#196: Shellac

Oh, hello Monday! You sure came quickly. You really didn't have to rush Saturday and Sunday out of the way...

So I told you I was going to tell you about my nails in this post.

I got a shellac manicure on Saturday the 23rd of April. A shellac manicure is when they use a special nail polish (popular brands are CND and Gelish) and it cures under a UV lamp after each coat. It's supposed to provide a flawless looking manicure for 10-14 days. They're about 50% more expensive than a regular manicure, but if it lasts almost three times as long (let's be honest, a regular manicure lasts, at most, four or five days perfectly), then the price is worth it. I paid $37 ($32+ $5 for french) for my manicure.

Here's what my nails looked like right after they were done:

And here's how they look today:

Obviously, my nails grew over the past nine days. I actually filed them down a little bit because they were getting too long. I think with a french manicure, I'll be able to get a longer life out of it because the gap between the polish and my cuticles is virtually unnoticeable. If I was wearing a darker color, the nail growth would be more obvious. I can't wait to see how long they actually last.

The only complaint I have about this manicure is that I've had some serious cracks show up. I'm not sure what caused them, but they are only occurring on my thumbs, pointer fingers and middle fingers (both hands). I got the cracks on my right hand fixed four days after the initial manicure, but all six are now cracked. It's not really visible to the average person looking at my nails, and it's not causing them to chip or lift in any way. But I am a detail person and I do not want to see cracks in my nail polish!

I'm planning on trying a solid color next (most likely for my bridal shower) and then deciding what to do for the wedding after that.

Have you tried shellac manicures? What do you think? What do you think if you've never had one? Would you try it? Is the price too high for you?