Nail spinoff: what about shellac?

redheadbride15

So I had a hair and nail trial at the salon I'll be using on my wedding day and the woman there suggested a shellac manicure. Regular manicures get killed in less than an hour for me because I'm always way too careless before the polish really has time to cure fully, and given how busy busy busy I'll be right before my wedding I really don't want to worry about messing up my manicure, so I'm considering it.

So here's the question to you nail experts: is shellac safe for my nails? Especially if only done once? "Miss Google" tells me that they don't have to buff up the nail bed first, which I imagine is one of the main reasons why gel manicures are so bad.

WinstonsGirl

I did this for my toes for my wedding.  It lasted forever, at the beach/ocean, after the wedding.  However, I wouldn't do it again, cos my toes grew a ridge under the shellac.  But for the 1 day it was great.  My fingers were done in regular polish the night before and I had 2 small chips by the end of the wedding.   

MairePoppy

Shellac lasts about a week for me. My nails grow fast and I hate the look of the grow line. If you can resist the urge to remove it or peel it, then it's a good option. 

minttobemrsb

I'm not sure how safe it is for your nails, but I love shellac/gel manicures. Regular polish chips so fast for me, but the shellac will stay all week and still look perfect. I think I could make it last longer, but my nails grow fast the line from new growth aggravates me. 

daria24

Regular polish chips within a day for me, so if I have special event I get Shellac. I usually get at least 10 days with no wear and tear. It does however really kill my nails, so I don't do it very often. My nails usually get back to normal thickness after about a month.

wandajune6

I love no chip manicures because I kill a regular manicure in a day. I've got one right now that's in its 5th day and looking great. I can usually get them to stay looking great for about 10 days. After that, the grow lines start to annoy me.

I've never gotten one on my toes because normal polish is only a problem on my toes.

theartistformerlyknownas

For me, the more damaging part is when they take it off - they'll soak in acetone for a minute, then get impatient and attack my nails with a metal scraper. NO. STAHP.

When I remove it (either gel or shellac) myself, my nails seem no worse for the wear. Just get a little piece of cotton wet with pure acetone (not regular nail polish remover), set it on your nail and wrap it up to hold it with aluminum foil. Let it sit for a few minutes and it slides right off.

JCbride2015

I really like Shellac. Also the OPI color gel. I think the potential damage mostly comes from removing it incorrectly, so just make sure you properly soak it off or go to a good salon for removal. Shellac generally lasts a week and a half to two weeks on me. 

 If you're looking for a slightly longer lasting polish without any damage at all, try CND Vinylux. I get a full week out of it if I go no base coat, two color coats, and their topcoat.  These are my nails today, after exactly a week.  I picked the one nail so you can see the chip, but otherwise they are pretty good.

redheadbride15

Sounds good, ladies! I may take the risk and do it, because I'll only be doing it once (unless I get addicted!). It's fun thinking that a manicure may last through both the wedding AND the honeymoon.

Now I just need to pick a color! I'm leaning toward "Salmon Run".

minttobemrsb

I like the satin pajamas! Second is the salmon

plainjane0415

Salmon Run is one of my favorite shellac polishes.  Looks very pretty on!

emmaaa

I did shellac and it lasted about 10 days with no chips. Just be safe with the removal and you should be fine.

I like the Satin Pajamas!

redheadbride15

@plainjane0415 Do you ever add any sparkle/shimmer to the salmon run? I love a little shimmer in my nails!

princessleia22

Another tip... buy a bottle of the polish you choose and have it on hand for wedding day.  Then you can do quick touch ups if it does chip.  And get the quick drying drops for it, so your touch ups can dry super fast.

badbnagdway

redheadbride15 said:

Sounds good, ladies! I may take the risk and do it, because I'll only be doing it once (unless I get addicted!). It's fun thinking that a manicure may last through both the wedding AND the honeymoon.

Now I just need to pick a color! I'm leaning toward "Salmon Run".

These are all really pretty. I got a gel manicure 10 days ago for my wedding and it looked really solid for 7-8 days, even though I went to the beach, etc. I got a french mani with a line of sparkle under the white. It looked awesome. I also found that if you tell the nail people it's your wedding they'll give you the best technician in the place, just FYI.