BOOKING HELP · 5 MIN READ
What to send when asking for custom nail art
A clear photo and a few details help the studio understand your idea and discuss it properly before you book.
Khulasa: Saaf close-up photo bhejein aur batayein ke rang, shape ya pattern mein se kya sab se zaroori hai.
Send a clear reference photo
Choose an image where the nails and pattern are easy to see. A close-up is more useful than a screenshot filled with text. If possible, keep an uncropped version too.
Use your own reference or one you have permission to share. Tell the studio what you like about it rather than assuming every detail must be copied.
When to send the picture, at booking or on the day
Send it when you first message, not when you sit down. The picture needs to be looked at before anything is agreed: some designs need more time in the chair, some only work at a certain length, and some need materials that have to be checked first. If the first time anyone sees your reference is when you arrive, the only choices left are to rush it or to simplify it on the spot. Neither of those gives you the set you were imagining.
Bringing the photo again on the day is still a good idea. Keep it saved in your gallery, or keep the chat open, so you can pull it up while your nails are being shaped. Screens show colour differently from one another, so it helps to hold your phone next to your hand and compare there and then, before any colour goes on. If anything has changed since you booked, a different length, a different occasion, say it before the prep starts rather than after.
How many photos to send, and what to do with three favourites
Two or three photos is usually the sweet spot. One clear close-up of the design itself, one that shows the length and shape you have in mind, and one of your own bare hands if you have not been before. Much more than that and the important detail gets lost, because nobody can tell which picture is the real one. If you only want to send a single photo, add one line saying what you like in it.
Liking three completely different sets is normal and it is not a problem. Send all three, then say plainly which one is closest to what you actually want to wear, and what you would borrow from the other two. Something like 'this shape, this colour, and the little flowers from the third one but only on two nails' is far more useful than three pictures with no comment. It also saves a long back and forth in the chat.
Add the details that matter
Mention the length you want, your preferred colours and whether the design is for everyday wear or an event. Say if you already have gel polish or extensions on.
Attach your photo directly in the Instagram chat when you message. If you found the design in our catalogue, send the design page link so we both look at the same thing.
Why a saved picture sometimes cannot be copied exactly
A lot of reference photos are not quite what they look like. Many are press-on sets photographed on a hand, so the shape is moulded plastic rather than a real nail. Many more are shot on much longer extensions, which gives a bigger canvas: a pattern drawn across a long almond nail has to be redrawn to sit on a short square one, not simply shrunk. Filters and editing apps shift colour heavily too, so the milky nude you saved may be a warm beige in real life.
Your own nails matter as well. The width of your nail bed, how curved your nails are and how much free edge you have all change how a design lands. None of this means you cannot have what you want. It means the honest version may look a little different from the picture, and it is much better to hear that in the chat than to find out while you are sitting in the chair. Ask what would need to change, and why.
What to say when you do not know the word for it
You do not need the vocabulary. Nobody is testing whether you know it is called milky pink, cat eye or a micro French. Describing the effect works just as well: 'pinkish but cloudy, like it is slightly see through', 'shiny lines that move when I tilt my hand', 'a very thin white line right at the tip, not the thick one'. You will be told the proper name, and then you will know it next time.
If words fail you, point. Send the picture and crop it to the exact part you mean, or just write 'the third nail from the left'. Colour words are the least reliable thing in any chat, because nude, beige, peach and blush mean different things to different people, and every phone screen shows them differently. Wherever you can, compare it to something real: a lipstick you own, the trim on an outfit, or a colour you have worn before.
Ask what is possible and what it costs
Detailed patterns, length changes and removal may affect the work involved. Ask the studio to confirm the design, price and available appointment time in chat.
Sending a photo does not confirm a booking. Wait until you and the studio have agreed the details together.
Common questions
What photo should I send for custom nail art?
A clear close-up where the nails and pattern are easy to see. Say which part matters most to you: the colour, the shape, the length or the pattern.
Does sending a design photo confirm my booking?
No. A booking is confirmed when you and the studio have agreed the design, price and time together in chat.
Can I change parts of a design I found online?
Yes. Tell the studio which parts you want to keep and which to change. Most designs can shift colour, length or shape to suit your nails.
Should I send my inspiration picture when I book or when I arrive?
When you book. The design affects how much time and which materials are needed, so it has to be seen before anything is agreed. Keep it on your phone as well, so you can both look at it again before the colour goes on.
Is it rude to send lots of reference photos?
No, but two or three are easier to work with than ten. Say which one is closest to what you want and what you would take from the others. One line of explanation is worth more than five extra pictures.
The colour looks different in the photo than in real life. What should I do?
Say so in the chat. Screens and filters shift colour a lot, especially nudes and pinks. Compare it to something real, like a lipstick or a shirt you own, and check the actual colour against your hand before it is applied.
Where to go next
General guidance, written simply; it is not medical advice. For skin or nail problems that worry you, a dermatologist is the right first stop. Anything about MB's own services, prices or timings is confirmed with you in chat before your visit.
