Hey guys! I’m back for part 2 of Pretty Painted Nails. Thanks for all the compliments! I am by no means a pro, but I do like nail polish. I’m working on getting my friend Holly, who is a former nail tech, to do a real pro how-to post for us.
A new trend is nails is having a glitter nail on your ring finger. I think this is super cute, and I’ve done it myself. I used Martha Stewart glitter, which is the best glitter out there in my opinion. Simply paint your nail, and while it is still wet, sprinkle glitter heavily over your finger. Tap off the excess, and once it is dry do at least two layers of top coat. You want a thicker top coat to ensure the glitter doesn’t come loose and that your nail surface is smooth.
As I said, I had done the single glitter nail, so I decided to try a twist on the traditional french manicure. Um… no. I do not advise this. It was super cute, but despite using three layers of a top coat, the glitter was still coming loose. I wear contacts and rub my eyes a lot, and I ended up with glitter in my eyes.
Not cool.
A few of you have asked my opinion of the new gel-hybrid manicure, such as Shellac, Axxium, and Gelish. I have had this done once, and I would not do it again. Here’s why:
I had the OPI Axxium manicure, and it ran me about $35.00. It is like a manicure in the sense that the technician applies a base coat, two coats of color, and a top coat. The difference is that you put your hand under a UV light after each coat for about 2 minutes for the polish to “cure” and harden.
The pros: The polish lasts up to 3 weeks with no chips at all. It wears like iron. You won’t have tor repolish/go back to the nail salon until the nail growth starts to bother you.
The cons: Axxium is billed as being non-damaging to the nail, but I don’t see how that is possible. You have to remove the previous manicure before you can repolish. To do this, you have to soak your nails in pure acetone. This is extremely drying for your hands! They also use a orange stick to scrape the polish off. Then they file your nail to get the remainder of the polish off. Too much filing can lead to weaken nails, ridges, and even nerve damage if you aren’t careful. My biggest problem with Axxium/Shellac is the UV light. UV rays are damaging to your skin, no matter what form they come in. Your hands show age before other parts of your body – do you really want more wrinkles and age spots on your hands?
Final thoughts: I, personally, will pass on the Shellac manicure. If the cons don’t bother you or if you regularly get manicures, this might benefit you. If you like to change your polish often or if you don’t intend to keep up with the Shellac manicure, you should probably pass. If you do decide this is right for you, it might be a good idea to put on some sunscreen prior to the use of the UV light.
Have you had the Shellac manicure? What are your thoughts?
11 comments:
My nails grow entirely too fast for it to be worth $35.
I was at the salon yesterday and saw a display with the Muppet OPI colors. All the ones they had were the red shades (none of the glitters). They all looked like ketchup. Not so sure I could pull that look off. :P
I didn't know any of that - when I was working I had regular manicure but now that I am home, I throw it all out the window - no paint on these babies - I'm too lazy!
But your nails always look beautiful!
~Becca
I love painting my nails!
I'm currently wearing Berry Naughty by Essie....but I'm looking for GREY for fall.
Do you have any recommendations?
I got this stuff called red carpet manicure at ulta and it is a gel set but it comes off SO much better than the axxium and you do it at home!
I love the Shellac and swear by it. But I also have slow growing nails and I usually get a french manicure if I get a professional manicure.
Yes I have and I'm not totally sold on it. I thought my nails would thicken up and not be so brittle but no such luck. It's expensive for it not to stay on for longer than a week. =(
I have acrylics on my nails so I wanted to try Shellac instead. My Sister got them done but since our nails are so thin (they have always been, even before the acrylic) they broke really easy so I decided against it.
I use Gelish and love it. The only time I find damage is when I peel the polish off. I soak a cotton ball in acetone set it on the nail and then wrap it in foil or saraha-wrap. That avoids it boing on my skin. I will however apply sunscreen next time, that's a great idea!
I use the Gelish as well and I agree that the only time I have any damage is if I peel the polish off. I soak the cotton pad then put the foil on there and it works great. I have never had to use the orange stick to scrape it off or anything. Even when I go without the gelish for a few days my nails are much stronger than they were before I started using it and don't break like they used to. I love it!
Just the thought of glitter in my eyeball is enough to turn me off! But it's f'ing cute! Nope, I'm a no-go on the Shellac manicure, though I have a few friends that live and die by it.
I like Shellac/OPI/Gelish for special occasions. Vacation. A work conference. Something when I want my nails to stay nice for a while without worrying. For the same reasons as you, however, I don't like them for ongoing use. I don't like the damage it does to my nails or the UV light. The price doesn't bother me too much because it's cheaper than 2 manicures and lasts just as long.
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