Review || Shellac Nails

Simply put, I am addicted to painting my nails. Sometimes I go through periods where I will paint them as frequently as once a day! The problem with this habit (as any hardcore nail polish addict knows) is that the chemicals in nail polish can turn the surface of the nail yellow. Normally you would use a base coat to prevent this, but if you paint your nails frequently enough, even a base coat can't prevent staining. Over the years I've just accepted the risk of nail yellowing as a side effect of my addiction, but last I discovered something that may revolutionize the way I paint my nails - Shellac!

So here's what happened. I was in the nail salon with my friend and I decided that I was in the mood for a French manicure. The problem was that French manicures often chip off so quickly (waste of money!), plus I was reluctant to expose the true color of my nail surface (ugly!). When I told my manicurist what I wanted, she suggested that I get Shellac (a product by CND), as it lasts much longer than normal nail polish, preventing chipping and yellowing of the nail surface because of too frequent polish application. I decided to go for it, even though the Shellac would cost $35 instead of the normal $15 - and in my opinion, it was worth it.

Here is what my nails looked like about 2 or 3 days after I got the manicure:

And I must say, it was unexpectedly hard to take a picture of my hand with my webcam. Basically, it just looks like I have a French manicure...except that more than a week after I got my manicure, the only difference is that you can see that my nails have grown. It hasn't chipped.

Here are the details on Shellac and why it's better than a normal manicure or fake nails:

• It applies like a normal nail polish but feels like gel nails once it's dried.
• It has a short drying time because you put your hands under a UV light in between the base coat, main coat, and top coat. Once it's dry you don't have to worry that it will smudge. 
• You can keep a short nail length, unlike fake nails. 
• It's long lasting and doesn't damage your nail because you don't have to roughen the surface before application (unlike tips or fake nails).
• There is a range of colors (you don't have to get french). 

The only setback I have found is that the CND website says that you have to get your manicure removed by a professional because they created special "nail wraps" to remove the Shellac. I will probably just try to remove it myself with pure acetone though, and hopefully it should work fine. 

For more information on Shellac nails, visit the CND website, linked here.