Shellac Manicure?

swhite2012 · February 2012

Hey ladies! I'm getting a manicure next week in prep for our E-pics and the salon I'm going to has a shellac polish option. When I called to make the appointment the receptionist told me about it. Apparently it's a special longer lasting type of polish and it has to be removed professionally. But it doesn't damage your nails like fake nails. It's an additional $12 on top of the $27 base price plus $5 for French polish.

Do you think it's worth it? Do you have any experience with shellac manicures? I'm pretty rough on my hands and polish tends to chip quick with me, so something more durable might be good, but I don't know if I want to pay the extra.

lunarsongbird · February 2012

I LOVE shellac....It lasts forever. It's the only way I get my nails done now.

CASK85 · February 2012

If you're willing to go back and get it taken off, yes. But you really can't get it off any other way, and if you're lazy and don't go back your nails will start too look really awful at about a month out. My friend did this. . . but if you get regular manis then it shouldn't be a problem!

swhite2012 · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_shellac-manicure?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:aa7c95e5-a32c-4cc9-b003-a0bf3805bf9cPost:f77b6456-d9a0-43e5-93ef-7ed3df1073b6">Re: Shellac Manicure?</a>:
[QUOTE]If you're willing to go back and get it taken off, yes. But you really can't get it off any other way, and if you're lazy and don't go back your nails will start too look really awful at about a month out. My friend did this. . . <strong>but if you get regular manis then it shouldn't be a problem! </strong>
Posted by cschiano[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>I don't get regular manicures, this will probably just be a one time deal for a little while, but I am willing to go back for removal. She said there's no charge for removal, but I'm not sure I believe that...lol</div><div>
</div>

tdwpg1984 · February 2012

I've had shellac manicures for both my recent vacations and few other times. I think they're worth it, but then again I'm not too rough on my hands (I always wear gloves when cleaning/doing dishes, moisturize often etc). My first shellac, I chipped one nail like that day, but it chipped because I broke the nail, not the polish. It lasted really well until we spent like all day at the hotel pool (on our Vegas Vacation). Then it started chipping a wee bit, but not noticeably so.

All my shellac manis after that lasted really well, even the one I got before going to Florida. And we spent a lot of time in the hot tub. It still looked nearly perfect a week later.

I would recommend picking up some cuticle oil if you get a shellac mani and use it often, as shellac MAY dry out your cuticles.

Oh and you can actually take shellac off at home. You just need cotton balls, 100% pure acetone, and either those little rubber fingers (you know like secretaries use... larger ones work best) or aluminum foil and an orangewood stick or other manicure stick.

Put a generous amount of acetone on the cotton ball, put it on your nail and either wrap in foil or stuff it in the rubber finger. Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes and check one or two.

The shellac should be mostly peeled off (it literally kind of flakes off). If there's any left, you should be able to gently push it off with your manicure stick. If it doesn't come off easy, put your fingers back in their little casings and keep the acetone on longer, until the shellac pushes off easily.

You need the foil or rubber fingers because acetone evaporates so quickly.

Regular nail polish remover will not work, it has to be 100% acetone. You'll want to for sure have cuticle oil and a good hand cream around after this though....

SKP82 · February 2012

You can easily remove them at home. All you have to do is lightly buff the polish until it loses its shine, then soak your nails in acetone for about 15-20 minutes. Then you can scrape it off. I use this metal cuticle pusher:

I like the gel manicures, but the Shellac brand doesn't last as long on my nails. I think OPI Gel is the best one out there right now (and I've tried about 4 different lines).

A lot of people call the gel manicure in general "Shellac," but Shellac is actually a name brand.

I think it's worth it. My manicures with regular polish don't last 2 days. My last OPI Gel manicure lasted a week and a half.

swhite2012 · February 2012

Thanks for all the input! It looks like I'll shell out the extra $$ to try it out.

Beads921 · February 2012

I got shellac once (the one and only time in my life I've had a mani), and it generally lasted well, except it started peeling on a couple of fingers up near the cuticle after about a week which drove me bananas! I rock climb (indoors) as a hobby, so regular polish chips super fast, but the shellac did hold up pretty well in that regard. If you don't get your nails done often, I think it would be worth it to treat yourself

bsidebella · February 2012

I was going to ask if a shellac manicure was the same as gell and then SKP said it was. I love my gel manicure. I've been getting gel manicures since 2009 and I can't imagine my nails without it. I love it, because my hands always look nice, and it broke me of my nailbiting habit.

SKP82 · February 2012

BSide - it's actually a gel/polish hybrid. There are several brands of this: Shellac, Gellish, Gellin, OPI Axxium, OPI Gel Polish... I'm sure there are more.

I think of a gel manicure as acrylics without the tips. Is that accurate? I've never had them.

ETA: The gel/polish hybrid manicures are set with UV light and are completely dry when you leave the salon. Another plus!

bsidebella · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_shellac-manicure?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:aa7c95e5-a32c-4cc9-b003-a0bf3805bf9cPost:832cb5ad-d8df-4e9d-a9fd-5bd17a6c16fc">Re: Shellac Manicure?</a>:
[QUOTE]ETA: The gel/polish hybrid manicures are set with UV light and are completely dry when you leave the salon. Another plus!
Posted by SKP82[/QUOTE]

Ya, this is what I get. It's a clear gel coat and then a colored gel that hardens under a UV light. It lasts for 3 weeks to a month.

tdwpg1984 · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_shellac-manicure?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:aa7c95e5-a32c-4cc9-b003-a0bf3805bf9cPost:832cb5ad-d8df-4e9d-a9fd-5bd17a6c16fc">Re: Shellac Manicure?</a>:
[QUOTE]BSide - it's actually a gel/polish hybrid. There are several brands of this: Shellac, Gellish, Gellin, OPI Axxium, OPI Gel Polish... I'm sure there are more. I think of a gel manicure as acrylics without the tips. Is that accurate? I've never had them. <strong>ETA: The gel/polish hybrid manicures are set with UV light and are completely dry when you leave the salon. Another plus!</strong>
Posted by SKP82[/QUOTE]
Totally forgot about this one! This was one thing I definitely loved about the shellac. When I went to Vegas, the only time I could get in for a mani was the morning of our trip. It would have sucked to have to sit at the salon for 1/2 hour after then be super careful with my nails for like an hour after. I literally went straight home then finished all my last minute packing immediately.

beanbot2002 · February 2012

I just got my tax return...I might need to treat myself to one of these.

Rachel405 · February 2012

I love shellac but at the salon I go to they only have like 15 color selections to choose from, and I don't really love any of them so I don't get it anymore.

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