The Shellac Craze

Just like any beauty-obsessed girl out there, I was intrigued with the new nail polish technology that promises a long-lasting, chip free manicure which could last you up 2 weeks. Now, if this doesn’t sound exiting, I don’t know what is.

One of my biggest pet peeves is chipped nail polish, it drives me insane. If I see the nail polish wearing off, I need to either re-paint them or remove the polish completely. I feel anxiety if I look down on my nails and see them look un-kept. I love the traditional manicures, the polish does last for about a week and my nails looks all clean and polished. I lay in bed the entire week, admiring my nails and not doing any of my chores. That’s a valid excuse according to me. How I wish! I am a very fidgety person, constantly on the move or doing things with my hands. Whether it’s doing the dishes, writing notes down, folding the clothes or baking, I use my hands a lot than the average person and hence nail polishes don’t last very long on me.

I remember the first time I walked into my local nail spa to get a manicure, I wanted to try the acrylic nails. I was beyond excited, I saw women with such pretty designs and I wanted pretty hands as well. BOY! I wish I could do back in time and stop myself. The whole procedure took about an hour, and in 4 weeks time I went back to remove them, it took another hour. The pain came later, my poor nails grew back so brittle and took 3 months to regain its prior thickness. I swore never to get them done again.

Hence, a nervous me went into the same salon and decided to try shellac. I did my research this time and was mentally prepared for this drastic step. After about 45 minutes, I was pretty thrilled with the results yet again. They looked all clean and shiny and lasted a whole week! It was so shiny that I could see my reflection. Okay, maybe not that shiny, but it looked healthy.

Newly Done Nails
Woot Woot

Beginning with the second week, the shellac polish looked promising, however towards the end of the week they started to chip. To my dismay, they really chipped. My anxiety started kicking in, it was long weekend and all the nail salons were closed. I needed to get them removed! Its evident that the nail started growing, i didn't mind the gap between the new grown nail and the polish. The image below depicts my frustration. Good Lord! That looks beyond gross. 

2 weeks later nails
Boooo 

I am sure the Shellac manicure would last 2 weeks, that is only if you sat motionless for the whole time. In conclusion, I would recommend shellac polish for special occasions. Its worth spending $35-$40 for a manicure which lasts the week, maybe 2 weeks if your lucky. However, I am going to stick to my monthly fix of the regular manicures. Another downside about the Shellac polish is spending another 10 bucks to get them removed. I don’t have the patience to soak my nails in acetone for 5 hours and wait for the polish to melt off, I get hungry really fast and I would much rather be eating than wait for these nails to come off. Another day with these horrid looking nails is a real test of my patience! Another day Charlene. You can do this.

Yes, I talk to myself. Its completely normal.