Why Salons Suck by M. Ziskin

What is going on with the Asian nail salons in New York City? I have dealt with this issue at least FOUR times in the past year! You want a french pedicure (which is usually pink with a white line on top) and end up looking like you have no polish on because they use a light pink and make sure they rub ALL excess off the brush before applying.

I went to get a french pedicure after work yesterday at a place called Iris. I sat down and the woman did not offer to turn on the massage chair. So I turned it on myself. Another woman was reading magazines, I was never offered ONE.

When it came time to put the polish on, she put a light pink that looked clear and then the white strips over it. Frustrated, I spoke up. She said "oh you want darker, OK". She went to get something that looked to be the same color, showed me and I said "NO". She said "OK you pick"..so I found a decent *pink* color. She said.."this too dark, not gonna look good"..she actually said that! So then what does she do? Paints a thin layer over what she already did, so the white strips still show through only now are pink. I actually said "are you serious"? She said "I told you not looks good". I really felt like I was on Candid Camera or Howie Do It. I told her to please put the pink polish on first THEN the white over it. She said "Ohhh, you want American French, what I do is European French most people want it". UH, last time I checked, this is AMERICA.

Finally she was done, it wasn't even what I wanted but it was way better than a clear looking nail with white strips on them...which looks horribly cheesy to me, like someone was too lazy to paint their nails but tried to jazz em up by putting white strips on em. She then ushered me to the drying station, and while I was watching all the other patrons get mini back massages while their nails dried, no one offered me once. I paid her, and blatantly did not leave a tip.

Hair salons are doing this too. You go in with a picture of what you want, and they give you something totally different. I once asked for a blowout curled at the ends, and the woman proceeded to use a curling iron....Excuse me, for under $20, I can fuck up my own hair and nails. These salons are not hiring professionals anymore, they are hiring people willing to work for peanuts who have no training whatsoever.

Total Recall

We have all experienced it. After spending umpteen dollars, we FINALLY find "IT"...the perfect product. We are so elated, we continue to buy said product, even when the price goes up. It is THAT good. All of a sudden, its a bit harder to find. Then you can't find it in ANY store. Frantic, you search feverishly online. You find a store that sells it for 10 bucks more. Whatever- You buy anywhere from 10-50 of the darn thing. Then after your 50 have run out...when the iStore no longer carries it does it hit you....this item has been discontinued. You have been had.

Over the years, I have had favorite shampoos, brands, lipsticks, concealers and lotions discontinued. This is definitely a ploy by corporations to get us to spend more money. Think about it, why are there so many crappy items out there that never go away even though everyone and their grandmother hates them? Because this is how they hook you. Put out a nice, sweet product that you will fall in love with- then, without warning, viciously pull it from store shelves-and your life. You try loads of other stuff trying to find a product even similar to the one they recalled. Alas, you have just spent $300 in the course of 3 months trying to find a decent product. The producers/manufacturers are elated, knowing they are duping the consumer and making money.

I am writing this because i have HAD it. I have wasted time, money and energy trying to figure out how to replace recalled products. No one ever even gives us any notice.

My advice, when you find a product you love, buy as much as you can. Spend hundreds now, so you don't have to waste money on products you will not like/use.