Shellac Nails

Being in the jewelry business, people are always looking at your nails. And when your nails look like you just ran them through a blender, it is embarrassing. I have been trying to figure out good options for attractive nails, but ever since sophomore year homecoming when I got acrylic nails and got one stuck in the car door, and I watched it rip away my natural nail, and the cuticle, and the underlying flesh, I have sworn off artificial nails. (For any of you who have had a similar "acrylic nail ripping off natural nail" experience, you feel my pain.)

If you aren't into artificial nails, the option has always been a standard manicure with polish. I love the way my nails look after a manicure, but the results are often somewhat short lived. The first obstacle is spending the rest of the day walking around with your fingers fanned out trying not to ding, smudge, or otherwise damage your manicure before it cures. After that, you try to ignore the first chip, and then the second, and by the third, you are picking the polish off underneath the table of wherever you happen to be when you can't stand it anymore and your OCD kicks in. If you are lucky, a traditional manicure lasts a week. But usually less.

And then, the heavens parted and Shellac was created. Shellac is a gel polish that goes on top of your regular nail like a polish, but is cured under a UV light like an acrylic. The result is a manicure that lasts 14 days! Without chips! Woo hoo! You can start digging in your purse and doing laundry immediately after, because it is fully cured when you walk out of the salon. My life has been forever altered. Yay! Yippee! No more unsightly nails.

I got my first shellac polish in Spokane two weeks ago with Sweet Peach. I got my second this morning here in Great Falls. I have decided it is a necessity, because of the business I am in. Because I like my nails to be a little different, I was excited to learn there are some fun things you can do with Shellac. This week we did hot pink with white tips. Next time, I am thinking polka dots. Thank you Shellac. You have changed my life. It is the little things...