South Coast businesses bring a little bling to prom night

Dress: $250. Shoes and accessories: $75. Hair and makeup: $125. Nails: $150. Limos, flowers and tickets.

Generations of students and their families can spend hundreds of dollars for one single event: The high school prom. 

A prom is that rare opportunity for young people to glam up, though with dresses averaging $200 to $500 and all the other must-haves for teens, the night can turn into a payment plan. 

But help is on the way.

South Coast organizations and businesses have been stepping in to defray some of the costs. One New Bedford businesswoman, Nashalie Cruz, is helping cover one cornerstone of preparation: manicures.

Cruz is offering a free, full set of nails to any junior or senior attending prom through June. All she requires is a school ID and the previous semester’s transcript to prove junior or senior standing. The nails can be any length, shape and color with additional designs, including painted and three-dimensional nail art. This would normally cost up to $150, according to her salon’s website. 

“I feel like you hit a certain point in business where you should give back to the community,” Cruz said. “Without the client and the community, you are nothing.” 

This promotion, in its second year at Cruz’s salon, Nash Unique Nails, has generated clients from all around Massachusetts, with Cruz providing services to students from New Bedford, Fairhaven, Fall River, Brockton, and Boston — mostly young women and two young men. 

Cruz said the excitement keeps her going during the busy days, and she estimates that this year, she will do over 70 sets of free prom nails, a sharp uptick from 20 prom clients in 2025. Cruz has decorated her salon with Class of 2026 messages and prepared gift bags with trinkets and nail care items to celebrate the event.

“I am a woman and a mom, so I get it … sometimes you need to look good to feel good,” Cruz said. “Sometimes you just need some good nails to motivate you to get up out of bed and do your hair, do your makeup.”

The sentiment of helping students realize their prom night dreams is gaining traction as organizations throughout the commonwealth find ways to create special low-cost prom prep events. 

Amy Pillarella, program director for the Family Resource Center at United Way of Greater New Bedford, introduced a free prom boutique in May. Students, mostly mothers and daughters, came in and could choose a dress, shoes, makeup and accessories for the big night. Pillarella said it was important for the team to “make it an experience” for the kids coming in, so they created an event with cupcakes, a large changing room with mirrors and a photo op. The students could keep anything from the boutique. 

“It’s that moment as a director you want to bottle up and keep with you,” Pillarella said of the prom boutique, which the Family Resource Center is looking to expand next year. She said it’s hoping to partner with other community organizations to enhance the experience and lift the financial burden that comes with prom preparation.

“If we can provide a dress for you and that money can go somewhere else, that’s what we want,” Pillarella said.

Walt’s Mobile Closet, a New Bedford nonprofit that partners with organizations along the South Coast to provide free clothing to anyone in need, also held a drive through January and February in collaboration with the Gleason Family YMCA in Wareham. They specifically collected prom attire for girls, which they used for a free dress event in Wareham. Any dresses not chosen at that event were distributed to Bourne High School, said Walt’s Mobile Closet Founder and Executive Director Whitney Tully. 

For Angelina Logan, a senior at New Bedford High from Acushnet, the free nail set at Nash Unique Nails is a treat for three occasions: her prom, her 18th birthday and her graduation, all occurring within the same week. Halfway through her appointment, Logan turned her hand around and beamed, taking in and showing off her almost-done, white and silver, French tip nail set. 

“As a girl, prom is a very exciting thing,” Logan said. “You only really get to get this prepared one other time, and that’s my wedding.”

Aside from the nail set at Nash Unique Nails, Logan spent the days leading up to prom getting her eyebrows threaded, shopping for shoes and accessories and planning for her hair appointment the day of the event. She bought and altered a long, rhinestone-encrusted, strapless dress with a corset top — her nails and shoes meant to complement the shimmer of her gown. She said she “definitely lucked out” by getting her hair styled into a classic updo by her mom’s friend at Glitz & Glamour Salon for free, guessing that she was spending “a little less than most” because of that service and the free set of nails.

Sahnya Adorno, a senior at B.M.C. Durfee High School whose mother saw Cruz’s promotion on social media, also had her nail dreams realized when she traveled from Fall River to get her nails done by Cruz. Adorno asked for long, red and white stiletto nails with “lots and lots of gems,” and provided an inspiration picture, which she said Cruz perfectly replicated for her. The 17-year-old paid over $100 for each of the other beauty services she used to prepare for prom, including hair, makeup and a lash lift, and appreciated that she didn’t have to add another expense for nails. 

Cruz, who is originally from Puerto Rico but has lived in New Bedford since she was nine, did not attend prom when she was a student at New Bedford High because “I was 16 and pregnant. It felt silly to spend on hair or dresses or makeup when I could be saving money for my kid.” 

Now 28 and a mother of four, Cruz said contributing to the special night gives her “the little girl excitement” too. Cruz estimates that if she charged the basic rate for a short, French tip nail set, she would have made $3,600. 

“Wow, that just hit me,” Cruz said. “But I feel like it’s going to pay off.” 

At the end of the appointment, Logan turned to Cruz and began to pull cash out of her wallet as a tip, but before the girl could finish saying “this is for you,” Cruz shook her head.

“No, girl,” Cruz said playfully. “Get yourself an iced coffee or something nice. That’s how you can repay me.” 

Logan spent a few more minutes insisting Cruz take the tip, but ultimately, Cruz’s refusal prevailed. 

“I don’t want money from you,” Cruz said to Logan. “It will take away the enjoyment for me.” 

Anna Albrecht, a journalism student at Boston University, is a summer intern at The New Bedford Light. She can be reached at aalbrecht@newbedfordlight.org.