Nail Review: CND Shellac Manicure

So I got my nails did two weeks ago to the day. I usually don't get mani-pedis done even though I like my nails looking fly for two reasons: 1) I'm cheap, and 2) I like the way I do my nails better than anyone else. But because I had a FabFind certificate, was going away for a week, and can be a little compulsive about chips and snags (read: former nail biter), I decided to upgrade my game and get a CND Shellac manicure.

via

For those of you not in the know, CND Shellac is a newish nail process that features a a gel hybrid nail polish cured by UV light. It results in a very glossy finish that can last up to 2 weeks. It's similar to OPI's Axxium, but is generally considered a bit gentler (Axxium is a true gel, which means it lasts longer but is harder to remove). I was actually going to go with Axxium at first, as the range of colours is more extensive (see here) and a hardier wear appeals to my soft nails, but a few friends preferred Shellac and the manicurist said she liked it better, so I went with the crowd.



First thoughts:
The colour selection was limited, but not severely – no pure sparkles available (my first choice), but there were shimmery and flat finishes in a wide range of reds, pinks and neutrals with a few fun, bright colours in the mix (see your options here). I chose a flamingo coral without shimmer called Tropix that I thought would be perfectly suited to Florida.

Tropix, via

It's applied much like a regular manicure, except between each coat of polish I had to stick my hand under a UV light for up to two minutes. I suppose if you were worried about UV exposure, that might be a drawback to the Shellac, but overall, there was only about six minutes of exposure on each hand. It's a standard polishing process of one base coat, two colour coats and a top coat, and comes out of an average looking polish bottle (Axxium is painted out of a little pot that looks like a gel eyeliner).

The finished mani was awesome – super glossy and very smooth. The colour is creamy and it doesn't feel much thicker than regular polish. I was a little disappointed at the shaping of my nails – the manicurist did a square shape with rounded corners and one of them is slanted a little awkwardly, but it's only noticeable to me. Normally I'd file it myself, but I don't want to risk damaging my nails because the Shellac is so strong.

The only picture where you can clearly see my nails from that first week.
The colour positively radiates, no?

The benefit of the UV drying is that it was instantly totally dry. I dug my hands into my purse right away and fished for change with absolutely no damage to my new manicure. That's a pretty huge benefit for me, as I'm terrible about waiting when I'm in public and I usually find salon manicures get dinged quickly because there's less dry time between coats. I can see it being especially suited to toes – if I can avoid wearing flip-flops and still have a perfect polish, I'm sold.

One week later:
The Shellac goes strong: no signs of chips, colour fading, or top coat dulling at all. Some visible nail growth at the base, but not much and it would be prevented from being as obvious if you don't push your cuticles back like me (see? compulsive) or if you chose a lighter colour. You can feel the polished edge at the growth as the Shellac is slightly thicker than an average polish.

Actually, the biggest problem I've found with Shellac is that I LIKE to paint my nails. I like to change them up at least once a week, so being stuck with the same colour is a bit boring for me. But apparently, you can paint and remove polish from on top of Shellac without damaging the base manicure at all, which I find crazy.

Two weeks:
Double the growth and one tiny chip showed up about three days ago on the face of a nail. I'd show you, but I painted over it with glitter this morning. The plain jane nails were driving me mental.

Me, at THIS VERY MOMENT

The colour doesn't look particularly bright here, but it's still as vivid and shiny as it ever was. Think less melon and more shrimp coloured. My nails still feel really strong, stronger than they usually are. I haven't held back on these babies at all – I cleaned my bathroom this past weekend, and have been washing dishes as usual. I'd usually have some chipping or peeling along the tips by now for sure, but there's not even a hint of it.

I'll likely remove this in the next day or two, as I'm ready for a change. You're supposed to go to a salon to get it taken off (for $10–20, usually), but there are lots of removal tutorials on Youtube, so I might just go that route (see? I'm so cheap). You remove it by soaking cotton pads in acetone, wrapping them on top of your nails with aluminum foil, letting them sit for 10 minutes, then lightly scraping off the gel goo left behind. I can totally do that. I'll give my nails a couple days off to get rehydrated (acetone's really drying), then I'm back to my own devices (and OH MAN, I have such a sweet nail tutorial planned for you guys!).

So there you have it. Shellac: I'd recommend it if you like to have your nails done and forget about them. I prefer to be more active about my nails, so I probably won't get it done on my fingers again, but I will DEFINITELY use it on my toes. I don't really care about updating my toe polish, and usually don't paint them more than once a month anyway. That, paired with the lightning fast dry time, and Shellac is perfect for my pedis. Here's wishing you beautiful digits, ladies.

Edited to add: I removed the Shellac at home by using the Youtube tutorial linked above. It was easy to do and worked very well, but my nails felt extremely dry right afterward. I left them bare for a couple days and moisturized often before painting them again. My nails still feel very strong (over a month later) and are less prone to chipping than they were pre-Shellac, so I think in the long run, they are actually very beneficial.