I realize that I have been a little bit lame on my posting this week. So... today I am going to show you guys a tutorial for how to properly apply shellac nail polish.
For those of you who don't know, Shellac is a "gel-polish hybrid" made by CND (Creative Nail Design). It was released back in April of 2010, but has really gained popularity within the past year. It gives you a shiny 14 day manicure without chips, peals or breaking. I find that when I use it, my nails tend to grow longer because it adds just enough thickness so that they don't break off. Shellac uses a UV light to cure, so it has no dry time except for application process itself.
What is the difference between shellac and acrylics or gels? Well, shellac is supposedly better for your nails because the application and removal process requires no fileing. If you have been to a salon and gotten a shellac manicure which involved fileing, your nail tech was doing it wrong. Shellac is also easier to apply because it paints on just like nail polish.
I first got a shellac manicure in a salon, but then decided to buy the supplies to do it at home. I bought mine online at amazon.com. If you are looking to purchase shellac, make sure that any product you buy is actually shellac. There are other products out there, such as gelish, which are similar, but not the same. You cannot use gelish with a shellac color or base/top coat and vise versa.
Anyways, if you are interested in doing shellac at home, check out my tutorial below.
Supplies:
Shellac base coat
Shellac top coat
Shellac color
36 wat UV lamp with 4 bulbs (I bought one called uspicy lamp off amazon)
Scrub Fresh (A mix of acetone and rubbing alcohol)
99% isopropyl alcohol (I bought this online, rubbing alcohol in standard drug stores is only 70%)
My shellac supplies
1. Do a basic dry manicure. Push back cuticles. File nails to whatever shape you want. Do not buff nails.
2. Use scrubfresh on a cotton pad and gently scrub each nail, like you would with polish remover.
3. Paint on thin layer of shellac base coat. Make sure you cap your ends. This is very important, because if you don't cap them correctly, the shellac will chip or peal off early. Also, if you get any polish on your skin or cuticles, use an orange wood stick to remove it. If shellac is on your skin, it will lift off the polish and peal.
4. Place your hands in the UV light. For the base coat, you only need to place them in for about 20 seconds.
My UV light.
5. Apply thin layer of color coat of your choosing. I chose to use romantique. This is a very sheer, pale pink shade. Cap your ends. Place your hand in your UV light again. For all color coats, you need to keep your hand in the UV light for 120 seconds. My light has an automatic timer and shuts off after this time period.
6. Apply second color coat following same steps as 5.
Shellac Romantique with 2 coats on the first three fingers, and only 1 coat on the last 2. See how sheer it is?
7. Apply top coat using same steps as 5.
8. Use 99% isopropyl alcohol on a cotton ball. Lightly swipe over nails. This will remove the sticky layer and give your nails a shiny finish.
9. Go do whatever you want! Your manicure is now 100% dry and ready for all the dishwashing, key grabbing, whatever you need to do for the next 14 days! Kiss chips goodbye!
My complete shellac manicure. That is paint on my thumb, not polish.
If you think shellac is not for you because you like to change your polish color frequently, think again! You can paint regular polish over shellac if you want. It will keep it from chipping! To remove regular polish without taking the shellac off, just use a non-acetone polish remover.
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