Hello Shellac

Gel nail polishes are taking nail bars and salons by storm and quickly becoming the nail polish of choice for those with weak nails or nails that seem to chip no matter what brand of top coat is used.

I first heard about CND Shellac (as featured in my post here) and  have been wanting them every since. So as I was jet setting off on a holiday I thought there was no better time than to treat myself with my first Shellac’ing.

Shellac boasts 14 day wear with no nicks, chips or smudges, a mirror finish that lasts and ZERO drying time – which I still couldn’t get over as I was digging into my bag to pay after the application.

The Shellac process involves a base coat, two polish coats and a top coat which feature UV3 technology and is cured under a special UV lamp after each application. The range includes 24 shades and the shade I chose was Iced Cappuccino which was the perfect colour of bronze and champagne.  




                    

                     Shellac Day 2

 

Shellac - Day 6

Shellac Day 14

So what do I think?

     Pros

·     Shellac lived up to my expectation of 14 day wear with no nicks, chips or smudges, a mirror finish that lasts and ZERO drying time. I reached day 17 before removal and apart from my nail regrowth and tiny wear on the tips of some nails, the Shellac maintained it original condition and shine.

·     I have to re mention the zero drying time as it was something I just couldn’t get over. Gone are the days of paying before you paint, waiting minutes for the polish to dry and then nicking your nails as soon as you get to your car. Once you have your last two minutes under the UV lamp the Shellac is set – rock hard.

·     The added strength. I have a love and hate relationship with my nails, without fail they reach a certain length and break and at least once per month one nail decides to split on the sides causing pain. The Shellac acts as a nail hardener and I have never seen such lengths and unlike acrylic nails it does not ruin the nail once removed.

·    So convenient and saved me so much time as I would of been painting and removing an endless amount of time throughout the two weeks.

Cons

·     It really does last 14 days – So all you nail polish lovers out there who love to change their nails every other day, this may be a problem for you.

·     Choose your manicurist wisely – while my nails looked great and I loved the colour, up close (and in the photographs) I did notice some streaking and slight imperfections.

·     It’s recommended that you see your manicurist for removal – such a pain I know, but Shellac have special removal wraps which only take a few minutes soaking time.

·     Can be a little pricey. As Shellac is becoming quite popular the price of application can be quite high and I have seen price ranges from $25-$40(AUD).

Overall I loved my first Shellac experience and will be getting my nails re-shellac’d in the near future.

Have you tried Shellac? What were your thoughts on this hybrid polish?

Don’t forget, for your chance to win a Scunci Hair Accessories pack, enter my giveaway here.