Glamourous Factory isn’t just another manicure provider. It is the only chain of nail salons in Singapore that offers the BUB AI nail system – a professional brand that is created by Shigeyama Ai, the nail artisan favoured by K-pop stars like Girls’ Generation and TIARA.
Besides carrying the unique range of products (which I will talk more about in a bit), Glamourous Factory’s team of nail artisans is led by Foo Yee Sin, who is the first nail educator and trainer for the BUB AI Nail System in Singapore, and is personally trained in Korea by Shigeyama Ai.
Having worked in the industry for more than 12 years, Yee Sin has dressed up the nails of Singaporean artistes Priscelia Chan, Ya Hui, Chen Li Ping, and Dawn Yeoh, as well as Taiwanese artiste Annie Chen.
I visited Glamourous Factory’s outlet at Plaza Singapura to allow Yee Sin give my nails the celebrity treatment.
Glamourous Factory Review
Yee Sin is passionate about her craft and I could tell you by the way she talks about how each BUB AI product helps make achieving creative looks more easily, and how she worked on new designs while waiting for me to arrive for my appointment.
I told her that I preferred something more wearable, yet still fancy enough to keep it interesting. She immediately suggested five possible designs, and I settled for the marbled look.
After filing and shaping my nails, Yee Sin applied a base coat that doesn’t just help offer a protective layer, but said that the BUB AI base coat also helps to strengthen nails, and even them out. Because of a previous health issue that caused my nails to become brittle (and break into the nail bed), the new nails grew out to be slightly uneven. With the base coat, Yee Sin was able to “even” out the canvas so that the nails and design look better.
The design she planned for me features turquoise and white shades. I was rather impressed by how the green lacquer turned out to look exactly like how it looked when it glided onto my nails; a lot of lacquers I’ve tried change colours after they dry, but BUB AI’s one doesn’t. In fact the colour stayed on as fresh as it looked when it was first applied on my nails, even after a few days.
I also liked that the lacquer dried almost immediately. Casually, Yee Sin ran her finger across my newly-painted nail and said: “See, it dries quickly. Our clients can go off immediately for their next appointment if they want to. There’s no need to wait.”
Yee Sin then meticulously drew black lines on the nails to mimic the prints of the marble texture. But she said, these lines need a blurred effect for them to look more like the actual marble prints. Using a nail cleanser, she began to smudge them.
She explained that because the formula dries quickly, it was easy for her to draw her design on immediately without fearing that the two lacquers will interfere with each other and smudge. However, also because the formula dries fast, she has to creatively use the cleanser to achieve the smudged effect.
She then carefully stick studs on each of my nail to give them a more edgy look. “Most salons would use glue to stick on accessories which fastens too quickly, giving little room for adjustment. Ours still allows us to shift the accessory around to get to the perfect position.”
Finally, she applied a top coat on. She explained that besides offering a glossy finish, the top coat also provides a “blanket” to the accessories. She said that most people find that while accessories make the design pop, they also can be troublesome when hair gets caught between them, or when they rub against thin fabric like chiffon, causing tear lines. The top coat is able to seal up any gap to give an overall smooth texture, so that these problems are prevented. It also (ironically) gives the accessories a more 3-D look.
Do I like it?
I love how the look turned out – it really resembles the marble texture, which makes me very fascinated. I can’t help but watch them all the time – even now, as I am typing.
Prices for customised designs varies from SGD60+(Junior nail artisan) to SGD100+ (Head nail artisan).
Glamourous Factory is located at #04-38 Plaza Singapura, #01-10 The Clift (28 McCallum Street), and #02-112 Roxy Square II. Visit their Facebook page for more information.
