Does anyone do their own CND Shellac gel nails?

Amanita_2

Gel is supposed to be less damaging but I haven't seen much difference personally. I've used the same tech for both.

Acyrlic didn't "stick" very well for me after a couple of years and I found that they would start to lift after 10 days or so. The gel stays put much better and I can go three weeks or more before needing attention. The gel does seem more robust and I don't manage to crack or even shatter them like I did with acrylic

I do worry slightly about the UV needed to set them but not enough to stop me having it done.

freyasmum

Saint_Chris wrote: »

Is gel better for your nails than the acrylic.

No, they're both based on the same chemicals.

The only thing that will make the difference is the skill of the tech/s.

"Acrylic" nails (liquid and powder) have aquired a bit of a reputation though - due to the amount of techs undergoing one day 'certificated' courses and then setting up in business with rubbish products :mad:

kazd

My mum has been having Shellac done for a while and loves it. I have just bought all the stuff to do my own, just waiting for it to arrive as most of it is coming from the US. Mum's nail tech has given me a lamp which she used to use to cure Shellac before purchasing the branded one. Just in time as I was going to purchase a CND one. I was given a price of £35 for a full pedicure with Shellac although she did come back later and offer to do it for £25. I just cannot justify that cost though every 2 -3 weeks.

There are loads of tutorials online about the application of Shellac and I intend to do French polish on myself. Although I will do coloured on my toenails.

I will let you know how I get on. The hardest part for me is going to be filing my nails correctly.

doublelolly

I love having gel nails. 'Normal' nail polish only lasts 3 days max on my nails for some reason before it gets tatty looking and chipped. I've treid CND Shellac, Jessica Geleration, Orly Gel FX, and Harmony Gelish. I like them all. The Orly one lasts longer for me but I think that's down to the therapist. I bought a lamp and have a mixture of products. CND Shellac base and top coats and a mixture of Gelish, Orly and CND Shellac colours. it's really easy to do and last through anything, plus I save a bomb by doing it at home :-) If you have regular gel manicures I'd say go for it and get yourself a kit. You'll be glad you did.:j

Any

Ressurecting old thread... but let's keep going!
I have very funny nails, very nice long beds but very bad quality. Manicure lasts a couple of days, 3-4 max if I am carefull and use expensive polishes. I used to have acrylics and loved it, but unfortunately I changed job and didn't find such a good technician, mine made it look very natural, many don't. They also push me towards letting my nails grow long, which I don't like. I have no need to and I do a lot of typing and it annoys me when I have my nails too long.

Last night I put my first Shellac manicure on!! My sis got me to try it, she has few friends who have it done in salon in 2-3 weekly intervals and love it and since I found out my best mate does as well... Well, she had it done 3x so far. She loves it too. My sis put hers on 10 days ago and it's still lasting..

We also ordered the first round from US via friends, much cheaper there, if you have friends who go/live there the varnishes are about $15 on Amazon.com (not more expensive then Nails Inc normal varnish in UK!).

I will report back how long did my last, so far I can say I absolutely love the final finish of it, very shiny and glamorous!

Any

Amanita wrote: »

I do worry slightly about the UV needed to set them but not enough to stop me having it done.

I worry about that as much as I worry about the fact that on some days I have more then the "recommended units of alcohol".
So not much.
Couple of minutes every 2-3 weeks of very weak UV light is hardly going to make massive difference to your chances to develop cancer.
I have in past visited sun beds (don't know many people that never did, it wasn't always known what damage can it cause) and I am still alive, given some peoples comments you would have thought that I am dead woman walking!

Amanita_2

Any wrote: »

I worry about that as much as I worry about the fact that on some days I have more then the "recommended units of alcohol".
So not much.
Couple of minutes every 2-3 weeks of very weak UV light is hardly going to make massive difference to your chances to develop cancer.
!

The more research I have done on this actually the more concerned I have become. This is an early paper on the subject.

http://archderm.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/145/4/447

I no longer have gel nails although I do sometimes use a shellac or other UV topcoat but the exposure required to cure this is much less than needed for gel nails. Even if it does not give me a skin cancer it is without doubt ageing and my hands get enough natural UV exposure without exacerbating the problem.

**Juice**

If anyone's planning on doing them themselves or buying from Ebay I'd say be careful as there are a lot of fakes out there, unless you're buying from a reputable supplier. Also, make sure the lamp you've bought is strong enough as otherwise you'll have wasted your money.