Shellac... Right on Track or Whack?

First off, I know I have been terrible about blogging lately, and I apologize. I really have no excuse for you except for pure laziness. lol  However, I do want to say that I will be steering away from food for a while as I haven't been doing too much baking lately. I've also been making very simple meals without recipes for the last several weeks. I do promise that if I make anything fantastic I will definitely share!

So as you might remember, hubby and I went to Europe for 10 days (I will share some pics soon, promise!).  Before leaving on the trip, one of my worries was, "What on earth am I going to do to keep my nails looking nice?"  If you know me, you know I am obsessive about nail polish, nail colors, and taking care of my nails. You also know that I almost NEVER go get manicures or pedicures, and have taught myself to do my own nails. BUT I was not ready to have to deal with chips, cracks, broken nails, and gross looking cuticles while on vacation in Europe.

So two days before leaving on vacation, I tried Shellac, which claims that it will last 2 weeks. I did some research and found a place that was close to my house, was not charging $50 for a manicure, and that had good reviews on Yelp. The salon I chose carried the CND line of Shellac nail polishes (OPI has their own line, which has a larger color selection).  I originally wanted a light shade and had thought about going with a light pink or marshmallow-like color, but they didn't have a large variety of colors. So I went with Tropix, a bright coral color.

Moments after getting them done. 

The way it works is they put a base coat on, then stick your nails under a UV lamp. Then they apply a color coat, UV lamp; second color coat, UV lamp; finally a top coat and again under the UV lamp. What amazed me the most is that the SECOND you take your nails out of the UV lamp, they are completely, totally, 100% dry.  No smudging while you try to pay, look for your keys, etc.  I have to say, I was impressed. 

Fast forward one week... my nails were in perfect condition. No chips, no cracks, no smudges. My cuticles were starting to get a little dry, so I just applied a really thick moisturizing cream (I used Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream).  The nails polish itself was still super shiny, as if it had been applied that same day. 

By day 10, we were heading home. I had become impatient with my growing cuticles and had begun to push them back. You could see a huge amount of regrowth, which didn't bother me as much as the fact that my cuticles were crazily overgrown. On the flights back, I definitely started picking at my right hand, but my left was still intact.  Picking the nail polish off didn't hurt (I thought it might), but it definitely tugged at my nails. It also left my nails a little ragged. What I couldn't pick off I soaked with some nail polish remover and battled to get it off (it is recommended by the company to return to a salon for removal).

Day 12... after I started picking at them. 

So would I do it again? 

Yes, but not regularly. I think it is a wonderful solution for someone going on a trip, or for a bride, or if you have several events going on and need your nails to be perfect because you don't have time to get them done. But I don't think I'd Shellac regularly because it does dry out your nails and cuticles, and the growth towards the end can be a little unsightly.  All in all, it was worth it for the trip, but I'll keep my free, weekly, at-home manicures that don't ruin my nails.