Shellac Manicure & Pedicure

 I got a great deal on a Shellac mani and pedi, £12 for each. My plan was to have them  done for my upcoming trip to Ibiza but, typically, I could only get an appointment for 2 weeks before...Never mind, I was optimistic and hoped it would last!

Off I went to get pampered! Now, I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my nails, normally painting them twice a week because they get a bit chipped or smudged or something that bugs the life out of me. Today was day 7 of the Shellac and my toenails are holding up well, no doubt they'll last through the holiday but the fingernails were dented, growing out quickly and not even enough for me.

I removed the nails tonight, after doing lots of research on how to remove it without doing horrendous damage to my nails.

The method that sounded best, and I tried, was this:

1. Cut cotton pads into quarters and saturate with nail polish remover (with acetone)
2. Place a cotton pad quarter onto nails and wrap in tinfoil (this helps warm things up and speeds up the process)
3. Leave for 15 mins (some people say 10 some 20 so I averaged it out)
4. Take the cotton pads and tinfoil off and scrape away the Shellac with an orange stick

I found that after 15 minutes the Shellac was all loose and very easily to scrape away, no stubborn bits left. My cuticles and nails looked very dry but once I gave my hands a good wash they looked fine. My hands need a little TLC with some good handcream but that's never a bad thing, is it?

My verdict on Shellac? I probably won't get a manicure again but I will get a pedicure done again.