Shellac VS Gelish

I am in desperate need of a mani/pedi and when I mean desperate I’m milking my last trip to my local nail salon a week too long. The reason I wanted to bring this up is not to complain but to share with my readers about two Gel products that are on the market that enhance the life of your mani/pedi.

For the last year I have been using either a product called Shellac or Gelish on my finger nails. LOVE THEM! Allow me to explain, in the past I would get a normal mani/pedi and use OPI on my nails and no matter how many times I applied clear coat the polish would always chip or peel. This problem made getting a manicure somewhat wasteful.

Since using Shellac or Gelish I can go 2 to 3 three weeks between a mani/pedi. It looks natural unlike acrylic and it never looses its shine or luster. They’re hard & rarely chip or break. (You would have to be hard on them for this to happen).  They both go on like a polish but are set in with UV lamps, the finished product:  FABULOUS NAILS!

Here is the difference between the 2 products. I find that Shellac has a limited amount of colors offering 48. Also, matching their colors to other polish, particularly OPI isn’t easy, if you’re like me and want your hands & toes to match.  Wildfire is definitely my FAV and I match OPI’s Big Red Apple for my toes. However, Shellac is much easier to get off your nails at your next mani/pedi. They soak your nails in acetone and scrape off the remaining gel…most of it ends up crumbling off during the soak.

Quick TIP: ask your manicurist to soak cotton balls in acetone and wrap a little aluminum foil and the cotton ball around your nail. Some what like a burrito rather then soaking your nails in a bowl. I find this way more effective, comfortable and doesn’t irritate the skin around the nail. Also, make sure that they let you soak for about 10 minutes, sometimes they’re in a rush to get other customers in and out and they don’t let you soak as long. This is when they start scrapping the nail. It can be painful.

Gelish offers 72 colors, Bella’s Vampire is my favorite and matches nicely with OPI’s Lincoln Park after Dark for your toes. I find that Gelish colors are much easier to match to OPI’s colors too. The downside to Gelish is that you have to soak longer than 10 minutes and the scrapping as I mentioned can hurt your nails.

In the end, I love both products and find that I get my money’s worth by using either gel product on my nails apposed to regular nail polish. The costs vary from location to location and your nail salon may not offer all the colors.

Treat yourself at your next visit to the nail salon. You won’t be disappointed!

Love,

Mellie B.

For more information please visit this site:

http://www.thenailteacher.com/2011/03/gelish/