Review: CND Shellac Nails

I've been hearing all about gel based nail polish lately and i thought i'd give it a try since it was only $5 more than a regular manicure. I've heard various versions of this: Shellac, Gelish, Gelac, OPI Axxium Gel lacquer, etc. The one i tried happened to be Shellac. The concept of this manicure is that instead of getting artificial gel nail tips, this special polish is applied directly onto your natural nails and cured under a uv light. The result is gel nails, without the artificial look of nail extensions. I was drawn to this because i've tried gel nails in the past and i found them to be way too thick to look realistic, they ruined my natural nails with the buffing and filing of the nail surface thinning it out way too much. Shellac promises to have a 0 dry time, last 14 days without chipping, maintaining shine and absolutely no damage to your natural nails. There is no filing or buffing of your nail surface and removal is done through a soak off method where the gel is saturated with remover until it can be easily removed off your natural nails.

 I have to say, i am pretty hard on my nails and this was amazing. I did experience some chipping and that was mostly my fault. I was picking at them lol. Apart from that, all i've seen is some gaps from nail-growth near the nail bed which is expected and some wear near my nail tips. The shine has lasted 14 days and i'm sure it could last even longer. It looks so much neater than traditional polish, it lasts much longer, and the shine is so much more than a regular top coat. The best part of it i think is all the time i saved not having to repaint my nails as soon as they started chipping. I honestly can say i haven't thought about my nails in 2 weeks and normally i'd be repainting the very next day.

The only thing i would change would be the color range, CND has a limited selection and this makes your choices kind of...limited. I'd also recommend going for a lighter shade because nail regrowth is less obvious and for those on a budget you'd be able to prolong your visit to the salon helping your manicure last longer. I probably won't wait the full 14 days next time because regrowth gets to be a little obvious, but it was nice not to have to worry about chipped nails a day after they've been painted. I'd definitely give shellac a try again and recommend it to anyone looking to get out of a nail polish rut.

xo