Friday 31 December 2010

Shellac Manicure: First Impressions

I've been keen to try and gel manicure for a little while now. After a bit of nudging and assistance from Sarah from I Heart Cosmetics, I booked myself in for a bit of "research". If you read my whitterings regularly, you'll know my nails are poor. Their condition, as well as my home life, seem to ruin regular manicures in less than a day, so the idea of something lasting a couple of weeks sounds wonderful.

I had the manicure last night and went for the colour Rose Bud. The lady that did my nails had both Shellac and Gelish colours and after a little discussion she said that this particular polish had lasted the longest on clients with similar nail problems to me. As I suspected, because my nails are prone to peeling, the gel manicure may not last as long as the usual two weeks. Of course, I will chart my progress like a good beauty blogger!



So far so good, my nails still look as good as they did last night. The finish feels different to normal. A little thicker and more rubbery but not unpleasant. The colour is pretty and quite safe (I originally picked something more vampy), though it does seem a wee bit transparent in certain lights. I do love the fact that my nails look well groomed though and I'm keeping everything crossed that it will really be a no chip manicure even on my terrible nails.

I hope you're all having a wonderful New Year's Eve (or New Year's Day if you're one of my Aussie followers). I'm looking forward to more blogging excitement in 2011!

9 comments:

  1. Good luck! My mom has the same nail issues as you and tried this, but it wasn't as successful on her. I think hers only lasted about a week, however she did say she liked that her nails were protected during that week. I recommend still wearing gloves when doing the dishes, etc. to keep them on longer!

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  2. Good luck honey, I definitely recommend the use of solar oil with shellac nails, they are both made by CND so really are made to work together, if you use it twice a day it will really help extend the life of the shellac xx

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  3. These look lovely! Really hope it works for you.
    Don't think I could go even afew days without changing my nail polish though haha

    Fee x

    Happy New Year Jane :)

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  4. Looks great so far! I look forward to your updates! :)

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  5. Hi Jane

    My mother has been doing the clearish Shellac for 2 months and loved it the first 2 applications but now she's so so about it. She is trying a soft beige this time 'round. She loves the protection but she had some lifting the 3rd application. She can go 10 days.

    I only have one salon in my area that I would trust to do it and they are extremely busy. I wanted to try to do this before I left for Xmas trip but no luck. I made an apt for Jan 17. for pedi and Shellac. The only issue I foresee is that I like to change my color so much and the pool (I go everyday for 90 minutes).
    If I don't chicken out(before the apt) I'm going ubber dark- I wish they had some more crazy colors or glitter (I really need an intervention).

    Yours look lovely though, keep us posted- this is such an interesting concept. x jeanie

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  6. Looks nice,chic and neat! I'd not heard of a gel manicure before, thing is I would probably get board with the same colour after a while as I can be a bit flighty like that ;)

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  7. Hi Katie, as I mentioned on Twitter I can see a little wear on my index fingers already so I don’t anticipate it will last as long as it might on someone with regular nails. I have been wearing gloves (and making the other half do it whenever possible ;) ).

    Hi Sarah! I can see a little wearing on the tips of my index fingers already. It doesn’t help when I start using my nails to open tabs and things. I think I abuse my hands more than I realised! Thanks for the tip about the solar oil x

    Hi Fee! I hope that it will stay put and help my nails a little. If you go for a light enough colour you are supposed to be able to apply nail varnish over the top and then remove with acetone free remover without damaging the gel manicure. I’m not convinced I could though, I’d be worried the added layers would make it peel. I’m enjoying the “experiment” so far! Happy New Year x

    Hi dempss! I’m already nervous having damaged a nail tip trying to lift a tab. I suspect the only I way I will have perfect nails is by hiring a maid! It’s still holding up though so I will report on the progress.

    Hi Jeanie, I’m interested to hear how your Mum gets on with it. I’m hoping that it stays on long enough to give my nails a break. Two/three weeks seems unlikely with amount of abuse my hands get. I really wanted to have a dark colour. The Gelish polish I chose first did have some sparkle, do you know if your salon stocks Gelish too? It might be worth asking if you’d like something with added sparkle! I suppose the other possibility is you could use a sparkley top coat. I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts if you go for it.

    Hey Replica! There are a few different versions offered now. OPI has Axxiom, Nails Inc has the 3 week manicure, Jessica does Geleration and there’s also Gerlish by Nail Harmony. Shellac are Creative Nail Design polishes. It’s a kind of hybrid between gel nails and regular nail polish. Each layer is cured using a UV lamp rather than air drying, actually that’s not entirely true as the top layer is cured with a solvent as well. Apparently if you choose a light colour you can paint over the top and then remove using an acetone free remover without ruining the gel manicure underneath. I’m not convinced though, as this is already quite a thick layer on the nails. I might give it a go though if this lasts well on my nails.

    Jane x

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  8. Do you use CND Shellac? beacause it doesn't look like it! I use it at home, and I love shellac. I took mine off tonight after 15 days and still no chip!! I wash the dishes, clean the house every day and my nails still look great. Bluesky and anyting not called CND Shellac is a fake!!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it was a CND Shellac manicure (rose bud) not a fake. It just didn't suit my nails at all.

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