Kitty character nail art at Jsu Beauty, a Busanjin nail salon

My nails were due for a change, so I was scrolling Instagram looking for Seomyeon nail salons for design inspiration. Then a Kitty nail design caught my eye. I've always loved kitschy, cute designs like Kitty anyway, and the color combination was totally my style.

The moment I saw the photo I thought, this is the place, and booked Jsu Beauty Eyelash & Nail, Seomyeon Branch. This time the color and nail shape came out just as I'd wanted, as much as the design itself did, so here's my Seomyeon nail story.

Where is Jsu Beauty Eyelash & Nail, Seomyeon Branch, and when is it open?

Jsu Beauty Eyelash & Nail, Seomyeon Branch is on the 2nd floor of 104 Dongcheon-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan, and it's open daily from 10:00 to 21:00. A Naver reservation is required.

It's between Seomyeon and Jeonpo, so it was pretty easy to get to.

Nail prices at Jsu Beauty in Seomyeon

The nail prices listed at the Jsu Beauty location I visited were ₩35,000 for gel one-color on hands, ₩45,000 for gel one-color on feet, art priced by design, and ₩10,000 for removal of nails done at another salon.

• Gel one-color (hands) ₩35,000
• Gel one-color (feet) ₩45,000
• Art varies by design
• Removal from other salon ₩10,000

Since prices for the monthly art or extra parts can change depending on the design, it's a good idea to send a photo of the design you want when booking and check ahead.

What the Jsu Beauty nail salon looks like inside

Walking into the shop,

the overall vibe was clean and tidy, all white tones.

There were 2 nail seats, 2 pedi seats, and also 2 beds set up for lash treatments.

It's a beauty shop that does lashes as well as nails, so it seemed like a good spot to get everything done in one place.

Above all, it felt clean rather than cluttered, so the first impression was great.

Picking the monthly art and the Kitty parts

The first thing that catches your eye at a nail salon is always the art samples, right?

There was a good variety of monthly art designs too,

and you could even see last month's art, so there were plenty of options.

Honestly, I'd already decided on the design I wanted before I even arrived. The very Kitty nail I fell for on Instagram!

I was thinking about doing the basic design as-is, but decided to add extra parts.

There were so many kinds of parts that I could look through them one by one and pick out exactly the style I wanted.

Color testing and choosing a short square-round shape

At Jsu Beauty Seomyeon, you could actually try colors on your hand before choosing. There were so many colors that it was hard to decide between similar-looking shades,

and in moments like this, trying it on is the most accurate way to decide.

When I described the vibe I wanted, they tested colors on my hand very carefully so I could see how it actually looked before deciding.

Colors can look different in photos versus on your actual hand, but testing it out let me find exactly the color I wanted.

One more thing I liked here: the nail shape wasn't just explained verbally, I could compare it directly using nail shape samples.

First they removed my existing nails. I'd originally gone in thinking I wanted a completely short, rounded round shape.

But they suggested that instead of a fully round shape, a square-round with a slight angle but still soft would look cleaner on my hands.

Comparing with the samples, the difference was clear, so I went with the recommended square-round. It looked clean even with short nails and matched the Kitty art I'd chosen well.

How the Kitty nail art was done, step by step

With the shape and color decided, it was time for the real work. They layered color from the base up, and their hands were really quick.

Being fast didn't mean it felt rushed, though — they kept checking in on the color and design as they went, which made me feel at ease.

With nails, even a small color difference or the placement of a single part can change the whole feel once it's done, so sometimes even showing a reference photo doesn't quite match what I had in mind.

But this time, the color came out exactly as I wanted from the start! And then, the Kitty I'd been waiting for. I already liked it with just the color on, but once the Kitty and parts started going on one by one, it got even cuter. I thought art like this would take a long time, but since their hands were so fast it finished quicker than expected.

Ta-da, done!

Honestly, there are times after getting your nails done when you think, 'It's pretty, but it's a little different from what I wanted?'

But this time, the color was spot-on, the nail shape was spot-on, and the Kitty art was exactly the vibe I wanted, so I was really happy. Especially since it's a short square-round that's not too long, it's not a hassle in daily life, and even with short nails, the Kitty and parts really made the art pop.

Is Jsu Beauty worth it for character nail art?

I stumbled across a Kitty nail design while looking for something new since my nails were due for a change, fell for it, and went to check it out — and I was satisfied because the result matched what I wanted. I liked that there was a wide variety of monthly and last-month's art, plenty of colors and parts to choose from, and that I could compare everything from color tests to nail shape step by step.

Above all, since the technician's hands were fast, even the art nails didn't take as long as I expected. If you like Kitty or are looking for kitschy nail art in Seomyeon, this design might be worth checking out.