About a month ago I went to a salon to have my nails done. Actually, I have never had someone do my nails before and even this time I had removed my cuticles on my own in advance, so I only wanted to have them painted. But this time I wouldn’t put on a regular nail polish. I was told to try ‘Shellac’, which I had no idea what it was and it was described to me as a semi-permanent manicure.
To be honest with you, if I had known that it requires a uv lamp I would have been more hesitant.
If you are like me and you haven’t heard of this technique, let me describe it in a few words. There are some special nail polishes that last on your nails about 2-3 weeks and to be applied on your nails uv lamp is necessary. I think I had about 3 coats of polish on my nails and after each coat I had to put my hands in the uv lamp. I think there was also a base coat and top coat.
I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort during the process and when the manicure was done, my nails where completely dry.
Although there were a lot of colours to choose from, I decided to use this beige shade as I was going to wear a dress with light green and I thought some more bright colour on my nails would make the whole look cheap as the weather isn’t very hot yet. I was also afraid about what it would look like when it would start to peel, so I turned down dark grey which was my second choice.
Of course I also wanted some glitter on!
The colour stayed on my nails for 2 weeks without any flaw and then it started to peel off only on one of my hands, so I removed the colour completely.
I washed the dishes without wearing gloves as I would normally do.
To remove the polish you need to cover your nails with cotton pads dipped into acetone and wrap them with aluminum foil for a few minutes. Then, you have to push the colour with a tool like the one you use to push your cuticles.
I have been a little naughty and removed them on my own, but I would suggest you address to a professional.
At the place I went the cost was 18 euros which sounds a great price for something that lasts for so long.
Although I like the fact that you don’t have to worry about your nail polish for 2 weeks I don’t think it’s something I would do again soon. I’m not sure how safe this technique is as the uv lamp is something I would like to avoid. And even the removal can damage your nails if you are not careful.
By the way, I have been told that it’s advisable to use sunscreen on your hands before you expose them to a uv lamp, but I have never tried it. The nails will be cleaned anyway before the process.
What I was thinking is that a good period to apply shellac on your nails would be during your summer holidays as you won’t have to worry about carrying your nail polishes with you. During summer is also the time that I am invited to many weddings and parties (kids’ parties!), so if I do it again, it would probably be in Summer.