Shellac removal

So my Shellac was onto Day 9, and though it still looked perfect (no joke, PERFECT), I was sick of looking at french on my nails and on my blog.

Removing the Shellac was much easier than I thought. All you need to do is put an acetone-soaked cotton ball on each nail and wrap it in foil.

Let it sit for 10 minutes, and voila! They flake right off! Any residual Shellac left behind can easily be pushed off using an orange stick or cuticle pusher. The best part? No nail damage WHATSOEVER. I am true believer in Shellac and have/will recommend it to anyone interested in a pretty mani. I will most definitely be going back for another Shellac manicure for my next special occasion :)

Shellac french mani - Day 8

This is 8 days of wear for my Shellac french manicure. Still utterly perfect. I can't bear to take them off when they still look so good! Super shiny, no tip wear, a tiny bit of growth at the nail line, but you can hardly see it. It's great because my nails are getting a chance to grow worry-free and without the wear and tear of swatching and multiple manicures a week. Could these last another week?? We'll see!

I know I made promises...

I know I promised a Marble Monday, but look everyone!!! I've been Shellac'd!!



Isn't it just gorgeous! I went to the nail salon on Saturday to get a mani/pedi for my cousin's wedding the next day. I had heard of Shellac before, but I was concerned that, like regular gels or acrylics, there would be a lot of nail damage because of filing and buffing of the top of the nail. My nails are fragile as it is, and the last thing I wanted to do was weaken them anymore. The nail tech assured me that with Shellac, there is no filing or buffing of the top of the nail, you just have the regular filing of a manicure.

If you've never heard of Shellac, here's the description from CND's site:

"Say Hello to the future! Shellac is the breakthrough, patent-pending UV3 technology that combines the ease of polish with the permanence of gels. A true innovation in chip-free, extended-wear color.

Shellac applies like polish—no pots—just a bottle and brush. And removal is just 10 minutes! No filing. No drills.

The results? 14-day, glorious, high-gloss shine that’s truly addictive!"

They're not kidding guys. No drilling, no filing. Shellac is a normal manicure, with the exception of the fact that you're puttting your hand under a UV lamp after each coat. And the shine to these babies is truly high gloss! It would be hard to get nails this shiny even with multiple coats of Seche Vite. Best part about it? After I took my hands out of the last round of UV light, I went digging through my purse for my wallet and keys with no worries! I really love the base coat for this french as well, it's really natural looking, with the most subtle blue and pink shimmer if you look really really close.



This is after two days of wear. No scratches, no tip wear, still super, super shiny. Regular french manicures ALWAYS chip for me after just a day or two. The normal french on my toes is not in nearly as good shape!
The Shellac manicure is supposed to last at least a week and a half, so I'll be updating with pics every few days.

Has anyone else had Shellac done? What color did you choose? Did it live up to your expectations?

Thanks for reading!