Spa spy: Are Shellac nails the ultimate long-lasting manicure?
Shellac is billed as the ultimate long-lasting manicure, and as I can’t keep my nails neat for more than three days, I was unable to say no to the chance of perfect nail polish for up to two weeks.
Shellac combines the resilient finish of a gel nail overlay with the ease of paint-on colour. ‘Your nails are jewels, not tools!’ says Teni Shasanya, the therapist at Gielly Green.
The application process is simple. A clear base coat is applied, which is then ‘cured’ for 20 seconds in an ultraviolet lightbox.
Perfect polish: UV light is used to seal the varnish for a lasting finish in the shellac manicure
Two coats of coloured polish follow (I chose bright pink), each of which needs a minute’s curing, then a high-gloss top-coat, a final 20-second blast of light and, voila, it’s all done.
The finished result is great. But does it stand the test of time? I’m careful for the first few days and it continues to look perfect. From day five, I use my nails as normal — picking labels off bottles, opening cans — and they stay in fantastic shape.
Some evidence of wear is now visible along the tip of the nail, but even by day eight, they are still fab.
But on day 11 disaster strikes when a whole chunk of nail — as well as varnish — comes off.
Two days later, I’m back in the salon to have the whole lot taken off (Shellac needs to be soaked in an acetone remover for ten minutes, so it’s best done professionally).
But still, I’m impressed. If you routinely spend money on a manicure which doesn’t last out the week, you’ll get the point of it.
Shellac manicures, £52 at Gielly Green, 42-44 George Street, London W1 (020 7034 3060) giellygreen.co.uk
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