Shellac nail designs are perhaps the latest craze for nail art enthusiasts out there. But for those who are unfamiliar with this latest trend, the question is: should you get shellac nail designs or stick with your usual manicure? Find out the pros and cons here!
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In this article:
- Shellac Nail Designs Last Longer Than Ordinary Polish
- Not Nail Extensions
- Nail Health
- Shellac Polish Removal
- Affordability
- Chipping and Peeling
- Gel vs Shellac Polish
- Traditional vs Shellac Polish
- Equipment Needed
- DIY Shellac Nail Designs
10 Things You Need To Know About Shellac Nail Designs
1. Shellac Nail Designs Last Longer Than Ordinary Polish
While traditional nail polish chip and peel a week or so after your manicure, shellac nail designs can stay on for as long as a month! Since it’s part gel, shellac nails are cured with a UV lamp, giving it that glossy finish likened to gel polish.
Similarly, it doesn’t peel off easily, allowing you to enjoy way longer than traditional manicures. However, natural nail growth may produce gaps between your cuticles and the shellac manicure after two weeks or so.
2. Not Nail Extensions
While acrylic and gel nails can extend your nails, the traditional polish component of the shellac nail design makes it hard to use for nail extensions. It still becomes a faux nail-like its distant relatives but it follows the length of your natural nails.
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3. Nail Health
Clean and healthy nails are important to have before applying the shellac polish. The durability of your gel or shellac nail polish will be compromised if you apply it to dry, brittle, and broken nails.
Shellac polish does not strengthen nails as well. So make sure that your nails are strong and healthy before trying it out.
Try out this DIY solution to keep your nails strong and healthy. You can also make your own cuticle oil with this tutorial!
4. Shellac Polish Removal
Normal nail polish removers won’t work on shellac nail designs. You really have to go to a nail salon to get the manicures updated or remove entirely. It requires skilled individuals to remove the polish entirely without damaging your nail bed.
However, using 100% acetone and foil to remove the polish at home can help remove the polish. You just have to wrap each fingernail in foil with an acetone-soaked cotton ball inside of it.
5. Affordability
Since it uses specialized products, manicures using shellac polish does tend to be more expensive than normal polish. Going to a salon for the said manicure would cost you about $30 to $45.
This may or may not include the cost of removing the manicure whenever you want.
6. Chipping and Peeling
Since shellac nails are cured with UV like gel polish, it sticks on your nail beds longer with minimal worries of chipping and peeling. You only have to worry about the gaps that form when your nails start growing out.
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7. Gel vs Shellac Polish
Gel and shellac polish are somewhat the same. They look the same with gel nails as well as longevity.
The only difference is that shellac polish can not be used as an extension for your nails. It can only be applied to your natural nail beds.
If you want to make your nails longer then you’ll have to use hard gel or acrylic extensions.
8. Traditional vs Shellac Polish
It takes hours before a traditional polish dries while shellac nail designs can get cured in minutes! Shellac nails are also way more expensive than traditional ones.
9. Equipment Needed
Since the specialized polish is a one-half gel, nail technicians will cure your nails using a UV lamp. This will heat up the gel enough to hasten its drying.
You will also need specialized polishes in order for any DIY to be done.
10. DIY Shellac Nail Designs
If you can’t afford to spend $30-$40 a session on shellac nail designs, you can search for tons of DIY video tutorials online. Just remember to be extra careful! You might blotch the entire manicure if you’re not an expert.
Do you want to learn how to apply shellac nail designs? Watch this video by Portage College:
Sometimes going to the nail salon religiously for your weekly manicure can be a bit tiring, especially if you have a full schedule packed. Luckily, with the arrival of acrylic, gel, and shellac nail designs, nail art designs can last longer and require less frequency for touch-ups.
More and more nail polish manufacturers are considering longevity when making their products, without losing its aesthetic edge.
Shellac nail art—which is a mixture of normal polish and gel from Creative Nail Designs (CND)—has become a trend. Shellac nails are trending today for a reason and it’s because they’re long-lasting and pretty on the nails.
Do you want to know more about gel nail polish? Check this out!
Now that you know the pros and cons of shellac nail designs, are you thinking of getting it? Let me know in the comments section below!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
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