First off, how do you like my attempt at a creative title? With my holiday approaching I decided I would treat myself to a nail treatment in the form of Shellac nails.
Briefly, the Shellac system uses a special type of polish which is part polish part gel I believe and which promises to last for 14 days without chipping. The polish is applied to natural nails in a series of steps, just as you would with any other polish. First a base coat, followed by two coats of colour and finally a top coat. Between each step the polish is set under a special UV lamp for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. The end result is super glossy nails which are completely dry. I did not quite believe this at first and found myself being all delicate and trying not to touch them for fear of smudging. I have never had gel nails before, but this doesn’t feel like regular nail polish and also does not feel like a thick layer like false nails.
The colour I chose was ‘hot chillies’ a beautiful red/pink with shimmer. I tried to go for something unlike that I own, although this does reminds me of OPI ‘guy meets galveston’ which is more sheer and does not contain shimmer. I love the colour and the shine is incredible and unlike any other polish I have seen.
For a hand manicure with Shellac applied I found the cost is usually around £30-35. The salon I went to offers the service of just tidying up your nails and applying the polish for £22, which is what I opted for, but I am not aware of other salons which offer this which is a great option if you take care of your nails yourself or would just like to save some money.
Briefly, the Shellac system uses a special type of polish which is part polish part gel I believe and which promises to last for 14 days without chipping. The polish is applied to natural nails in a series of steps, just as you would with any other polish. First a base coat, followed by two coats of colour and finally a top coat. Between each step the polish is set under a special UV lamp for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. The end result is super glossy nails which are completely dry. I did not quite believe this at first and found myself being all delicate and trying not to touch them for fear of smudging. I have never had gel nails before, but this doesn’t feel like regular nail polish and also does not feel like a thick layer like false nails.
It took about 35-40 minutes to shape my nails and apply the polish with all the steps. There are 24 colours to choose from in the range so far and the salon I went to even showed me examples of some colours layered to give different looks.
The colour I chose was ‘hot chillies’ a beautiful red/pink with shimmer. I tried to go for something unlike that I own, although this does reminds me of OPI ‘guy meets galveston’ which is more sheer and does not contain shimmer. I love the colour and the shine is incredible and unlike any other polish I have seen.
For a hand manicure with Shellac applied I found the cost is usually around £30-35. The salon I went to offers the service of just tidying up your nails and applying the polish for £22, which is what I opted for, but I am not aware of other salons which offer this which is a great option if you take care of your nails yourself or would just like to save some money.
I’m going to keep track of how well this polish performs and post an update when I return. I am told that chlorine and suntan lotion won’t affect the polish and all I will get is some regrowth so be sure to check back in two weeks for the update. If you have already tested out shellac nails, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought or even your blog post links so I can see what colours you opted for!
Cool! I have never had a Shellac mani before, but I do get a ton of chipping either ways and I love to change my nail polish often. But this is a great option for when you travel or if you dont have much time to do your nails. Definitely something to check out :D
ReplyDeleteI really want to get a Shellac mani but never got round to it :)
ReplyDeleteI really love this hot chillies colour - so pretty! x
I'm actually wearing a colour like this on my nails at the moment, it's gorgeous! I really want to have a shellac manicure and would definitely love to hear how you get on with it :)
ReplyDeleteGem x
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@Yami, I’m the same I would only get this done when I go away to save me from having to take polish and remover with me.
ReplyDelete@RadiantMakeup yup it is lovely and did I mention the shine?! hehe
@Gem what is the polish? I don’t own one like it, I’ll have my update in 2 weeks!
CUTE!! x
ReplyDelete