Last year, professional hand and nail brand Creative Nail Design launched the hybrid nail colour Shellac - a mix of traditional nail polish and UV gel polish. This Spring there are 12 new amazing shades for us to choose from.
So the secret with Shellac is that the varnish is secured under a UV lamp and dries within seconds. After that it stays and stays, so you only need to have your nails done every 20 days or so, depending on how fast they grow (nails grow on average 0.1 mm pr day, but quicker in the summer and also quicker when you're pregnant). Shellac doesn't damage the nails (unless you start picking, which you wont beacuse you wont be tempted to pick something that is perfect), rather on the contrary, Shellac strengthens them from underneath. It sets in a base coat (in other words: no harmful buffing involved, like most of the competitive brands choose to do) and applies like a nail polish. This is simply a colour that stays on your own natural nail perfectly until it grows out or you decide to remove it.
WHAT IF I WANT TO WEAR A DIFFERENT COLOUR ONE DAY
You can put any regular nail polish on top, but make sure you use a non-acetone remover when you want it off again - as long as there's no acetone it has no effect on the Shellac underneath. If you just want to strengthen your nails, try a clear Shellac colour. That way it is easier to apply sheer colours and your gorgeous nudes.
HOW DO I REMOVE SHELLAC
Have your Shellac removed in the salon, or buy acetone, soak a cotton pad with it and press on the nail for a couple of minutes. Gentle rubbing with a nail brush or cuticle stick can speed up the process.
GET READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Get your summer feet and hands perfect before the holidays. Suncreams often make nail polish colours messy and matt. And who wants to worry about nails when in Marrakesh searching for treasures or enjoying lazy life on a sunny beach anyways. Go Shellac your nails before the trip!
MAINTENANCE
For easy maintenance you can touch up the cuticles of your nails by using a similarly coloured nail varnish as the nails grow. But remember that base coat should always come first! (CND's green Sticky Base Coat is great, I wrote about it here too)
FOR YOU NAILBITERS
Try Shellac for two months and your nails are long and strong and healthy. You don't want to put them in your mouth ever again. Speaking of experience ;)
CND have an amazing website. You can even find your nearest Shellac salon wherever you are in the world right here.
These are the new shades. Which is your favourite?
