Pros and Cons of Shellac and UV Gel Manicures - A Girl's Gotta Spa!

Pros and Cons of Shellac and UV Gel Manicures

 
Pros and Cons of Shellac (TONS of comments on this post - good and bad!)
When I first heard about Shellac, UV and LED gel manicures, I was over the moon excited. I could finally have polish on my nails sans chipping and polish peeling for more than 3 days and all without having to apply fake nails. In August, while at Cosmoprof, I received an awesome manicure from CND in Hot Pop Pink (pictured below.) The manicure took just as long as having acrylic nails or wraps put on (an hour) and the result looked just as amazing. I remarked to the manicurist just how gorgeous her own nails looked, as they were long and it didn't even appear to be naturally her own. She told me they were and that wearing the Shellac helped her achieve the length. I believed her, until my own experience has led me to believe otherwise. My CND Shellac lasted me 3 weeks. I was ecstatic. I applied CND's SolarOil to my cuticles and under the tips of my nails on a daily basis as instructed by the manicurist. My nails had grown a bit during this time and I was excited to go for round two of another CND Shellac at my local salon. This time I went for a French manicure CND Shellac. My nails were finally long enough to adorn some white tips and I was stoked. I went about applying the SolarOil again daily, but this time it only took 3 days for one of my nails to peel and the Shellac to come off. Day 4, one of my nails broke and it became clear how brittle my nails were becoming. By day 5, all of my nails were either peeling (the nail itself, not the polish) or breaking.   Looking at my very soft, peeling nails, I decided to not apply any polish at all for 2 weeks, but continued to put the SolarOil on them. But sadly, they didn't seem to recover. In the meantime, I had been sent the complete Red Carpet Manicure LED Starter Kit and as I was about to have my first television appearance, I knew my nails had to look amazing. So I used the kit, which comes complete with a portable LED light and is a DIY home LED manicure kit. Colors were gorgeous, time was still about 1 hour to complete the manicure and I used their Revitalize cuticle oil daily. But by day 3, my nails were peeling and even more brittle. I now had stubs for nails (even shorter than pictured above.) Finally I asked fellow friends in the salon business and fellow bloggers if they experienced the same of gel manicures, and it was a resounding yes.
Pros: Manicure can potentially last up to 3 weeks No chipping Manicure is instantly dry upon last UV go round Mirror finish (nails look wet, but aren't) Can DIY and look just as amazing as at the salon Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous Cons: Very drying to your nails Repeated application (without a breather) will result in brittle and peeling nails Wear time gets less and less with each application If you don't apply the cuticle oil daily, your nails will dry out a lot quicker Costs add up, especially if the manicure doesn't last 2-3 weeks CND Shellac requires it's own Remover Wraps According to some doctors, the UV lamps can cause skin cancer (but the jury is still out on this) So it appears that, at least for me, a CND Shellac or UV gel manicure will only happen for special events (like holidays, TV appearances, events) and cannot be worn all of the time. Unless I want to continue having man hands with my stubby nails. In the meantime, I will be in nail re-cooperation with Qtica's Cuticle Repair Balm and Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator to regain my length.  I'd love to hear from you: what has your experience been with UV gel manicures? Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! Watch our reviews on YouTube, see our pins on Pinterest and check us out on Instagram and G+. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle tooShannon on G+ *Disclosure: affiliate links

70 comments

Steph
Steph
Sorry, as a nail tech, I’ve got to comment. First, Shellac will come off with plain acetone. You can soak in a little glass dish or make your own wraps with cotton and foil. If your nails are dry, do an oil treatment and buff it into the nail. your hands are not in a UV lamp long enough to cause any more exposure than the sun would. It’s only a 36 watt lamp, not a tanning bed. Also, most of us nail techs are moving to LED lamps to cure the nails anyway. If your nail tech is roughing up your nail instead of just removing the shine, you will have a thinning of the nail, and more dryness. It’s the fools not the tools folks.
Shannon Smyth
Shannon Smyth
Hi Gordana, this post was written when it was the original CND shellac a few years ago. I’ve heard people mention Vinulyx and I’ve wondered about it, maybe I won’t have the same experience!
Gordana
Gordana
The polish I think you are refer in to Shannon is called CND Vinulyx. I am also an Esthetician and I myself didn’t love the shellac for the same reason that my nails became terribly weak After the treatment. I love the Vinulyx and it literally dries to a rock hard nail in 8 min. I timed it Lol It doesn’t last as long but a week is a good enough time for me. :)
Sheri Brockington
Sheri Brockington
I forgot to mention I always wear rubber gloves when doing chores
Shannon Smyth
Shannon Smyth
The hard part about the sunscreen is that I was told you can’t wear sunscreen on your hands because whatever ingredients are in it, affects the way the shellac cures. :/
Allison @neversaydiebeauty
Allison @neversaydiebeauty
Docs say that the radiation definitely builds up over time. To mitigate that fact, use sunscreen on your hands before curing, or wear fingerless gloves, or use an LED bulb to cure or just air dry. I stopped because it was ruining my nails and I have enough sun damage on my hands without getting more radiation.
Shipra
Shipra
I love to hear peoples’ opinions about Shellac! <3
Shannon Smyth
Shannon Smyth
So happy it is working for you Melissa! I wish I could wear it because I love the look of it!
Melissa
Melissa
I have been getting shellac for months now, no reaction, nothing, just nice nails! And I don’t use oil….maybe that’s what’s causing all the problems for you? My nails are not brittle… The French stains after a week usually for me,I figured it was from scratching my face, looks like my foundation. But not enough to notice! I <3 shellac! :)
Shannon Smyth
Shannon Smyth
Hi Marci, yes you need to apply a cuticle oil daily. Just a small drop and massage into your cuticle area. This is supposed to help prevent your nails from becoming brittle.

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