The Say No Mo unisex social nail bar in Kyiv feels decidedly gender-neutral.
A chipped concrete archway and exposed brick give the salon an industrial feel. Inside are gold accents and elegant furniture in neutral tones. It’s all part of Canadian Elvira Farias’ desire to create a salon where both men and women feel welcome.
The interior design fusing feminine and masculine elements won a prestigious design award against 4,000 contestants worldwide. Beyond bending gender stereotypes, Farias’ salon aims to set new trends in the eco-conscious beauty industry.
Farias’ husband is Ukrainian. After several trips to the country, she found traditional nail salons in Ukraine were using gel polish that were both harmful to the environment and people’s nails. She also noticed that every salon she went to was “very girlish.”
Inspired by a popular vegan nail salon in Los Angeles, Farias decided to open the first health conscious beauty salon in Ukraine.
The language barrier made the journey difficult, but after four years of studying the existing beauty market in Ukraine, Farias opened Say No Mo in October 2019.
“I’ve been a fighter all my life,” the 49-year-old told the Kyiv Post.
Designed by Slava Balbek, founder of Ukrainian award-winning
architecture and interior design studio Balbek Bureau, Say No Mo’s interior fuses masculine and feminine elements to create a gender-neutral environment. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Cruelty-free nail polish
In April, a Humane Society International short film narrating the story of a blind rabbit named Ralph suffering from cosmetics testing exploded on the internet. The heart-breaking “Save Ralph” underlines the horror he and his fellow rabbits have gone through to test cosmetic products like nail polish, makeup and hair care products.
Globally, the organization estimates that around 500,000 animals suffer and die as a result of cosmetic testing each year.
The cruel reality of animal testing, which includes dripping substances into their eyes or forcing them to ingest huge quantities of chemicals, continues as big beauty companies look for ways to avoid potential incidents or injuries where they may be sued by consumers.
Farias explained that these harmful chemicals found in traditional salon manicures such as gel polish and shellac also damage nails when regularly applied and left on for a long time, making them very brittle. “There is nothing natural” about products that last more than 21 days while being exposed to water or cooking regularly, Farias said.
The cruelty-free nail polishes at Say No Mo are vegan, which means that they don’t contain a crystalline material obtained from fish scales, commonly used for its shimmery effect. For customers who are not ready to make the transition quite yet, there are traditional types available as well.
With the non-toxic nail polishes at Say No Mo, Farias said it is as if her nails can finally breathe, in contrast to oil-based ones that make her feel as though she constantly has something on her fingers.
As a water-based product, these natural nail polishes might not be as resilient as the traditional ones, but the owner said they still last for a long period of time.
Cocktail bar
Besides manicures and pedicures, the health-conscious salon offers a variety of other beauty services from eyebrow corrections, facials, permanent make-up and sunless tanning.
Wanting to make Say No Mo a place where it’s “not boring to do your nails,” it was turned into what became the first nail salon to integrate a fully licensed cocktail bar into its service.
Designed by Slava Balbek, founder of Ukrainian award-winning architecture and interior design studio Balbek Bureau, Say No Mo is meant to be a social place to hang out with friends and loved ones.
The centerpiece of the salon situated in an early 20th-century building is a bar where customers can order their favorite drink to sip on while they get their beauty treatment. The bar serves everything from signature cocktails to cappuccinos, sometimes working as an icebreaker to initiate conversations between strangers.
“You can be at any bar getting a drink at night but the only difference is your hands are stretched out and you are getting your nails done,” the owner said.
Elvira Farias, the owner of Say No Mo social nail bar (R), is talking to a customer on June 18, 2021. (Volodymyr Petrov)
More than a salon
Say No Mo also runs an event venue business, renting out all or part of the salon for special occasions from corporate parties to baby showers. The venue has a capacity of approximately 65 people, and event planning steps like finding a photographer, catering service or a DJ.
The hourly rental price for the venue is Hr 2,500 (around $92) and party attendees can also get their nails done during the event for an extra cost.
The entrepreneur said she is looking to open another Say No Mo, but no final decision has been made yet. But her motivation is less about expanding the business than making sure customers leave with “the most unforgettable experience,” Farias said.
Customers are getting their nails done at Say No Mo beauty salon on June 18, 2021. (Volodymyr Petrov)
