Clients & Consultations · N-06 — The Inspo-Photo Quote
How to price nail art from a client's Pinterest photo
“A client sent me a Pinterest photo and asked 'how much?' I need a real number fast, and I don't want to lowball myself or start a haggle.”
Help me quote a nail set from a client's inspo photo.
THE INSPO: [attach the photo, or describe it — e.g., almond, medium, milky-nude base,
burgundy chrome French, gold foil and a 3D bow on both ring fingers]
WHAT THE CLIENT SAID: [paste it exactly, no name — e.g., "love these!! how much? are
they $70 like your gel x?"]
THE CLIENT'S NAILS NOW: [e.g., gel from another salon, 3 weeks old / bare / my own set]
MY SERVICES AND PRICES: [each one with its price and time — e.g., Gel-X full set
short/medium $70, 90 min; builder gel overlay $65, 75 min; soak-off +$10, 15 min]
HOW I CHARGE FOR ART: [e.g., $15 per 15-minute block, always rounded up]
MATERIALS I CHARGE FOR SEPARATELY: [e.g., 3D charms $2 each — or "none"]
TIMES I ALREADY KNOW (mine, not average): [e.g., chrome French both hands 20 min; gold
foil ~3 min per nail; 3D charm ~4 min each]
MY DEPOSIT AND BOOKING: [e.g., $20 deposit, comes off the total, link in my bio]
Do it in this order.
1. BREAK THE PHOTO INTO ELEMENTS. List every separate thing I'd have to do to recreate it:
base service, shape and length, each finish, each piece of art, each add-on. For each,
give a time. Use MY times where I gave them. Where I didn't, give your best estimate as a
range and mark it "estimate — check against your own speed". Don't invent elements that
aren't in the photo.
2. WHAT THE PHOTO CAN'T TELL ME. Name anything I'd need to ask before the price is firm —
the real length, whether it's gel-X or natural nails underneath, anything that looks like
it could be a filter or an edit. Only list things that would actually change the time or
the price. Maximum three.
3. THE MATH, SHOWN. Base service price + art time rounded UP to my blocks x my block price
+ materials + any add-on = total. Show every line so I can check it. Use ONLY the prices
I gave you — never a market price, never an "average salon charges" number. If something
has no price from me, leave it as [my price] and say so. Then the total appointment
time, so I know how long a slot to block.
4. TWO OPTIONS FOR THE CLIENT. The full design at the full price, and one simpler version
that keeps the look but drops the element that saves the MOST blocks (say which one and
how many blocks it saves), with its price. This is how I answer "can you do it cheaper"
without discounting my rate.
5. THE REPLY TO THE CLIENT. Answer their actual question first, in one sentence. Then the
two options with prices, one line each. Then what's included, the one thing that could
change the price, and how to book with my deposit. If they assumed a lower price, correct
it once, warmly, without apologising for my prices. Under 90 words. Sound like a person
texting, not a salon. At most one emoji.
6. ONE LINE ABOUT MY OWN PRICES. Work out what each service I listed earns per minute. If
any earns less per minute than my art rate, name it and show the numbers. One line, no
lecture. If none do, say so.
Rules: never state what other salons charge. Never guess a price I didn't give you. If the
photo shows anything on the natural nail or skin that looks like damage or irritation,
don't name a condition — tell me to look at it in person before booking.
What it produced
Run on Jade's real inputs
The inspo: almond, medium. Sheer milky-nude base, deep burgundy French tips with chrome powder rubbed over the tips only. Both ring fingers: no French, gold foil flakes plus one small gold 3D bow near the cuticle.
The client said: “love these!! how much? are they $70 like your gel x?”
Her nails now: gel from another salon, about 3 weeks old.
Jade’s numbers: Gel-X full set (short/medium) $70, 90 min · builder gel overlay $65, 75 min · soak-off +$10, 15 min · art $15 per 15-min block, rounded up · 3D charms $2 each · chrome French 20 min, foil ~3 min/nail, charm ~4 min each · $20 deposit, link in bio.
1. The elements
# Element Time 1 Soak-off of the other salon’s gel 15 min (your time) 2 Gel-X full set, almond, medium, sheer milky-nude base (a solid colour, so included) 90 min (your time) 3 Burgundy chrome French, 8 nails (ring fingers skipped) 20 min (your time for both hands) 4 Gold foil, 2 ring fingers 6 min (your 3 min × 2) 5 Gold 3D bow charm, 2 ring fingers 8 min (your 4 min × 2) I’ve treated the plain burgundy French as the “simple French” your Gel-X price covers. The 20 min is the chrome add-on on top of it. If your 20 min already includes painting the French itself, the math below still holds.
None of these are estimates. You gave me a time for every element.
2. What the photo can’t tell you
- Gel-X or her natural nails? A builder gel overlay would change the base to $65 and 75 min, if her own nails are long enough for medium almond.
- Real length. Your $70 covers short or medium only. If she wants longer than it looks, that’s [my price], because you haven’t given me one.
- Is the chrome real or a filter/lighting effect? If she actually wants a glossy burgundy French with no chrome, she’s getting Option B.
Damage check: I’ve only got a description, not the image, and nothing in it suggests damage. You haven’t seen her natural nails under the 3-week-old gel, though. Look at them in person after the soak-off before starting.
3. The math
Gel-X full set (medium) $70 Art time: 20 + 6 + 8 = 34 min → rounded UP to 3 blocks × $15 $45 Materials: 2 charms × $2 $4 Soak-off $10 ------ TOTAL $129Appointment time: 15 + 90 + 34 = 139 min. Block 2h20m, or more if you like a buffer.
If she chooses natural nails: $65 + $45 + $4 + $10 = $124, 124 min.
4. Two options
- A. Full design: $129, 139 min
- B. No chrome: drop the chrome, keep the burgundy French, foil and bows. Art falls to 14 min, which is 1 block, so it saves 2 blocks ($30). The total is $70 + $15 + $4 + $10 = $99, 119 min.
Dropping the chrome saves the most. Dropping the foil or the charms would each save only 1 block.
5. Reply to the client
This set’s $129, not $70. The Gel-X is $70, and the chrome, gold foil, bow charms and soaking off your current gel go on top 💅 Full design: $129 Same look without the chrome: $99 Both include the soak-off, medium almond Gel-X, burgundy French, and foil + bows on your ring fingers. That’s priced for medium, so tell me if you want longer. To book, grab a $20 deposit at the link in my bio (it comes off your total)!
6. Your prices per minute
Art earns $1.00/min, and every service earns less: Gel-X $70/90 = $0.78/min, builder gel $65/75 = $0.87/min, soak-off $10/15 = $0.67/min.
Fill in TIMES I ALREADY KNOW once and keep it in your phone notes. Every time you give it, one “estimate” line disappears and the quote rests on your speed instead of a guess. Then read line 6 before you close the chat. If your base service earns less per minute than your art, raise the base, not the art.
This is 1 of 30. The other 29 are free too.
They're in the nail vault: bookings and no-shows, client messages, pricing and your menu, seasonal sets, content for Instagram and Pinterest, and press-ons on the side. Every one has a real example output, like the one above.
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