can be added as an upgrade. Or book a Gel Polish Manicure from £43 as a standalone service.
Express is nails only: cuticle work, shaping, buffing. Luxury adds a full hand treatment with exfoliating scrub, nourishing butter, and hydrating mask. Express is the quick tidy. Luxury is the pampering experience.
The e-file cuticle work is the same precise technique used in every nail service at the salon. It removes dead skin without cutting or damaging the cuticle. There's no aggressive filing and no harsh chemicals involved. An express manicure is the gentlest service on the list because there's no product being applied to or removed from your nails.
The express focuses on the nails. Shaping, e-file cuticle work, buffing. No hand massage, no scrub, no soak. A regular or luxury manicure includes all of those extras plus more time for pampering. The actual cuticle work and nail shaping is the same quality in both. You're choosing between a focused nail service and a full hand treatment.
Not here. At most nail bars an express manicure is a quick file and a coat of polish with minimal cuticle attention. At Aesthete Beauty the express includes professional e-file cuticle preparation using the same equipment and technique as the longer nail services. Polish is optional. Not included by default.
Every two to three weeks keeps your cuticles in good shape and your nails looking tidy. If your cuticles grow quickly or you work with your hands a lot, every two weeks. Lower maintenance nails, three weeks is fine. Some clients come every four weeks and that works for them too.
Yes. Twenty-five minutes. The salon is on Bell Street in Dundee city centre. You could walk in, get your nails done, and be back within the hour. No soaking and no polish drying time means you can use your hands straight away.
Same equipment, same technique, same precision. Every nail service at Aesthete Beauty uses a professional e-file for cuticle preparation. The express is no different. Same diamond bits. Same dry technique. The e-file removes dead cuticle tissue without cutting and the result is a cleaner cuticle line that lasts longer than traditional push-back methods.
If time allows, Radina can usually add OPI regular polish during the appointment. If you know you want colour it's better to book the manicure with OPI polish or the gel polish manicure from the start so the right amount of time is allocated. You can always call or message to change your booking.
Plenty of men book it. Clean, tidy nails with neat cuticles. No polish unless you want it. Most men who book are professionals who want their hands looking presentable for work. Twenty-five minutes. No fuss.
If your existing gel or BIAB is still in good condition and you just want a cuticle tidy-up around it, yes. If the product is lifting or needs removing first, you'll need a gel removal or infill appointment instead. Radina can advise if you're not sure which service to book.
The attention to detail and time taken at each appointment is the reason I go.
Quick, professional, and done properly. E-file preparation, neat shaping, and you're on your way.
We serve clients from across Dundee and the surrounding areas including the West End, Broughty Ferry, Newport-on-Tay, Monifieth, Carnoustie, and further afield.
