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Gel Nail Polish: Long Lasting Shellac Manicure for Natural Nails – Photos & Details Day 1

Thursday, January 20th, 2011 | Nail Polish, Photos, Product Testing, Swatches

Meilily Product Pick, Photos & Swatches: Long-lasting CND Shellac Gel Nail Polish Manicure!

If you’re like me and can’t help but mess up a manicure before even leaving the salon chair – painted nails a scraggly mess by day two – then you’re in luck! There is a revolutionary new nail polish, gel nail polish, that is rapidly rising in popularity. It is a cross between a regular polish and gel nails set with UV light.  This gel polish is painted onto natural nails just like regular polish, but cured under UV light layer by layer.

I recently tested out this new gel manicure and came away with my fingernails transformed into glossy, shiny gems of polished goodness, an effect that lasted two whole weeks!

The salon I went to used CND Shellac polish and also Harmony Gelish products. The shade I tried on and photographed is CND Shellac in Strawberry Smoothie. Love it!

See how glossy and shiny each nail is?! Nails will easily stay this glossy over time – Amazing!  You can also see subtle layers of shimmer sitting atop each nail, and shades can be combined.

(Note: The shade shown is actually not Romantique, the lighter pink CND shade. The Strawberry Smoothie bottle just makes you think it will be much darker pink than this.)

The Gel Nail Polish Process:  [may vary by salon]

Prep, file and clean nails as usual…

1. Cleanse and wipe nails – Harmony blue-colored cleansing spray

2. Paint on layer of clear pH prep – Harmony pH prep gel

3. Layer of base coat + Curing under UV – CND clear base coat for UV gel nails

4. Layer of gel nail polish + Curing under UV – CND Shellac gel polish

5. Repeat above for a second coat of cured color 

6. Layer of clear gel top coat + Curing under UV

Each layer is typically cured one hand at a time so that one hand gets painted while the other cures.  The timing works out well, but they usually say to give it about 50 minutes total.

The brilliant part is, once the last layer cures, you’re all set to go and use your nails!  No more waiting for delicate nails to dry or harden!  Plus, a gel manicure lasts for about two weeks, or until you can’t stand to see your nails growing out.

Pricing:

Gel polish manicures vary in price by the salon, but I found a salon in San Francisco that charges $28 while another salon in the same city charges $37!  So, shop around!

Check out CND Shellac shade info here or find a Shellac salon here.

Day 1 and counting…

Stay tuned to see how this new gel polish holds up over time and see how I remove it!
Next, check out these photos from Day 5!

Meilily Product Photos & Nail Swatches: Shellac Gel Nail Polish!

Tags: CND polish, CND Shellac, gel manicure, gel nail polish, Gelish, Harmony Gelish, Long-lasting Nail Polish, manicure, nail polish, nail polish swatches, new products, pink nail polish, product photos, Product Picks, product reviews, Romantique, Shellac, Strawberry Smoothie, UV

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