How is a shellac manicure different to a traditional manicure?

I started getting shellac polishes last year after coming to the terms that until I have a life of leisure, an ordinary polish will barely last a day. I'd got into the habit of regular manicures on a 6 month sabbatical to Latin America where I never got close to a cooker, travelled by taxi and a manicure cost £3. I also had the time to watch the world go by, 'read' the local gossip magazines and practice my stumbling spanish in the salon for hours as the polish dried. The real world returned, but I still wanted to maintain my manicured nails. I thought that shellac might be the answer.

What is a shellac manicure?

A shellac manicure is also known as 'gelish' or a 3 week manicure. It is similar to a normal varnish in that no false nails are applied, therefore your nails will only be as long as your natural nails. Rather than air dry, the polish is cured using a UV light. I've found that unlike a normal manicure, the polish really doesn't chip and stays incredibly shiny, with no signs of wear. Instead the manicure only needs re-doing when your nails grow sufficiently for the bare nails at the base to become obvious. It shouldn't take any longer than a normal manicure, and best of all, it's totally dry the moment the manicurist steps away from you, you really can't chip it trying to leave the salon. 

The main negative for me is the difficulty of removing the polish. This is difficult to do on your own, you need both awesome dexterity and access to pure acetone. Shellac is removed by soaking cotton wool in acetone, placing this on the nail, and then wrapping the nail-cotton wool bundle with foil to keep contact between the nail and the acetone. This is then left to soak for 10 mins or so until the varnish can be easily peeled away. I found this all but impossible to do myself (although i'm not the most coordinated and struggle just to paint my own nails). A lot of salons will remove the shellac for free if you got it put on there, others charge around £10. 

The process

The manicurist will do some standard preparation like filing the nails and tidying the cuticles. A clear base coat is then painted on and you'll put your hand under a UV light for around a minute to 'cure' the polish. This will be followed by a couple of coats of your chosen colour and a top coat. Each coat will be cured under the UV light. Finally, the dull top layer is removed with a bit of isopropanol on cotton wool. You should now be left with incredibly shiny and totally dry nails. Actual time with the manicurist isn't much longer than with a standard manicure as you can cure the polish on one hand whilst they paint polish onto the other hand. The consistency of shellac is slightly more difficult to apply as it is less liquid than standard polish and more like a gel. 

The cost

The cost of a shellac manicure varies greatly between salons just like standard manicures. I've found a salon in London that will do removal and re-shellac for £25, but most seem to charge a little more than this. I figure if you're willing to pay for ordinary manicures, it will probably be cost effective to get a shellac manicure as you'll only need to refresh every 2 weeks or so. It's also worth factoring the price of removal as some salons do not include this in the listed price.

Tips for a great shellac manicure

It's absolutely key that the varnish is applied right to the bottom of the nail bed as regrowth will become prominent less quickly and it's the regrowth that limits the length of this manicure.

It helps if the varnish is painted on in thin layers to make sure that each layer fully cures. 

Make sure that the light is turning on properly during each curing session as this is essential for the varnish to 'dry'. You should be able to easily see whether the bluey-white light is on in the dryer. 

As the varnish cures in UV light it is essential that the nail varnish brush is kept out of sunlight as it will harden very quickly (no painting nails in the garden). This explains why the polish bottles are opaque. 

Shellac polish contains different ingredients to ordinary polish so you can't use your standard polish under a UV light for the same results. 

You can also change the colour of your nails during a shellac manicure by painting over them with a standard polish. The shellac provides a wonderfully smooth base that helps the ordinary polish go on evenly, however you may see a slight rim where the regrowth occurs. This varnish can be removed with ordinary nail varnish remover without damaging the shellac underneath and you can switch colours again! I also do this as a temporary fix to cover regrowth if I can't get to a salon to refresh my manicure.  

Toenails grow more slowly than fingernails so a shellac pedicure can last a month.