Today’s post is a quick one. I’ve decided to start doing my own shellac. Why? As a busy person, I find it’s hard to get to the salon as soon as there’s a chip in my polish. Also, they seem to chip a bit too quickly sometimes, for my liking. Maybe it’s the nail salons I’ve been to or maybe I’m just over zealous with the washing up, who knows! I suspect it’s a lot to do with the type of shellac used also.
There are so many brands now, but from what I can see a few stand out – CND are the original, then you have other top brands including Gelish and OPI.
Shellac is usually sold wholesale but a market has opened up for normal people like us. Shellac is often more expensive than standard nail polish, but the idea is that it lasts so much longer.
Why CND? The main draw is that they are supposed to last at least 14 days. I also like the fact that you don’t need to buff the top of the nail before application and I am all about keeping my natural nail healthy. Yes, they do say you should buy the special CND lamp to get the best results, but it actually works just fine, any good quality LED lamp will do.I ordered everything I needed from from Amazon, where my Prime membership came in handy.
You need a special machine I hear you say! Yes, that’s true, but I found a great one, also on Amazon from Bellanails. It’s a 12w LED lamp and it’s definitely the way forward. In the past UV lamps were popular but LED has taken over due to the faster curing times. I have used this one before and bought it specifically after seeing the refills from my friend’s one last week.
I’m fairly excited and would like to build out an extensive collection. For now I thought I’d start with their latest nude range and get the colour Unearthed, perfect for spring not that it feels like it’s ever coming at this point.
If you like shellac let me know what brands you think are best and I’m definitely in the market for colour suggestions. I’ll be sharing my results on my socials so be sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter ????
T
