Ladies. I finally broke down and got a shellac manicure last month. "Last month?" you're thinking..."Why is she just now talking about it?" Uh, because that's almost how long this stuff lasts. I'm not even kidding. It. Is. AWESOME. I totally forgot to take a picture the day I got it done, but let's just go ahead and review my THREE WEEK pics below:
Other than the new nail growth, which results in some peeling at the bottom, it still looked good as new. Was I careful with my nails during that time? Nope. Cleaned, cooked, worked (I work on a computer all day so there is a lot of typing going down), did everything I normally do. Nails still looked great! Regular manicures usually chip on me within, oh, two days.
So how is this better than acrylic or other fake stuff? Well, it is cheaper and easier to maintain for one. You don't like it you can have it removed the next day. Most importantly, it did not damage my nails at all. In fact, it made my nails feel thicker and stronger the whole time I had the polish on. I did go back to the salon to get it removed; you can't really get it off with normal polish remover. The lady there had me soak my fingertips for about a minute in this SUPER strong-smelling polish remover (she put a towel over the bowl so the smell wouldn't knock us out), then she gently scrapped it off and buffed my nails back to normal. This is where the shellac can sometimes go wrong. I had a friend get nail damage because the manicurist scraped too hard and into the nail bed. If you are having it removed and you feel like they are scraping too hard, just tell them to back off some.
I would also recommend you stick with lighter tones. The growth won't be as noticeable as it would be with say, dark red or plum. I only suggest this because it is more expensive than a normal manicure. This was $35, but I found out another, smaller salon near me does them for $25, so I would do some shopping around. When this first came out I think some of the salons had issues with taking this stuff off, leading to nail damage. It seems like now they are all up to speed though on the new technique, so you should be good to go. If you are nervous, try asking around. Find a salon where someone else has had it removed and make sure they didn't have issues.
I am a total nail color junkie, especially in the fall, so I can't commit to the price and single color all the time. I will definitely do this again soon though, most likely before a string of work meetings, volunteer events, and big conference I have in October, allowing me to have perfect nails all the way through each event.
If you'd like some more info, visit the CND website. This is the brand that most salons seem to carry right now. Have any of you tried it? Do you love it? Any recommendations to add? Put it in the comments!!
So how is this better than acrylic or other fake stuff? Well, it is cheaper and easier to maintain for one. You don't like it you can have it removed the next day. Most importantly, it did not damage my nails at all. In fact, it made my nails feel thicker and stronger the whole time I had the polish on. I did go back to the salon to get it removed; you can't really get it off with normal polish remover. The lady there had me soak my fingertips for about a minute in this SUPER strong-smelling polish remover (she put a towel over the bowl so the smell wouldn't knock us out), then she gently scrapped it off and buffed my nails back to normal. This is where the shellac can sometimes go wrong. I had a friend get nail damage because the manicurist scraped too hard and into the nail bed. If you are having it removed and you feel like they are scraping too hard, just tell them to back off some.
I would also recommend you stick with lighter tones. The growth won't be as noticeable as it would be with say, dark red or plum. I only suggest this because it is more expensive than a normal manicure. This was $35, but I found out another, smaller salon near me does them for $25, so I would do some shopping around. When this first came out I think some of the salons had issues with taking this stuff off, leading to nail damage. It seems like now they are all up to speed though on the new technique, so you should be good to go. If you are nervous, try asking around. Find a salon where someone else has had it removed and make sure they didn't have issues.
I am a total nail color junkie, especially in the fall, so I can't commit to the price and single color all the time. I will definitely do this again soon though, most likely before a string of work meetings, volunteer events, and big conference I have in October, allowing me to have perfect nails all the way through each event.
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| www.cnd.com |
If you'd like some more info, visit the CND website. This is the brand that most salons seem to carry right now. Have any of you tried it? Do you love it? Any recommendations to add? Put it in the comments!!
